F+W (formerlyF+W Publications andF+W Media) was a media and e-commerce company headquartered inNew York City.Founded in 1913 in Cincinnati, F+W publishedmagazines,books, digital products (including e-books and e-magazines), produced online video, offered online education, and owned and operated e-stores, as well as consumer and trade shows.[1][failed verification]
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Status | Defunct (2019) |
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Founded | 1913 (1913) |
Founder | Edward Rosenthal |
Defunct | 2019 ![]() |
Country of origin | United States |
Headquarters location | New York City,New York |
Publication types | Magazines,books |
No. of employees | 700 |
Official website | www![]() |
History
editF+W was named after two of its early publications:Farm Quarterly andWriter's Digest.[2] The company grew though a series of acquisitions, including book publisherDavid & Charles,Krause Publications in 2002,[3]Horticulture magazine, and Adams Media in 2003. The private equity firm ABRY Partners purchased F+W in 2005.[4] In August 2012 F+W Media acquired Interweave, an arts and crafts media company based in Loveland, Colorado.[5] In 2014, F+W Media acquired New Track Media,[6] renamed itself F+W,[7] and was acquired by the private equity company Tinicum.[8]
In 2008, the company began to focus more one-commerce activities and offering products and services related to the content of its magazines.[9] The e-commerce business grew from one store with $6 million in revenue in 2008 to 31 e-commerce stores with more than $65 million for 2015.[9] In May 2017, some creditors received a 97% stake in the company in exchange for debt relief and a new line of credit.[10][11]
Demise
editIn January 2018, with the CEO and two othertop executives leaving the company,[12] F+W slashed its workforce by 40%.[11]
F+W filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 10, 2019.[13] The book publishing assets of the company were won byPenguin Random House at a bankruptcy auction in June 2019.[14] The grouping of the assets drew criticism.[15] Several properties includingSky & Telescope were sold individually.[16]
Overview
editF+W Media was a special interest content provider and marketer of enthusiast magazines, books, conferences, trade shows, and interactive media properties.
F+W's special-interest categories includedart,crafts,mixed media,writing,genealogy,antiques andcollectibles,graphic design,hunting.[1][failed verification] In 2011 the Company entered the fiction market with the acquisition of Tyrus Books.[17] In 2012, the company launched imprints in romance (Crimson Romance)[18] and young adult fiction (Merit Press).[19]
Publications were organized around some 20 community-based units, each of which focuses on a particular special interest category. The company also published about 600 new book titles annually, and had a library of some 4000 titles.
Its brands wereDavid & Charles,Impact Books,Krause Publications, North Light Books,Writer's Digest andInterweave Press.[20]
Situation after dissolution
editIn June 2019, the assets of F+W were sold at bankruptcy auctions.[16]
Assets | New owner |
---|---|
F+W Books | Became animprint ofPenguin Random House'sPenguin Publishing Group division[14][22] |
F&W Media International | BecameDavid & Charles again in amanagement buyout[23] |
Crafts segment including the magazines: | Peak Media Properties[24][25] |
Long Thread Media[26] | |
Fine Arts segment including the magazines: | Peak Media Properties[24][27] |
Construction Trade segment including the magazines: | Shield Wall Media[28] |
Family Tree | Yankee Publishing[29] |
Active Interest Media[29] | |
Collectibles segment consisting of the magazines: | Active Interest Media[21] |
Sky & Telescope | American Astronomical Society[21] |
Outdoors segment including the magazines: | Media 360[30][31] |
Print Holdings LLC |
Various assets of F+W were sold prior to the bankruptcy filing.[32]
Date | Magazine | New owner |
---|---|---|
Oct 2015 | World Tea News | Penton[33] |
Oct 2016[34] | Gun Digest | Caribou Media Group[35] |
Jun 2018 | Blade | Caribou Media Group[35] |
References
edit- ^ab"F&W Publications Retains Veronis, Suhler & Associates to Explore Strategic Options".The Write News. May 3, 1999. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^F&W Publications, Inc.
- ^Baker, Don (July 2, 2002)."F&W Inc. to Acquire Publisher Krause".The Cincinnati Post. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved2011-04-05.
- ^Newberry, Jon (August 9, 2005)."F&W Publications Now Owned by Media Group".The Cincinnati Post. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved2011-04-05.
