KKR Completes Purchase Of Simon & Schuster (mediapost.com)

Paper plays a special role in our everyday lives, bearing witness to our achievements, our relationships, our intentions and our creativity. It’s also an important link to the past. Valuable papers, such as historical documents and original works of art, offer a tangible way to connect with our ancestors and the people who shaped the world. From time to time, valuable papers come up for auction, where they can attract bids in the millions of dollars from collectors who want to own a piece of history. Check out these valuable papers that made headlines at auction. click read more below for details

Dear Colleagues, I am writing today because, as you may have heard, Paramount has terminated its agreement to sell Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House, and there will be no appeal of Judge Florence Pan’s decision to block the merger of the two companies. This news is still fresh, and at this point I have no specific information to impart about what will happen in the coming months. You may read or hear rumors and speculation about our future, but you can be assured that I will keep you informed as soon as there is pertinent news I can share. I am grateful for your patience and dedication to our mission during all that has transpired over these many months since the sale began. Ultimately, what matters the most is the work we do together, on behalf of our authors and our books. Over the past three years, we have reached new heights of accomplishment. Simon & Schuster has never been more profitable and valuable than it is today. And that is because of the effort, ingenuity, and perseverance that you bring to our endeavors.

Here’s a headline for you: Print is alive and well with consumers everywhere. I know it’s different than the headlines you’ve been seeing lately, but it happens to be a fact. True, the magazine media industry is in a transitional moment, but a few select stats can easily paint a picture that doesn’t reflect the state of our industry. At Hearst, we value our core print business, and readers do as well. The most recent report for the first half of 2017 shows that, for the industry as a whole, print circulation is consistent, and, at Hearst, it was even slightly up. What’s more, more than half of our portfolio has seen audience growth, which is especially impressive considering that many of our brands have increased the cost of their subscriptions. Magazines have successfully extended across digital platforms, and all expressions of our brands are consistent or improving in terms of audience numbers. For example, Good Housekeeping’s circulation is 4.3 million, where it has been for many years. At the same time, the brand has seen an increase in its overall audience, with robust traffic online and millions of social media followers across platforms. All boats are lifted. Print enhances digital and vice versa. Click Read More below for more of the story.