COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 51112

Periodical Publishers

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

40companies1835–1997founding years40still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedHavas SA
1835
FoundedReed Elsevier plc
1880
FoundedPearson plc
1897
FoundedMeredith Corporation
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedThe Boy Scouts of America
1910
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedCrain Communications, Inc.
1916
FoundedForbes Inc.
1917
FoundedRogers Communications Inc.FoundedScholastic Corporation
1920
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedU.S. News and World Report Inc.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
FoundedEMAP plcFoundedSPIEGEL-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co. KG
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedVerlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH
1948
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedScottish Media Group plc
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedKrause Publications, Inc.
1964
FoundedTwinlab Corporation
1968
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedLarry Flynt Publishing Inc.
1976
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
TechnologyLinux and open source begin to challenge proprietary software.
FoundedSchibsted ASA
1992
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.
1998
TechnologyUS v. Microsoft antitrust trial reshapes software.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
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

Havas SA →
Active · founded 1835 · France
Havas SA, a wholly owned subsidiary of utilities and telecommunications giant Vivendi SA, is the largest publishing…
Havas SA →
Active · founded 1835 · France
Havas SA, a wholly owned subsidiary of utilities and telecommunications giant Vivendi SA, is the largest publishing…
Reed Elsevier plc →
Active · founded 1880 · United Kingdom
Reed Elsevier plc is the joint venture of London-based Reed International plc and Netherlands-based Elsevier N.V.
Reed Elsevier plc →
Active · founded 1880 · United Kingdom
Reed Elsevier plc is the joint venture of London-based Reed International plc and Netherlands-based Elsevier N.V.
Pearson plc →
Active · founded 1897 · United Kingdom
Since the mid-1990s, Pearson plc has transformed itself from a industrial holding company with a large and sometimes…
Pearson plc →
Active · founded 1897 · United Kingdom
Since the mid-1990s, Pearson plc has transformed itself from a industrial holding company with a large and sometimes…
Meredith Corporation →
Active · founded 1902
Meredith Corporation is a leading media company, focused primarily on magazines and broadcasting.
Meredith Corporation →
Active · founded 1902
Meredith Corporation is a leading media company, focused primarily on magazines and broadcasting.
The Boy Scouts of America →
Active · founded 1910
Rooted in Victorian values, The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is a 20th-century phenomenon and a powerful civic force.
The Boy Scouts of America →
Active · founded 1910
Rooted in Victorian values, The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is a 20th-century phenomenon and a powerful civic force.
Crain Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1916
Crain Communications Inc.
Crain Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1916
Crain Communications Inc.
Forbes Inc. →
Active · founded 1917
Through its namesake magazine, Forbes Inc.
Forbes Inc. →
Active · founded 1917
Through its namesake magazine, Forbes Inc.
Rogers Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1920 · Canada
The largest communications company in Canada, Rogers Communications Inc.
Rogers Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1920 · Canada
The largest communications company in Canada, Rogers Communications Inc.
Scholastic Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
The Scholastic Corporation is one of the leading publishers and distributors of books, magazines, and other educational…
Scholastic Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
The Scholastic Corporation is one of the leading publishers and distributors of books, magazines, and other educational…
Kodansha Ltd. →
Active · founded 1925 · Japan
Kodansha Ltd.
Kodansha Ltd. →
Active · founded 1925 · Japan
Kodansha Ltd.
U.S. News and World Report Inc. →
Active · founded 1933
U.S.
U.S. News and World Report Inc. →
Active · founded 1933
U.S.
EMAP plc →
Active · founded 1947 · United Kingdom
EMAP plc is a world-leading publisher of specialty and business-to-business magazines, with such titles as FHM, Smash…
EMAP plc →
Active · founded 1947 · United Kingdom
EMAP plc is a world-leading publisher of specialty and business-to-business magazines, with such titles as FHM, Smash…
SPIEGEL-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co. KG →
Active · founded 1947 · Germany
SPIEGEL-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co.
SPIEGEL-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co. KG →
Active · founded 1947 · Germany
SPIEGEL-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co.
Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH →
Active · founded 1948 · Germany
Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH is the holding company for Germany's fourth largest publishing and media…
Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH →
Active · founded 1948 · Germany
Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH is the holding company for Germany's fourth largest publishing and media…
Scottish Media Group plc →
Active · founded 1957 · United Kingdom
Scottish Media Group plc is one of the largest cross-platform media companies serving Scotland.
Scottish Media Group plc →
Active · founded 1957 · United Kingdom
Scottish Media Group plc is one of the largest cross-platform media companies serving Scotland.
Krause Publications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Krause Publications, Inc.
Krause Publications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Krause Publications, Inc.
Twinlab Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
1980s:Twin Labs enters the vitamin market.
Twinlab Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
1980s:Twin Labs enters the vitamin market.
Larry Flynt Publishing Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Larry Flynt Publishing Inc.
Larry Flynt Publishing Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Larry Flynt Publishing Inc.
Schibsted ASA →
Active · founded 1992 · Norway
After operating for more than 100 years as a family-owned newspaper business, Schibsted ASA was incorporated in 1992 as…
Schibsted ASA →
Active · founded 1992 · Norway
After operating for more than 100 years as a family-owned newspaper business, Schibsted ASA was incorporated in 1992 as…
American Lawyer Media Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
American Lawyer Media Holdings, Inc., a holding company formed in 1997, is a leading publisher for the legal profession.
American Lawyer Media Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
American Lawyer Media Holdings, Inc., a holding company formed in 1997, is a leading publisher for the legal profession.
Build It Today

Starting a periodical publishers company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.