COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2721

Magazines, Publishing and Printing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

42companies1835–1997founding years42still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBertelsmann AG
1835
FoundedBauer Publishing Group
1875
FoundedThe Washington Post Company
1889
FoundedN.V. Holdingmaatschappij De Telegraaf
1893
FoundedWorld Color Press Inc.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedGroupe Les Echos
1908
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedHarcourt Brace and Co.
1919
FoundedZiff Communications Company
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedMarvel Entertainment Group, Inc.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedPlayboy Enterprises, Inc.
1953
FoundedBrown Printing Company
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMaxwell Communication Corporation plc
1964
FoundedMultimedia, Inc.
1968
FoundedCMP Media Inc.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedNews America Publishing Inc.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAxel Springer Verlag AG
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedPrimedia Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedEnquirer/Star Group, Inc.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Burda Holding GmbH. & Co. →
Active · Germany
Burda Holding GmbH.
Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
Southam Inc. →
Active · founded 1871 · Canada
Southam Inc.
Bauer Publishing Group →
Active · founded 1875 · Germany
Bauer Publishing Group is the largest magazine publisher in Germany and one of the largest in Europe, offering a wide…
The Times Mirror Company →
Active · founded 1884
The Times Mirror Company ranks among the top five newspaper companies in the United States.
The Washington Post Company →
Active · founded 1889
The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries are leaders in the news and communications media industry.
Waverly, Inc. →
Active · founded 1892
Waverly, Inc.
N.V. Holdingmaatschappij De Telegraaf →
Active · founded 1893 · The Netherlands
N.V.
Thomas Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1898
Celebrating its centennial in 1998, Thomas Publishing Company is a niche reference book publisher dedicated to…
Butterick Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1902
Butterick Co., Inc.
World Color Press Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
World Color Press Inc.
National Audubon Society →
Active · founded 1905
The National Audubon Society (NAS or the Society), one of the largest private conservation organizations in this…
Groupe Les Echos →
Active · founded 1908 · France
A member of British media giant the Pearson Group since 1988, Groupe Les Echos is among France's leading financial and…
Penton Media, Inc. →
Active · founded 1910
Considered a primary business resource by marketing leaders around the world, Penton Media, Inc.
Harcourt Brace and Co. →
Active · founded 1919
Harcourt Brace and Co.
Advance Publications Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Family owned and operated, Advance Publications Inc.
Ziff Communications Company →
Active · founded 1927
Ziff Communications Company was a major force in American magazine publishing for more than 65 years.
DC Comics Inc. →
Active · founded 1935
DC Comics Inc.
Consumers Union →
Active · founded 1936
Consumers Union is the nonprofit organization that publishes the monthly magazine Consumer Reports, dedicated to…
Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1939
The Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc., is the largest American publisher of comic books.
Petersen Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1949
A rising force in the publishing industry, Petersen Publishing Company publishes a host of monthly, bimonthly,…
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
John Fairfax Holdings Limited →
Active · founded 1955 · Australia
John Fairfax Holdings Limited is the holding company for an Australian publishing enterprise established more than 150…
Brown Printing Company →
Active · founded 1957
Brown Printing Company, headquartered in rural Minnesota, is a nationally recognized producer of business, trade, and…
Hachette Filipacchi Medias S.A. →
Active · founded 1957 · France
The June 1997 fusion of Filipacchi Medias S.A.
International Data Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Over the course of some 30 years, Patrick J.
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc →
Active · founded 1964 · United Kingdom
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc (MCC) was formerly one of the world's ten largest media groups, with interests in…
VNU N.V. →
Active · founded 1964 · The Netherlands
The Netherlands' publishing group VNU N.V.
Multimedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
One of the most profitable media communications companies in the United States, Multimedia, Inc.
Essence Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Essence Communications, Inc.
CMP Media Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
When CMP Media Inc.
Mecklermedia Corporation →
Active · founded 1971
Mecklermedia Corporation is a small but important player in the world of the Internet, with a relatively long history…
News America Publishing Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
News America Publishing Inc.
Dorling Kindersley Holdings plc →
Active · founded 1974 · United Kingdom
For nearly a quarter-century, Dorling Kindersley Holdings plc (DK) has focused on creating an enduring catalog of over…
Cadmus Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Cadmus Communications Corporation was named after the Greek mythological figure who founded Thebes and introduced the…
Axel Springer Verlag AG →
Active · founded 1985 · Germany
Over the course of its more than 50 years in business, Axel Springer Verlag AG has evolved from a publisher of local…
Bloomberg L.P. →
Active · founded 1986
Bloomberg L.P.
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
American Media, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
American Media, Inc.
Enquirer/Star Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
The Enquirer/Star Group, Inc.
Orkla A/S →
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1997
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C.
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