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July 06, 2005

Bloodbath at G+J USA Publishing

Meredith Corp. last week began informing via e-mail those G+J USA Publishing staffers who will join its team following the $350 million sale of G+J's Family Circle, Parents, Child and Fitness. (Morningstar's Joe Mansueto last week acquired Fast Company and Inc.)

While Meredith offered 315 G+J staffers permanent jobs, G+J had the unfortunate task of notifying 75 employees that they could join Meredith on a temporary basis (up to six months), and then had to tell an additional 75 staffers that there was no job for them at all (Fast Company and Inc. employees were not affected).

The highest profile editor not to make the cut was Family Circle's editor in chief, Susan Ungaro. Ungaro, who has spent 25 years at the women's service title (under five CEOs), and the past 11 years as its top editor, had also held the post of president of the Amercian Society of Magazine Editors.

Replacing Ungaro will be Linda Fears, former editor of YM and Parents, and most recently acting editor in chief of business development at G+J. Fears, also a veteran of Meredith's Ladies' Home Journal, was named acting editor in chief of Family Circle, and was among those offered a permanent position at Meredith.

Though highly regarded in the industry, Ungaro has had a tough challenge of keeping a traditional women's service magazine vital in a changing marketplace. Increasingly, the tide has been turning in favor of so-called women's lifestyle magazines such as Time Inc.'s Real Simple and O, The Oprah Magazine, published by Hearst Magazines and Oprah Winfrey.

Family Circle's paid circulation in 2004's second half fell 10.6 percent to 4.27 million over the year prior. Newsstand sales plunged 25.2 percent to 811,000. Holding steady, however, is rival Ladies' Home Journal, which saw paid circ stay flat at 4.1 million. Newsstand sales dipped 5.8 percent to 291,500.

"I've had an unbelievably great run here at Family Circle, working with great people," said Ungaro. "I'm surprised at the decision. We're up 36 percent on newsstand in the first half of this year. I'm surprised [Meredith] did not see that my team under my leadership is on the road to success after a tough 2004."

Also exiting will be Peg Farrell, senior vp, publisher of Family Circle. Farrell will be replaced by Jim Carr, formerly publisher of Meredith's Midwest Living. And succeeding Carr will be Peter Gross, most recently Midwest Living's director of travel advertising.

Jack Griffin, Meredith Publishing Group president explained the company's moves as strategic. "As a company, we are making an enormous commitment to Family Circle," he said. "There is no way of getting around it. The magazine needs to be reinvigorated. We have great respect for Susan Ungaro. She leaves a great legacy. But at the same time, we need to approach Family Circle with a fresh set of eyes."

As of now, Griffin continued, there are no plans to move to the company's headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa.

And finally, Sue Geramian, vp, corporate communications for G+J, who loyally stood by three CEOs over the course of eight years, will be leaving.

In terms of good G+J news, one noteworthy G+J exec staying on will be Jack Bamberger, vp, corporate sales and marketing, who will move to Meredith as vp, corporate sales. Bamberger will report to Tom Harty, senior vp, general manager, and publishing director of Meredith.

Posted by Stephen at July 6, 2005 10:07 PM

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