Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
Encyclopedia
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (MSLO) is a diversified media and merchandising company founded by Martha Stewart
. It is organized into four business segments: Publishing, Internet, Broadcasting media platforms and Merchandising product lines.
MSLO's business holdings include a variety of print publications, television and radio programming, and e-commerce websites.
on paper.
She served as president, chairwoman and CEO of the company until being forced to resign as a result of the ImClone insider trading case
. As part of an agreement with the SEC, she was banned from serving in any role that would allow her to prepare, audit or disclose financial results of a public company until August 2011. However, she still owns a 96 percent controlling interest
.
Four newspaper columns — ask Martha, Living, Weddings and Everyday Food — are distributed to newspapers throughout the United States via the New York Times Syndicate. Current books are published through Random House
's Clarkson Potter division; earlier titles were offered through subsidiaries of Time Warner prior to Stewart's spin-off of her business ventures from its corporate umbrella. Publishing activities are a major source of income for the company, and accounted for roughly 60% of total revenue in 2005.
Although MSLO retained no technical ownership stake in NBC
's program The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
, the company, its magazines, and various business ventures were prominently featured in each episode. Mark Burnett
, who produced the series, is also co-producer of the company's daily talk show
, Martha.
s in late 2005 through a partnership with Warner Bros.
, with the first five offerings oriented toward cooking and holiday and special event planning.
. Among programs on the channel there is a weekday-evening talk show co-hosted by Martha Stewart's daughter Alexis Stewart
, Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer
.
business, marthastewartflowers.com. Through an agreement with Touchpoint, it designed a line of customizable greeting cards under the Marthascards banner, which were sourced and fulfilled by Touchpoint. This agreement was replaced by a new program with Kodak EasyShare Gallery
in 2006.
In November 2006 MSLO announced their launch of Martha's Circle which is a lifestyle oriented blog ad-network whose charter members include Apartment Therapy, Smitten Kitchen, and Charles & Hudson.
Historically, the company also produced a print and online catalog, Martha by Mail, which was launched in 1997 and later rebranded as Martha Stewart: The Catalog for Living. Following Stewart's public fallout and the dot-com bubble burst
in 2002, the company decided to discontinue both the online and print editions in 2003. The final print catalog was mailed in January 2004, and the online store closed in June of that year.
stores throughout the United States, and at Sears Canada
in Canada. Furniture and paint are part of the company's specialty-retail oriented Martha Stewart Signature brand through a partnership with Bernhardt Furniture Company and previously with Sherwin-Williams. In October 2006, the company announced a new agreement with Lowe's
to develop an exclusive interior paints line, which replaced its previous contract with Sherwin-Williams. The new line of paints, Martha Stewart Colors, launched in April 2007.
In April 2006 the company also announced its plans to develop a new, upmarket merchandise line with Macy's, Inc. (at the time named Federated Department Stores
) launched in Macy's
stores in 2007. The company has also announced its intention to design a new paper-based crafts product line, Martha Stewart Crafts, with EK Success, initially planned for release in time for the Holiday
2006 season, which later debuted in early 2007 at Michael's stores.
In Fall of 2009 Stewart announced the development of a line of outdoor furniture, indoor organization and decor products at Home Depot.
a partnership
with E & J Gallo Winery
to produce
a wine
brand
with the label
"Martha Stewart Vintage" (for sale
in 6 cities, January. The 15,000 cases
to be sold include: 2006 Sonoma County Chardonnay
, 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
and 2006 Sonoma County Merlot
(for Atlanta, Boston
; Charlotte
, North Carolina
; Denver, Phoenix
, and Portland
, Oregon
).
Martha Stewart also signed a contract
with Costco Wholesale Corp. to offer a series of food products developed from MSLO’s extensive library of recipes and made with high-quality, fresh ingredients. The co-branded Kirkland Signature Martha Stewart food products bring the dishes featured in MSLO’s magazines, books, and television programs to the tables of Costco’s members. The products will be ready to serve, heat, or use.
to purchase certain business assets for $50 million: $45 million in cash and $5 million in stock. With the exclusion of Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant chain and his foundation, the deal consists of the rights to television programs such as Essence of Emeril
and Emeril Live
, Emeril Lagasse’s Cookbook library, the emerils.com website, and kitchen and food products.
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
. It is organized into four business segments: Publishing, Internet, Broadcasting media platforms and Merchandising product lines.
MSLO's business holdings include a variety of print publications, television and radio programming, and e-commerce websites.
History
The company was founded in 1997 as an umbrella for the various media and merchandising ventures linked to the Martha Stewart brand. It went public on the NYSE on October 19, 1999. The stock opened at $18 a share, but shot up to $38 a share, making Stewart an instant billionaireBillionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
on paper.
