F+W

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American media company (1913–2019)

title: "F+W" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["defunct-publishing-companies-of-the-united-states", "defunct-companies-based-in-new-york-city", "companies-that-filed-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-in-2019", "publishing-companies-established-in-1913", "american-companies-established-in-1913", "1913-establishments-in-ohio", "2019-disestablishments-in-ohio", "american-companies-disestablished-in-2019"] description: "American media company (1913–2019)" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F+W" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American media company (1913–2019) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox publisher"]

FieldValue
imagefwmedia.jpeg
statusDefunct (2019)
founded
founderEdward Rosenthal
countryUnited States
headquartersNew York City, New York
publicationsMagazines, books
numemployees700
url
::

| image = fwmedia.jpeg | parent = | status = Defunct (2019) | founded = | founder = Edward Rosenthal | successor = | country = United States | headquarters = New York City, New York | distribution = | publications = Magazines, books | topics = | genre = | imprints = | revenue = | numemployees = 700 | nasdaq = | owner = | url =

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.

History

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

In 2008, the company began to focus more on e-commerce activities and offering products and services related to the content of its magazines. 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. In May 2017, some creditors received a 97% stake in the company in exchange for debt relief and a new line of credit.

Demise

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

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

Overview

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. In 2012, the company launched imprints in romance (Crimson Romance) and young adult fiction (Merit Press).

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.

Situation after dissolution

In June 2019, the assets of F+W were sold at bankruptcy auctions. ::data[format=table title="Ownership structure after dissolution of F+W{{cite web |url=https://www.fwmedia.com/ |url-status=live |title=Landing Page |website=fwmedia.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907083848/https://www.fwmedia.com/ |archive-date=2019-09-07 |access-date=2019-09-12}}"]

AssetsNew owner
F+W BooksBecame an imprint of Penguin Random House's Penguin Publishing Group division
F&W Media InternationalBecame David & Charles again in a management buyout
Crafts segment including the magazines:url=https://www.peakmediaproperties.com/news/peak-media-properties-acquires-fine-arts-crafts-assets-of-fw-media
{{flatlist
Fine Arts segment including the magazines:url=https://www.peakmediaproperties.com/communities/fine-art
Construction Trade segment including the magazines:Shield Wall Media
Family TreeYankee Publishing
{{flatlist
Collectibles segment consisting of the magazines:Active Interest Media
Sky & TelescopeAmerican Astronomical Society
Outdoors segment including the magazines:Media 360
PrintPrint Holdings LLC
::

Various assets of F+W were sold prior to the bankruptcy filing. ::data[format=table title="Magazines sold prior to bankruptcy filing"]

DateMagazineNew owner
Oct 2015World Tea NewsPenton
Oct 2016Gun Digesturl=https://www.tradeshowexecutive.com/archive/industry-news/caribou-media-group-acquires-blade-events/
Jun 2018BladeCaribou Media Group
::

References

References

  1. (May 3, 1999). "F&W Publications Retains Veronis, Suhler & Associates to Explore Strategic Options". The Write News.
  2. [http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history/En-Ge/F-W-Publications-Inc.html F&W Publications, Inc.]
  3. Baker, Don. (July 2, 2002). "F&W Inc. to Acquire Publisher Krause". [[The Cincinnati Post]].
  4. Newberry, Jon. (August 9, 2005). "F&W Publications Now Owned by Media Group". [[The Cincinnati Post]].
  5. "F+W Media Announces Acquisition of Interweave". F+W Media.
  6. [http://www.foliomag.com/2014/f-w-media-buys-new-track-media F+W Media Buys New Track Media]
  7. [http://www.foliomag.com/2014/f-w-media-undergoes-corporate-rebrand F+W Media Undergoes Corporate Rebrand]
  8. [http://www.foliomag.com/2014/f-w-sells-majority-stake-private-investment-firm-tinicum F+W Sells Majority Stake to Private Investment Firm Tinicum]
  9. Wilson, Denis. (August 1, 2015). "Corner Office: F+W Chairman & CEO David Nussbaum on the Company's Decisive Strategic Shift Toward Ecommerce". NAPCO Media.
  10. Silber, Tony. (March 12, 2019). "Two Years At F+W Media: Behind The Scenes At A Company In Chaos".
  11. Kelly, Keith J.. (March 12, 2019). "Writer's Digest and Popular Woodworking publisher files Chapter 11". [[New York Post]].
  12. Anderson, Porter. (January 9, 2018). "F+W Media Staffers Learn in a Memo That Top Executives Have Left Company". Publishing Perspectives.
  13. Yerak, Becky. (March 11, 2019). "Specialty Publisher F+W Media Files for Bankruptcy, Plans to Sell Business". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
  14. (June 7, 2019). "PRH Acquires F+W Book Group Assets At Auction".
  15. Hoffelder, Nate. (June 8, 2019). "PRH Buys Half of F+W Media At Auction, Including Half of Writer's Digest".
  16. Dool, Greg. (June 17, 2019). "F+W Media Reveals Winning Bidders at Bankruptcy Auction". Access Intelligence, LLC.
  17. Milliot, Jim. (September 2019}} In 2011 the Company entered the fiction market with the acquisition of Tyrus Books.{{cite magazine). "F+W Buys Tyrus Books, Launches Crime Vertical".
  18. (July 13, 2012). "Digital Imprints Take Root".
  19. Deahl, Rachel. (May 8, 2012). "Mitchard to Launch YA Imprint for F+W".
  20. "F+W Media may lay off 66 people, close Krause Publications' Stevens Point office".
  21. "Landing Page".
  22. "F+W Books / Overview". Penguin Group USA.
  23. Pullen, Fiona. (July 31, 2019). "F & W Media International Purchased and Renamed David & Charles".
  24. (July 28, 2019). "Peak Media Properties acquires Fine Arts & Crafts assets of F+W Media".
  25. "Peak Crafts".
  26. Glassenberg, Abby. (August 1, 2019). "Long Thread Media Buys Spin Off, PieceWork, and Handwoven".
  27. "Peak Fine Arts".
  28. Thatcher, Sharon. (July 2, 2019). "Shield Wall Media Takes Ownership of F+W Media Construction Brands". Shield Wall Media LLC.
  29. Barber, Kayleigh. (July 23, 2019). "Why Active Interest Media Salvaged 14 Titles From the F+W Bankruptcy". Access Intelligence, LLC.
  30. DDH Staff. (July 2, 2019). "Media 360 Buys Deer & Deer Hunting". Media 360, LLC.
  31. Sorensen, Steve. (July 15, 2019). "A Corporate Take-Over Taken Back". Chautauqua Marketing Solutions, Inc.
  32. Silber, Tony. (March 11, 2019). "F+W Media, Citing Debt, Decline And Mismanagement, Files For Bankruptcy Protection".
  33. Mickey, Bill. (October 6, 2015). "Penton Buys World Tea Media From F+W". Access Intelligence, LLC.
  34. (July 26, 2018). "Gun Digest Promotes Luke Hartle to Editor-in-Chief". Outdoor Wire Digital Network.
  35. Curci, Nick. (June 1, 2018). "Caribou Media Group Acquires BLADE Events".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

defunct-publishing-companies-of-the-united-statesdefunct-companies-based-in-new-york-citycompanies-that-filed-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-in-2019publishing-companies-established-in-1913american-companies-established-in-19131913-establishments-in-ohio2019-disestablishments-in-ohioamerican-companies-disestablished-in-2019