- ^"F+W Media Announces Acquisition of Interweave".Press Release. F+W Media. Archived fromthe original on 2012-08-03. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^F+W Media Buys New Track Media
- ^F+W Media Undergoes Corporate Rebrand
- ^F+W Sells Majority Stake to Private Investment Firm Tinicum
- ^abWilson, Denis (August 1, 2015)."Corner Office: F+W Chairman & CEO David Nussbaum on the Company's Decisive Strategic Shift Toward Ecommerce".Publishing Executive. NAPCO Media. Retrieved2019-09-22.
- ^Silber, Tony (March 12, 2019)."Two Years At F+W Media: Behind The Scenes At A Company In Chaos".forbes. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^abKelly, Keith J. (March 12, 2019)."Writer's Digest and Popular Woodworking publisher files Chapter 11".New York Post. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^Anderson, Porter (January 9, 2018)."F+W Media Staffers Learn in a Memo That Top Executives Have Left Company".Publishing Perspectives. New York, NY. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^Yerak, Becky (March 11, 2019)."Specialty Publisher F+W Media Files for Bankruptcy, Plans to Sell Business".The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved2019-03-11.
- ^abMilliot, Jim; Maher, John (June 7, 2019)."PRH Acquires F+W Book Group Assets At Auction".Publishers Weekly. Retrieved2019-06-10.
- ^Hoffelder, Nate (June 8, 2019)."PRH Buys Half of F+W Media At Auction, Including Half of Writer's Digest".The Digital Reader. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^abDool, Greg (June 17, 2019)."F+W Media Reveals Winning Bidders at Bankruptcy Auction".Folio. Access Intelligence, LLC. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^Milliot, Jim (April 27, 2011)."F+W Buys Tyrus Books, Launches Crime Vertical".Publishers Weekly. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^Milliot, Jim; et al. (July 13, 2012)."Digital Imprints Take Root".Publishers Weekly. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^Deahl, Rachel (May 8, 2012)."Mitchard to Launch YA Imprint for F+W".Publishers Weekly. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^Hovorka, Alan."F+W Media may lay off 66 people, close Krause Publications' Stevens Point office".stevenspointjournal.com. Retrieved14 March 2020.
- ^abc"Landing Page".fwmedia.com.Archived from the original on 2019-09-07. Retrieved2019-09-12.
- ^"F+W Books / Overview".Penguin.com. Penguin Group USA. Archived fromthe original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^Pullen, Fiona (July 31, 2019)."F & W Media International Purchased and Renamed David & Charles".CraftIndustryAlliance.org. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^ab"Peak Media Properties acquires Fine Arts & Crafts assets of F+W Media".PeakMediaProperties.com. July 28, 2019. Retrieved2019-09-19.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Peak Crafts".PeakMediaProperties.com. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^Glassenberg, Abby (August 1, 2019)."Long Thread Media Buys Spin Off, PieceWork, and Handwoven".CraftIndustryAlliance.org. Retrieved2019-09-22.
- ^"Peak Fine Arts".PeakMediaProperties.com. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^Thatcher, Sharon (July 2, 2019)."Shield Wall Media Takes Ownership of F+W Media Construction Brands".Construction Magazine Network. Shield Wall Media LLC. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^abBarber, Kayleigh (July 23, 2019)."Why Active Interest Media Salvaged 14 Titles From the F+W Bankruptcy".Folio. Access Intelligence, LLC. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^DDH Staff (July 2, 2019)."Media 360 Buys Deer & Deer Hunting".Deer & Deer Hunting. Media 360, LLC. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^Sorensen, Steve (July 15, 2019)."A Corporate Take-Over Taken Back".Jamestown Gazette. Chautauqua Marketing Solutions, Inc. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^Silber, Tony (March 11, 2019)."F+W Media, Citing Debt, Decline And Mismanagement, Files For Bankruptcy Protection".forbes.com. Archived fromthe original on March 12, 2019. Retrieved2019-09-22.
- ^Mickey, Bill (October 6, 2015)."Penton Buys World Tea Media From F+W".Folio. Access Intelligence, LLC. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^"Gun Digest Promotes Luke Hartle to Editor-in-Chief".Tactical Wire. Outdoor Wire Digital Network. July 26, 2018. Retrieved2019-09-19.
- ^abCurci, Nick (June 1, 2018)."Caribou Media Group Acquires BLADE Events".TradeShowExecutive.com. Archived fromthe original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved2019-09-19.