She served as president, chairwoman and CEO of the company until being forced to resign as a result of the ImClone insider trading case
ImClone stock trading case
A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Attorney probe of trading in the shares of ImClone Systems resulted in a widely publicized criminal case, which resulted in prison terms for media celebrity Martha Stewart, ImClone chief executive officer Samuel D...
. As part of an agreement with the SEC, she was banned from serving in any role that would allow her to prepare, audit or disclose financial results of a public company until August 2011. However, she still owns a 96 percent controlling interest
Controlling interest
Controlling interest in a corporation means to have control of a large enough block of voting stock shares in a company such that no one stock holder or coalition of stock holders can successfully oppose a motion...
.
Corporate Executives
- Charles Koppelman, Executive Chairman
- Lisa Gersh, President & Chief Operating Officer
Publishing
- Martha Stewart LivingMartha Stewart LivingMartha Stewart Living is a magazine and a television show featuring entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on the domestic arts. Martha Stewart Living began as a quarterly magazine in 1990, published by Time Inc..and is currently...
- Everyday FoodEveryday FoodEveryday Food from the test kitchens of Martha Stewart Living is digest size cooking magazine and PBS public television program published and produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia . Both feature quick and easy recipes targeted at supermarket shoppers and the everyday cook. The first issue of...
- Body+SoulBody+SoulWhole Living is a health and lifestyle magazine geared towards "natural health, personal growth, and well-being," a concept the publishers refer to as "whole living." The magazine became a part of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in August 2004....
- Martha Stewart WeddingsMartha Stewart WeddingsMartha Stewart Weddings is a weddings magazine published by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Martha Stewart Weddings was launched as an annual publication in 1994, and was expanded to quarterly in 1999. It is the second magazine title published by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and is primarily...
- Special issues including the annual Holiday Cookies
Four newspaper columns — ask Martha, Living, Weddings and Everyday Food — are distributed to newspapers throughout the United States via the New York Times Syndicate. Current books are published through Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
's Clarkson Potter division; earlier titles were offered through subsidiaries of Time Warner prior to Stewart's spin-off of her business ventures from its corporate umbrella. Publishing activities are a major source of income for the company, and accounted for roughly 60% of total revenue in 2005.
Television
- MarthaMartha (TV series)Martha, also known as The Martha Stewart Show, is an American, weekday one-hour talk show hosted by Martha Stewart. Previously airing in first-run syndication, the show began exclusively airing on cable network Hallmark Channel since September 13, 2010.-History:The program originally debuted on...
(syndicatedTelevision syndicationIn broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
, daily) - Everyday FoodEveryday FoodEveryday Food from the test kitchens of Martha Stewart Living is digest size cooking magazine and PBS public television program published and produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia . Both feature quick and easy recipes targeted at supermarket shoppers and the everyday cook. The first issue of...
(PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, weekly) - Martha Stewart LivingMartha Stewart LivingMartha Stewart Living is a magazine and a television show featuring entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on the domestic arts. Martha Stewart Living began as a quarterly magazine in 1990, published by Time Inc..and is currently...
- From Martha's Kitchen
Although MSLO retained no technical ownership stake in NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's program The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart is a spin-off from the American reality television series The Apprentice that ran in the fall of 2005. Broadcast on NBC, the show featured business tycoon Martha Stewart. Tasks were centered around Stewart's areas of expertise: media, culinary arts, entertaining,...
, the company, its magazines, and various business ventures were prominently featured in each episode. Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett is a British television producer and executive producer, based in the United States. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition...
, who produced the series, is also co-producer of the company's daily talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
, Martha.
DVD
MSLO began marketing instructional DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s in late 2005 through a partnership with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, with the first five offerings oriented toward cooking and holiday and special event planning.
Radio
MSLO operates a satellite radio channel, Martha Stewart Living Radio, on Channel 112 of SIRIUS Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
. Among programs on the channel there is a weekday-evening talk show co-hosted by Martha Stewart's daughter Alexis Stewart
Alexis Stewart
Alexis Gilbert "Lexie" Stewart is the only child of Martha Stewart and her husband Andrew. She was the co-host of Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer on Sirius Satellite Radio, and Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer on the Hallmark Channel, with co-host Jennifer Hutt.-Career:Stewart previously...
, Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer
Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer
Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer is a two-hour daily radio talk show currently airing on SiriusXM's Martha Stewart Living Radio channel. The show's lifestyle talk format is marked by the different personalities of the two hosts, Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Hutt...
.
