Primedia Strengthens Position in Teen Magazines

Posted on December 15, 1998

Primedia Inc. has announced that it has strengthened its position as a publisher of magazines for teens and young audiences by acquiring leading publishers of youth entertainment magazines. Sterling/Macfadden Teen Network of New York publishes Teen Beat, Teen Beat Allstars, Sixteen, Sixteen Superstars, Tiger Beat, Superteen and Teen Machine and Laufer Publishing Company of Studio City, Calif. publishes BOP and BB.

Primedia, already the leading information provider to teenagers and young adults with Seventeen magazine, now produces nine more of the leading magazines serving young audiences in the United States. The businesses will form the new Primedia Youth Entertainment Group.

The Sterling/Macfadden and Laufer magazines are targeted to pre-teens and teens interested in the world of celebrity. They provide readers with must-have information about current teen idols, inside information about celebrities, and pin-up posters of teen stars.

"The youth market is one of the fastest growing niches in publishing and it is highly prized by marketers," said William F. Reilly, chairman and chief executive officer of Primedia. "Our extension into the younger teen and pre-teen market is a natural and logical progression. Our dominance of the youth entertainment category with these new acquisitions, plus our established position at Seventeen, give us an unmatched authority in the teen category across all ages."

In a related announcement today, Primedia Consumer Magazines announced that Mark Peterson, formerly vice president, single copy sales for Primedia Consumer Magazines, will be senior vice president of the Youth Entertainment Group. Scott Laufer, formerly president of Laufer Publishing, will join Primedia as vice president of the Group and will continue running BOP and BB.