Time Inc Health to Acquire American Health Magazine Trademark and Subscriber List

Posted on August 18, 1999

Time Inc Health has agreed to acquire the American Health magazine trademark and subscriber list from The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., it was announced jointly by Eric Schrier, President/CEO of Time Inc Health, and Gregory G. Coleman, President, U.S. Magazines, for The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. As part of the agreement, American Health will cease publishing following the October issue, and the magazine's circulation assets will transfer to Time Inc.'s Health magazine.

"Reader's Digest will leverage its brand by creating health-related businesses bearing its name, including publications, products, services and sites on the World Wide Web," Coleman said. "This gives us a clean slate to develop products branded as Reader's Digest, including the health segment, which will be one of our areas of greatest emphasis."

"When we looked at new ways to further expand Health, adding these circulation assets was clearly the quickest, most profitable route," said Schrier. "American Health brings us many readers who are aligned with our demographic target -- women 25 to 54, who represent a highly desirable audience for a wide range of our advertisers, including health and beauty aids, food and nutrition, in addition to other lifestyle categories such as automotive and technology. Today's advertisers are demanding sizable niche audiences, and with this acquisition, Health will become one of the country's largest targeted lifestyle franchises."

Beginning in November, Schrier said, subscribers to American Health will receive Health with an opportunity to continue, extend or cancel their subscriptions. Health magazine, which has a current rate base of 1.1 million, will shortly announce a rate base increase. American Health magazine, published 10 times a year, was founded in 1982 by American Health Partners and acquired by Reader's Digest in 1990. Time Inc Health will also launch HEALTH.com later this year.