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F+W Media, publisher of such magazines as Writer’s Digest, Family Tree and Popular Woodworking, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company says that the number of its magazine subscribers has dropped from 33.4 million in 2015 to 21.5 million, with advertising revenues falling from $20.7 million in 2015 to $13.7 million last year. According to a report in Forbes, the company has about $2.5 million in cash available, with $105.2 million in outstanding debt. In the Chapter 11 filing, company CEO Greg Osberg said that in order to get the money to pay its creditors, F+W has decided to sell all of its assets. The company will be sold off in two parts—its communities division, which includes its magazines, and F+W Books, which publishes 120 titles annually.
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Meredith Corporation is launching a new magazine, Happy Paws, that will be aimed at dog and cat owners. The magazine, which is set to hit newsstands on April 9, is being produced in partnership with a veterinarian-led organization called Fear Free. Meredith says that the pet coverage it currently features in such publications as Real Simple and Family Circle is extremely popular with readers. It also cites American Pet Products Association figures that say more than $72 billion was spent on pets in the U.S. in the past year. The first issue of Happy Paws is set to be followed by another in October, and the company says it will then determine the magazine’s frequency.
 Dan Wakeford |
Dan Wakeford is taking over the editor-in-chief post at People magazine from Jess Cagle, who resigned Wednesday. Wakeford has been the deputy editor at People since 2015. In the position, he edited the magazine as well as overseeing 11 of its digital verticals and developing such spin-off projects as the crime series “People Magazine Investigates.” Before coming to People, Wakeford was editor-in-chief at Bauer Publishing titles In Touch and Life & Style. “Dan has an impeccable track record for shaping the editorial direction and content strategy for some of the largest brands, and that makes him the ideal choice to lead Meredith’s most profitable brand,” Bruce Gersh, the president of People, Entertainment Weekly and People en Español, told the New York Times.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
Trump Media & Technology Group is discussing a spin-off of the Truth Social platform following the expected closing of its $6B merger deal with TAE Technologies... Condé Nast sells off Them, the digital LGBTQ-focused platform it launched in 2017, to Equalpride, publisher of Out, The Advocate, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness and Pride.com... CBS News has parted ways with longevity influencer Peter Attia, one of the 19 contributors that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss brought on as part of her plan to present a wider variety of voices on the platform. 
Symbolic.ai forms a partnership with News Corp to begin using the company’s AI-native publisher platform in the newsrooms of News Corp publications to augment research, writing and publishing... Mediaite launches a newsletter that promises to give readers a summary of—media newsletters... The Fund for American Studies launches the Journalism Excellence Fellowship, a program that will provide promising young journalists the opportunity to work alongside top writers, reporters, and media professionals.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has roots going back to 1786, is going out of business, the paper’s owners, Block Communications, announced on Jan. 7... GQ editor Will Welch is stepping down to take on a new Paris-based role with the musician Pharrell, who is also men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton... Semafor says it has raised $30 million on a $330 million valuation, following its first profitable year. 
