Rodale, Inc.

Rodale, Inc. (/ˈroʊdeɪl/) was an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties.[1] Rodale was headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania (adjacent to Allentown) and maintained a satellite office in New York City. It published health and wellness lifestyle magazines, including Men's Health and Prevention. The company published a collection of bestsellers, including An Inconvenient Truth and Eat This, Not That.

Rodale, Inc.
StatusDefunct, 2017
Founded1930
FounderJ. I. Rodale
SuccessorHearst (magazines)
Crown Publishing Group (books)
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationEmmaus, Pennsylvania
Publication typesMagazines, books
Official websitewww.rodale.com
Men's Health magazine, published by Rodale since 1988

History

J. I. Rodale founded Rodale Inc., in 1930. He was a partner with his brother, Joseph, in Rodale Manufacturing, which produced electrical switches. Joseph moved Rodale Manufacturing to Emmaus, Pennsylvania to take advantage of favorable local taxes, while J. I. dabbled in publishing. In 1942, Rodale started Organic Farming and Gardening magazine. It taught people how to grow food with organic farming techniques. Today, Organic Gardening is the best-read gardening magazine in the world.[2] In 1950, Rodale introduced Prevention, a health magazine.

In 1971, J. I. Rodale died during a taping of The Dick Cavett Show, and his son, Robert Rodale (1930–1990), took over the company’s leadership. On September 20, 1990, Robert Rodale was killed in a car accident during a business trip in Russia.

In 1972, Rodale Press was one of the five founding members of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) (now IFOAM-Organics International), founded at Versailles, France.[3]

Following Robert Rodale's death, his wife, Ardath Harter Rodale (1928–2009), became chairman and chief executive officer of the company. In 2000, Steven Pleshette Murphy joined the company as president and chief operating officer, and was named president and CEO in 2002.[4] On June 18, 2007, Ardath Rodale stepped down as chairman, and her daughter, Maria, was named chairman. Ardath remained a member of the company’s board and took over the new title of Chief Inspiration Officer. On September 1, 2009, Murphy stepped down as President and CEO. Maria Rodale, granddaughter of company founder J.I. Rodale and daughter of previous chairpersons Robert Rodale and Ardath Rodale, succeeded Murphy as CEO.[5]

Sale to Hearst

In October 2017, New York-based Hearst Communications announced it would acquire the magazine and book businesses of Rodale. The transaction was expected to close in January following government approvals. Rodale announced some months prior that it would consider a total sale of the company, among other alternatives explored by its board of directors. It hired financial adviser Allen & Co. to lead the search for bidders. According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Hearst outbid Meredith Corporation, another large media company that had expressed interest in Rodale’s portfolio almost immediately after they solicited offers.[6][7] After the sale, Hearst sold Rodale's trade publishing division to Crown Publishing Group, part of Penguin Random House.[8]

Products

Magazines

Selected books
  • Agatston, Arthur (2003). The South Beach Diet.
  • Gore, Al (2006). An Inconvenient Truth.
  • Hammond, Darell (2011). Kaboom! How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play.
  • Kidder, David S. (2006). The Intellectual Devotional.
  • Kurzweil, Ray & Grossman, Terry (2004). Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Maher, Bill (2005). New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer.
  • Rose, Pete (2004). My Prison Without Bars.
  • Zinczenko, David & Goulding, Matt (2007). Eat This, Not That!.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Gore, Al (2017). An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.

News website

Rodale News' website was launched on Earth Day, April 22, 2009 with the tagline “where health meets green".[9] The site provides news and information about health and the environment. Also included are daily news articles, videos, and in-depth topic pages.

See also

Rodale Institute

References
  1. "Global reach statistics for Rodale, Inc". Hcp.com. 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
  2. "On Gardening: Words Do Describe these Christmas Gifts". Yakima Herald. December 2008.
  3. Paull, John (2010). "From France to the World: The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)" (PDF). Journal of Social Research & Policy. 1 (2): 93–102.
  4. "BusinessWeek May 2002". Businessweek.com. 2005-01-09. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
  5. "Business Week July 2009". Mediaweek.com. 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
  6. Wagaman, Andrew (October 18, 2017). "Media giant Hearst will acquire Rodale". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
  7. Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A. (2017-10-18). "Hearst Agrees to Acquire Rodale Inc., Publisher of Men's Health and Runner's World". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
  8. "PRH Buys Rodale Books Assets". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  9. "RodaleNews.com launch". Forbes. April 22, 2009.
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