Bonnier Acquires Working Mother Media

Posted on October 1, 2008

Crain's NY reports that Bonnier Corp. has acquired Working Mother Media. Founder and CEO Carol Evans will remain with the company as President of Bonnier's Working Mother Group.

Working Mother is best known for its self-titled magazine, as well as for publishing a list of the 100 best companies for working mothers. Its membership organizations also include Diversity Best Practices and NAFE, the National Association for Female Executives.
But the publisher has faced sharp criticism in recent years, in part by sentiment that a publication that mindfully separates mothers from the rest of the working population is no longer relevant. Sister publication Working Woman shut down in 2001. Over the years Working Mother has dropped from a circulation peak near 1 million and cut its frequency to eight times a year from 10. The title has also changed hands numerous times, from its launch with McCall Publishing Co. in 1979, through Lang Communications, MacDonald Communications and MCG and Ms. Evans.

Bonnier issued a statement about the acquisition here. It includes comments from Bonnier CEO Terry Snow who says Working Mother's publications are a natural fit with Bonnier's portfolio.

"Bringing Working Mother into Bonnier's existing portfolio of magazines is a natural fit," says Terry Snow, CEO of Bonnier Corp. "We already have two of the nation's leading brands for moms in Parenting and Babytalk magazines, so the acquisition of Working Mother Media allows us to strengthen our foothold in the mom market and offer advertisers the most comprehensive variety of media platforms reaching mom consumers."
And the timing is right, Snow continues: "You don't have to go very far to find current examples for working women who are also raising families. From corporate executives to teachers to entrepreneurs, these readers are not only successful at home raising a family, but at the same time are balancing challenging and rewarding professional careers."

Media Week says Working Mother magazine has a circulation of over 830,000. They also say the Bonnier is struggling to turn around Parenting - a title they acquired from Time, Inc.