Company Watch: First Quarter

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, June 15, 2001

Company Watch: First Quarter
Q1 financial results for publicly traded U.S. magazine companies
COMPANY                                  Q1 REVENUE*       %
                                           2001/2000  CHANGE
Gemstar TV Guide                       $258.0/$292.5  -11.9%
(GMST: Media & Services sector only)
Martha Stewart                             47.4/44.9     5.6
(MSO: Pub. only)
Meredith Corp.                           213.4/217.5   -0.02
(MDP: Fiscal Q3, Pub. Only)
Penton Media Inc.                         112.7/75.8    48.6
(PME: Total)
Playboy Enterprises                        29.8/32.1    -7.2
(PLA: Pub. Only)
Primedia Inc.                            422.1/391.0     8.0
(PRM: Total)
Reader's Digest                          161.8/136.8    18.3
(RDA: Fiscal Q3, U.S. magazines only)
COMPANY                                 Q1 EBITDA*       %
                                         2001/2002  CHANGE
Gemstar TV Guide                       $70.0/$70.9   -1.3%
(GMST: Media & Services sector only)
Martha Stewart                           17.3/17.4    -0.3
(MSO: Pub. only)
Meredith Corp.                           39.9/46.4   -14.0
(MDP: Fiscal Q3, Pub. Only)
Penton Media Inc.                        19.9/11.0    80.4
(PME: Total)
Playboy Enterprises                       -0.9/1.8  -150.0
(PLA: Pub. Only)
Primedia Inc.                            40.1/52.0   -22.9
(PRM: Total)
Reader's Digest                         10.4/7.8**    33.3
(RDA: Fiscal Q3, U.S. magazines only)
Rising costs and falling revenues took their toll on the magazine
business during the most recent quarter. EBITDA for most publicly
traded magazine companies was flat or down. Penton's 48.6 percent
jump in revenue and 80.4 percent gain in EBITDA were due, in part,
to the shift in timing of two major trade shows from the second
quarter 2000 to the first quarter 2001.
(*)Millions
(**)Operating profit, not EBITDA