Our Roots
It all started on the wedding day of Meredith's founder, Edwin Thomas Meredith. His grandfather's nuptial gift was a fistful of $20 gold pieces that bought the controlling interest in his grandfather's newspaper, Farmer's Tribune. A note that said, "Sink or swim" was attached to the debt-laden balance sheet.

It's clear today that E.T. chose to swim. He turned around the fortune of the paper and sold it for a profit. With the proceeds, he decided to publish a journal that met his vision of what a helpful farm publication should be: a service magazine. In October 1902, the first issue of Successful Farming magazine was sold to 500 subscribers. By 1914, circulation was over the half-million mark.

In 1912, the 200-employee company moved into the core of the corporate headquarters building at 1716 Locust Street in Des Moines. Since then, seven additions have been made to the building, including a $40 million campus addition completed in 1998.

E.T. Meredith carved a niche for himself in both the publishing and civic arenas. He helped establish the 4-H Club and served on Woodrow Wilson's cabinet as Secretary of Agriculture. Early in 1928, he was considered as a Democratic nominee for president. Sadly, the publisher's health began to fail, and he died that year at age 51. His legacy continued, for E.T. Meredith's company became the well-respected corporation it is today.

Meredith Timeline

1902
Company founded with Successful Farmingmagazine.

1922
Meredith began publishing Fruit, Garden and Home magazine, a home and family service publication.

1924
Changed name of Fruit, Garden and Home to Better Homes and Gardens magazine. (A three-person staff produced the first Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The first issue cost a dime on the newsstand, and a one-year subscription cost 35 cents.)

1930
Published first edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. (Better Homes and Gardens magazine subscribers received complimentary copies.)

1937
Began publishing Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications (SIP) with the introduction of Building Ideas.

1946
Meredith first offered stock to the public.

1948
Began our television broadcasting business with the purchase of WHEN-TV in Syracuse, N.Y.

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1952
Purchased KPHO-TV, Phoenix.

1953

Bought KCTV-TV, Kansas City.

1957

Started a commercial printing business.

1965
First listed on the New York Stock Exchange as MDP.

1969
Formed Meredith/Burda printing partnership with the Burda family from West Germany. Eventually, Meredith/Burda operated printing plants in Iowa, Virginia, North Carolina and Arizona.

Purchased WNEM-TV, Saginaw, Mich.

1978
Launched the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Service, with first member firms in Iowa and Tennessee.

Through a joint venture, began publication of the Australian edition of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

1983
Purchased WOFL-TV, Orlando, and KSEE-TV, Fresno.

1984
Country Home magazine became a subscription magazine (formerly an SIP). Launched WOOD magazine.

1985
Acquired KVVU-TV, Las Vegas, Nev.

1986

Purchased Ladies' Home Journal magazine.

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1987

Introduced Midwest Living magazine.

1988

WOOD magazine spun off Weekend Woodworking Projects magazine.

Acquired Craftways Corporation, publisher of Cross Stitch & Country Crafts magazine.

1989

Launched Country America magazine.

Traditional Home magazine evolved from an SIP to a bimonthly magazine.

Acquired Golf for Women magazine.

1990

Sold our 50 percent interest in the printing business to R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company of Chicago.

1991

Acquired American Park Network.

WOOD magazine spun off Decorative Woodcrafts magazine.

Sold our fulfillment business to Neodata Services, of Boulder, Colo.

Formed Meredith Cable, Inc.

1992

Launched Country Home Country Gardens magazine.

1993

Introduced Better Homes and Gardens American Patchwork & Quilting magazine.

Sold two TV stations, KSEE-TV and WTVH-TV (formerly WHEN), to Granite Broadcasting Corp.

Floodwaters closed downtown Des Moines offices for two weeks in July.

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1994

Launched Crayola Kids and Floral & Nature Crafts magazines.

Opened Better Homes and Gardens Garden Centers in Wal-Mart stores.

KPHO-TV and WNEM-TV became CBS affiliates.

1995

Acquired WSMV-TV, an NBC affiliate in Nashville.

Listed cable as a discontinued operation.

Agreed to sell book clubs to Book-of-the-Month Club, a division of Time Inc.

1996

Purchased WOGX-TV, a Fox affiliate in Ocala, Florida.

Ground broken on headquarters expansion (1615 Locust)

Minneapolis/St. Paul Cable area system is sold, completing exit from the cable business.

Ladies' Home Journal Most Fascinating Women airs on CBS.

1997

Aquired KPDX-TV, Portland, Ore; KFXO-TV, Bend, Ore; WHNS-TV, Greenville, S.C.; and WCPX-TV, Orlando.

WCPX-TV swapped for WFSB-TV in Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut.

Better Homes and Gardens Television debuts to more than 90 percent of U.S. television households.

Launched Family Money Magazine.

1998

William T. Kerr assumes position of company chairman, while retaining his duties as Chief Executive Officer.

Completed 1615 Locust Building, a multi-million-dollar addition to the Des Moines headquarters bulding that includes Better Homes and Gardens Test Gardens.

Launched more magazine.

Sold Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Service to GMAC Home Services, Inc.

1999

Acquired WGNX-TV (CBS Atlanta) from the Tribune Company.

Launched Shop Online 1-2-3, an Internet shopping guide and Web site.

Launched Better Homes and Gardens Vacations in cooperation with the Global Vacations Group.

Entered into multi-level content alliance with America Online.

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