F+W

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F+W
File:Fwmedia.jpeg
StatusDefunct (2019)
Founded1913 (1913)
FounderEdward Rosenthal
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationNew York City, New York
Publication typesMagazines, books
No. of employees700
Official website{{#property:P856}}

F+W (formerly F+W Publications and F+W Media) was a media and e-commerce company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1913 in Cincinnati, F+W published magazines, books, digital products (including e-books and e-magazines), produced online video, offered online education, and owned and operated e-stores, as well as consumer and trade shows.[1][failed verification]

History

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F+W was named after two of its early publications: Farm Quarterly and Writer's Digest.[2] The company grew though a series of acquisitions, including book publisher David & Charles, Krause Publications in 2002,[3] Horticulture magazine, and Adams Media in 2003. The private equity firm ABRY Partners purchased F+W in 2005.[4] In August 2012 F+W Media acquired Interweave, an arts and crafts media company based in Loveland, Colorado.[5] In 2014, F+W Media acquired New Track Media,[6] renamed itself F+W,[7] and was acquired by the private equity company Tinicum.[8]

In 2008, the company began to focus more on e-commerce activities and offering products and services related to the content of its magazines.[9] The e-commerce business grew from one store with $6 million in revenue in 2008 to 31 e-commerce stores with more than $65 million for 2015.[9] In May 2017, some creditors received a 97% stake in the company in exchange for debt relief and a new line of credit.[10][11]

Demise

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In January 2018, with the CEO and two other top executives leaving the company,[12] F+W slashed its workforce by 40%.[11]

F+W filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 10, 2019.[13] The book publishing assets of the company were won by Penguin Random House at a bankruptcy auction in June 2019.[14] The grouping of the assets drew criticism.[15] Several properties including Sky & Telescope were sold individually.[16]

Overview

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F+W Media was a special interest content provider and marketer of enthusiast magazines, books, conferences, trade shows, and interactive media properties.

F+W's special-interest categories included art, crafts, mixed media, writing, genealogy, antiques and collectibles, graphic design, hunting.[1][failed verification] In 2011 the Company entered the fiction market with the acquisition of Tyrus Books.[17] In 2012, the company launched imprints in romance (Crimson Romance)[18] and young adult fiction (Merit Press).[19]

Publications were organized around some 20 community-based units, each of which focuses on a particular special interest category. The company also published about 600 new book titles annually, and had a library of some 4000 titles.

Its brands were David & Charles, Impact Books, Krause Publications, North Light Books, Writer's Digest and Interweave Press.[20]

Situation after dissolution

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In June 2019, the assets of F+W were sold at bankruptcy auctions.[16]

Ownership structure after dissolution of F+W[21]
Assets New owner
F+W Books Became an imprint of Penguin Random House's Penguin Publishing Group division[14][22]
F&W Media International Became David & Charles again in a management buyout[23]
Crafts segment including the magazines:
Peak Media Properties[24][25]
Long Thread Media[26]
Fine Arts segment including the magazines:
Peak Media Properties[24][27]
Construction Trade segment including the magazines:
Shield Wall Media[28]
Family Tree Yankee Publishing[29]
Active Interest Media[29]
Collectibles segment consisting of the magazines:
Active Interest Media[21]
Sky & Telescope American Astronomical Society[21]
Outdoors segment including the magazines:
Media 360[30][31]
Print Print Holdings LLC

Various assets of F+W were sold prior to the bankruptcy filing.[32]

Magazines sold prior to bankruptcy filing
Date Magazine New owner
Oct 2015 World Tea News Penton[33]
Oct 2016[34] Gun Digest Caribou Media Group[35]
Jun 2018 Blade Caribou Media Group[35]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ F&W Publications, Inc.
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  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ F+W Media Buys New Track Media
  7. ^ F+W Media Undergoes Corporate Rebrand
  8. ^ F+W Sells Majority Stake to Private Investment Firm Tinicum
  9. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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