Midge Richardson moves upstairs at K-III - K-III Magazine Corp - News - Brief Article

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Oct 15, 1993

Much to the surprise of Seventeen's staff, competitors and advertisers, editor in chief Midge Richardson was abruptly bumped upstairs to a corporate post in mid-September. Richardson, editor since 1975, becomes editor at large of K-III Magazines, assisting president Harry McQuillen in identifying acquisitions and startups.

Creative director Nancy Hessel Weber takes over as acting editor until a successor is named, sometime within the next three months. McQuillen says the move was not prompted by unhappiness with Richardson's editorial product, the redesign undertaken earlier this year, or competitor YM's rapid circulation growth. "We just felt it was time for a change at Seventeen, but we still have Midge's editorial skills to bank on," says McQuillen. He says he hopes to see "a little more celebrity coverage and a little more of a lighter touch." Despite Seventeen's healthy financial picture--ad pages are up nearly 10 percent through October and McQuillen says the title's profit this year will be up 10 to 15 percent--industry observers speculate the changes were driven partly by YM's gains on the newsstand and in total circulation. Gruner Jahr's YM had a rate base of under a million a little more than a year ago; its guaranteed circulation now stands at 1.5 million and will jump to 1.8 million in February. Seventeen, now at 1.8 million, will increase its rate base to 1.85 million in January.