November 30, 2005
Meredith Corporation expands Iowa State program
Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP) is building upon an innovative professional
program at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State
University.
A professional in residence, an expanded editorial outsourcing service and the
prestigious Meredith Apprenticeships in Service Journalism are among the programs
at the Greenlee School that Meredith is funding. This builds upon the company's
initial commitment in 2004, which including launching the apprentice program
at ISU and the remodeling and creation of the Meredith Magazine Center at the
Greenlee School.
The Greenlee School is currently celebrating its Centennial as the oldest, largest
and longest continuously accredited journalism program in the state.|
Meredith, whose magazines include Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies'
Home Journal, Family Circle, Parents, Successful
Farming and American Baby, employs 3,000 people nationwide in
magazine and book publishing, television broadcasting, interactive media and
marketing-related services, with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa.
Art Slusark, Meredith's Vice President for Corporate Communications and Government
Relations, cited the Greenlee School's outstanding program, reputation, faculty
and commitment to students as the keys to Meredith's increased funding.
"Iowa State, and the Greenlee School in particular, is the single-largest
supplier of talent to Meredith," Slusark said. "Recently, we've been
extremely impressed with the innovations and renewed commitment to excellence
exhibited by Greenlee Director Michael Bugeja and his staff, including Marcia
Prior-Miller, Meredith apprenticeship professor, and Debra Gibson, the Meredith
professional in residence at the Greenlee School. We are delighted to be able
to expand upon our relationship."
Working with fellow magazine journalists Bugeja, professor and director of the
Greenlee School, and Miller, Gibson kept in continuous contact with student
interns and their supervisors, ensuring that their year-long apprenticeship
was productive and educational.
Additionally, Bugeja said, Slusark helped us create what we believe is the first
outsourcing service in a journalism school, the P.E.E.R. (Production, Editing
and Electronic Research) Program not only in magazine, but also across platforms
including broadcasting.
Bugeja noted that the P.E.E.R. Program, in actuality, is the opposite of outsourcing.
"At Hamilton Hall we call it, IN-sourcing. Meredith does tap our students
for professional work, and the company also views our program as a foot-in-the-door
enterprise, where students can partner with world-class editors and designers
on professional projects.
"We hope one day that veterans of the P.E.E.R. program will go on to work
for Meredith Corporation."
The P.E.E.R. program was tested earlier this year when broadcasting students
worked with Meredith supervisors assembling a promotional video.
The project met professional expectations, Bugeja said, and also underscored
that the Greenlee School is a comprehensive program. "We have exceptional
student and faculty talent, not only in print journalism, but also in photojournalism,
public relations, electronic media and advertising."
As an added bonus, Bugeja said, the school emphasizes science communication
and has a rich heritage associated with agricultural journalism, which was responsible
for the birth of journalism at Iowa State College in 1905.
Iowa State's journalism program is nationally acclaimed with degree programs
in advertising and journalism and mass communication. ISU's journalism department
became the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication in 1998. Its alumni
have won five Pulitzer Prizes. The independent student newspaper, the Iowa
State Daily, and magazine, ethos, recently have won best in the
nation status by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
Meredith (www.meredith.com) is one of the nation's leading media and marketing
companies with businesses centering on magazine and book publishing, television
broadcasting, integrated marketing and interactive media. The Meredith Publishing
Group features 25 subscription magazines - including Better Homes and Gardens,
Family Circle, Ladies' Home Journal, Parents, Child,
Fitness, and American Baby - and approximately 200 special
interest publications. Meredith owns 14 television stations, including properties
in top-25 markets such as Atlanta, Phoenix and Portland.
Meredith has approximately 350 books in print and has established marketing
relationships with some of America's leading companies including The Home Depot,
DIRECTV, DaimlerChrysler, Wal-Mart and Carnival Cruise Lines. Meredith's consumer
database, which contains more than 85 million names, is one of the largest domestic
databases among media companies and enables magazine and television advertisers
to target marketing campaigns precisely. Additionally, Meredith has an extensive
Internet presence that includes 32 Web sites and strategic alliances with leading
Internet destinations. Meredith Hispanic Ventures publishes five Spanish-language
titles, making Meredith the largest Hispanic publisher in the United States.
