Child (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Child is a discontinued American parenting magazine founded by Jackie Leo and MaryAnn Sommers in 1986 and published through 2007. It was originally backed by Italian publishers, then sold to The New York Times Magazine Group which published it until 1995 along with its other women’s magazines, including Family Circle, before selling the titles to Gruner + Jahr
. The Meredith Corporation acquired the Gruner & Jahr group in 2005.
----
While Child was originally aimed at sophisticated, dual-career parents, from 1995-2000, when Gruner & Jahr U.S.A. first purchased it, the magazine became a practical mass service magazine. In February 2000, Miriam became Editor in Chief and relaunched Child as a lifestyle magazine for (as the tagline said) "Raising Kids With Smarts & Style." With beautiful, striking visuals, and newsworthy, trendspotting content, Child doubled its advertising pages from under 500 ad pages in 2000 to over 1,000 ad pages in 2005. The magazine won over 35 editorial and design awards. Its award-winning content included exclusive, data-driven surveys, like "The 10 Best Children's Hospitals," topical feature investigations like "Crisis in the ER", essays by acclaimed writers like Susan Cheever
, Anne Rice
, Anne Roiphe
, Neal Pollack
, A.J. Jacobs
, and Rosanne Cash
, and Childs Best Children's Book Awards.
Signature events for Child magazine included its annual Children's Champion Awards (honorees at the awards events included Dr. Marion Wright Edelman, Judy Blume
, Geoffrey Canada
, Wendy Kopp
), the first ever Children's Fashion Shows under the tents at Bryant Park
in New York City, and the Best Children's Book Awards, which were celebrated at bookstores throughout the country with signings by children's book authors and illustrators, including Lifetime Achievement Award winners Julie Andrews
, Maurice Sendak
, Hilary Knight
, Tomie de Paola, and Eric Carle
.
When Meredith, Corporation acquired Child magazine in 2005 it made a deliberate decision to lower its rate base from 1,020,000 to 700,000+. The Des Moines, Iowa publisher, known for its mass service publications like Better Homes & Gardens, found that Child, a lifestyle magazine that needed to be marketed to the more affluent, was not a good fit for its portfolio. In 2007 Meredith decided to fold the print version and include the Web site child.com in its parents.com portal (which includes content from its other mass market parent-related magazines American Baby, Parents
, and Family Circle
).
Gruner + Jahr
Gruner + Jahr GmbH & Co. KG is the largest European printing and publishing firm. Its headquarters is in Hamburg, Germany.-History:Originally founded on August 1, 1948 as the Henri Nannen publishing house, Gruner + Jahr was created in 1965 from a merger by acquisition, by publishers John Jahr Sr....
. The Meredith Corporation acquired the Gruner & Jahr group in 2005.
----
While Child was originally aimed at sophisticated, dual-career parents, from 1995-2000, when Gruner & Jahr U.S.A. first purchased it, the magazine became a practical mass service magazine. In February 2000, Miriam became Editor in Chief and relaunched Child as a lifestyle magazine for (as the tagline said) "Raising Kids With Smarts & Style." With beautiful, striking visuals, and newsworthy, trendspotting content, Child doubled its advertising pages from under 500 ad pages in 2000 to over 1,000 ad pages in 2005. The magazine won over 35 editorial and design awards. Its award-winning content included exclusive, data-driven surveys, like "The 10 Best Children's Hospitals," topical feature investigations like "Crisis in the ER", essays by acclaimed writers like Susan Cheever
Susan Cheever
Susan Cheever, , daughter of John Cheever and sister of Benjamin Cheever, is an author whose books include My Name is Bill - Bill Wilson: His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, a biography of Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Bill Wilson; Home Before Dark, a memoir about her father, John...
, Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
, Anne Roiphe
Anne Roiphe
Anne Roiphe is an American writer and journalist. She is best-known as a first-generation feminist, and author of the novel Up The Sandbox , which was filmed as a starring vehicle for Barbra Streisand in 1972. In 1996, Salon called the book "a feminist classic."-Background and education:Roiphe...
, Neal Pollack
Neal Pollack
Neal Pollack is an American satirist, novelist, short story writer, and journalist. He lives in Austin, Texas. Pollack has written six books: The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature, Never Mind the Pollacks, Beneath the Axis of Evil, Alternadad, Stretch, and Jewball. He is a member of...
, A.J. Jacobs
A.J. Jacobs
Arnold Stephen Jacobs, Jr., commonly called A.J. Jacobs is an American journalist and author.-Personal:...
, and Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of the late country music singer Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin....
, and Childs Best Children's Book Awards.
Signature events for Child magazine included its annual Children's Champion Awards (honorees at the awards events included Dr. Marion Wright Edelman, Judy Blume
Judy Blume
Judy Blume is an American author. She has written many novels for children and young adults which have exceeded sales of 80 million and been translated into 31 languages...
, Geoffrey Canada
Geoffrey Canada
Geoffrey Canada is an African American social activist and educator. Since 1990, Canada has been president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone in Harlem, New York, an organization which states its goal is to increase high school and college graduation rates among students in Harlem...
, Wendy Kopp
Wendy Kopp
Wendy Sue Kopp is the CEO and Founder of Teach For America , the national teaching corps and the CEO of Teach For All.-Background:...
), the first ever Children's Fashion Shows under the tents at Bryant Park
Bryant Park
Bryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan...
in New York City, and the Best Children's Book Awards, which were celebrated at bookstores throughout the country with signings by children's book authors and illustrators, including Lifetime Achievement Award winners Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
, Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
, Hilary Knight
Hilary Knight
Hilary Knight is an American writer-artist who is the illustrator of more than 50 books and the author of nine books. He is best known as the illustrator of Kay Thompson's Eloise and others in the Eloise series....
, Tomie de Paola, and Eric Carle
Eric Carle
Eric Carle is a children's book author and illustrator who is most famous for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has been translated into over 50 languages...
.
When Meredith, Corporation acquired Child magazine in 2005 it made a deliberate decision to lower its rate base from 1,020,000 to 700,000+. The Des Moines, Iowa publisher, known for its mass service publications like Better Homes & Gardens, found that Child, a lifestyle magazine that needed to be marketed to the more affluent, was not a good fit for its portfolio. In 2007 Meredith decided to fold the print version and include the Web site child.com in its parents.com portal (which includes content from its other mass market parent-related magazines American Baby, Parents
Parents (magazine)
Parents, published by Meredith Corporation, is the oldest parenting publication in the U.S. It was first published in October 1926.Its editorial focus is on the daily needs and concerns of mothers with young children. The glossy monthly features information about child health, safety, behavior,...
, and Family Circle
Family Circle
Family Circle is an American women's magazine published 15 times a year by Meredith Corporation. It began publication in 1932 as a magazine distributed at supermarkets such as Piggly Wiggly and Safeway. Cowles Magazines and Broadcasting bought the magazine in 1962. The New York Times Company bought...
).