Internet and Direct Commerce
The company's Internet and Direct Commerce segment currently includes its website marthastewart.com and a direct to consumer flowerFlower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
business, marthastewartflowers.com. Through an agreement with Touchpoint, it designed a line of customizable greeting cards under the Marthascards banner, which were sourced and fulfilled by Touchpoint. This agreement was replaced by a new program with Kodak EasyShare Gallery
Kodak EasyShare Gallery
The Kodak Gallery offers online photo sharing, Kodak prints and photo gifts from consumer digital photos. Its features allow you to view pictures on your mobile phone. The service was originally called Ofoto, and was acquired by Kodak in 2001 and renamed Kodak EasyShare Gallery in 2005. It is...
in 2006.
In November 2006 MSLO announced their launch of Martha's Circle which is a lifestyle oriented blog ad-network whose charter members include Apartment Therapy, Smitten Kitchen, and Charles & Hudson.
Historically, the company also produced a print and online catalog, Martha by Mail, which was launched in 1997 and later rebranded as Martha Stewart: The Catalog for Living. Following Stewart's public fallout and the dot-com bubble burst
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
in 2002, the company decided to discontinue both the online and print editions in 2003. The final print catalog was mailed in January 2004, and the online store closed in June of that year.
Merchandising
MSLO additionally offers various home goods through its mass-market Martha Stewart Everyday brand in KmartKmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
stores throughout the United States, and at Sears Canada
Sears Canada
Sears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 196 corporate stores, 195 dealer stores, 38 home improvement showrooms, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
in Canada. Furniture and paint are part of the company's specialty-retail oriented Martha Stewart Signature brand through a partnership with Bernhardt Furniture Company and previously with Sherwin-Williams. In October 2006, the company announced a new agreement with Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
to develop an exclusive interior paints line, which replaced its previous contract with Sherwin-Williams. The new line of paints, Martha Stewart Colors, launched in April 2007.
In April 2006 the company also announced its plans to develop a new, upmarket merchandise line with Macy's, Inc. (at the time named Federated Department Stores
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelery, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
) launched in Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
stores in 2007. The company has also announced its intention to design a new paper-based crafts product line, Martha Stewart Crafts, with EK Success, initially planned for release in time for the Holiday
2006 season, which later debuted in early 2007 at Michael's stores.
In Fall of 2009 Stewart announced the development of a line of outdoor furniture, indoor organization and decor products at Home Depot.
Wine
On September 14, 2007, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced that it inkedInked
Inked is a documentary television series about the employees of the Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The series was created by Jeff Bowler in 2005, and was broadcast by the A&E Network...
a partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
with E & J Gallo Winery
E & J Gallo Winery
E & J Gallo Winery was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo in Modesto, California. E & J Gallo Winery is the largest exporter of California wines and is a large promoter of wines from Sonoma County.-History:...
to produce
Produce
Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...
a wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
with the label
Label
A label is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or article, on which is printed a legend, information concerning the product, addresses, etc. A label may also be printed directly on the container or article....
"Martha Stewart Vintage" (for sale
Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
in 6 cities, January. The 15,000 cases
Case (goods)
A case of some merchandise is a collection of items packaged together. In the United States, typically a standard case contains a certain number of items depending on what the merchandise is. For consumer foodstuffs such as canned goods, soda, cereal and such, a case is typically 24 items,...
to be sold include: 2006 Sonoma County Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and 2006 Sonoma County Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
(for Atlanta, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
; Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
; Denver, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, and Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
).
Martha Stewart also signed a contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
with Costco Wholesale Corp. to offer a series of food products developed from MSLO’s extensive library of recipes and made with high-quality, fresh ingredients. The co-branded Kirkland Signature Martha Stewart food products bring the dishes featured in MSLO’s magazines, books, and television programs to the tables of Costco’s members. The products will be ready to serve, heat, or use.
Acquisition of Emeril Lagasse Franchise
On Tuesday, February 19, 2008, MSL Omnimedia announced that the company had reached an agreement with celebrity chef Emeril LagasseEmeril Lagasse
'Emeril John Lagasse is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril as well as catchphrases such as “Kick it up a notch!” and...
to purchase certain business assets for $50 million: $45 million in cash and $5 million in stock. With the exclusion of Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant chain and his foundation, the deal consists of the rights to television programs such as Essence of Emeril
Essence of Emeril
Essence of Emeril is a Food Network show hosted by chef Emeril Lagasse.In each episode, Emeril shares with his viewers some of his 'kicked-up' recipes, similar to those on Emeril Live, but with a far calmer demeanor and quieter tone, and usually without the trademark apron that has become his...
and Emeril Live
Emeril Live
Emeril Live is a program on The Cooking Channel hosted by Emeril Lagasse. It formerly aired on Food Network and Fine Living.Emeril Live features many of the same elements as Emeril's other program, Essence of Emeril, and often has a Creole theme...
, Emeril Lagasse’s Cookbook library, the emerils.com website, and kitchen and food products.