Rodale, Inc.#Magazines

File:Men's Health Sept Cover.jpg magazine, published by Rodale since 1986, has a monthly global circulation of 1.8 million in 59 countries.]]

Rodale Inc. was founded in 1930 by J. I. Rodale. He was a partner with his brother, Joseph, in Rodale Manufacturing, which produced electrical switches. Joseph moved Rodale Manufacturing to Emmaus, Pennsylvania to take advantage of favorable local taxes, while J. I. dabbled in publishing. In 1942, Rodale started Organic Farming and Gardening magazine. It taught people how to grow food with organic farming techniques. Today, Organic Gardening is the best-read gardening magazine in the world.{{cite news | url=http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2008/12/12/on-gardening-words-do-describe-these-christmas-gifts | work=Yakima Herald | title=On Gardening: Words Do Describe these Christmas Gifts | date=December 2008 | access-date=February 17, 2009 | archive-date=February 6, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206194108/http://yakimaherald.com/stories/2008/12/12/on-gardening-words-do-describe-these-christmas-gifts | url-status=dead }} In 1950, Rodale introduced Prevention, a health magazine.

In 1971, J. I. Rodale died during a taping of The Dick Cavett Show, and his son, Robert Rodale (1930–1990), took over the company’s leadership. On September 20, 1990, Robert Rodale was killed in a car accident during a business trip in Russia.

In 1972, Rodale Press was one of the five founding members of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) (now IFOAM–Organics International), founded at Versailles, France.{{cite journal| last1 = Paull| first1 = John| year = 2010| title = From France to the World: The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)| journal = Journal of Social Research & Policy| volume = 1| issue = 2| pages = 93–102| url = http://orgprints.org/18808/1/Paull2010IfoamJSRP.pdf}}

Following Robert Rodale's death, his wife, Ardath Harter Rodale (1928–2009), became chairman and chief executive officer of the company. In 2000, Steven Pleshette Murphy joined the company as president and chief operating officer, and was named president and CEO in 2002.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_02/b3915632.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050104053456/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_02/b3915632.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 4, 2005 |title=BusinessWeek May 2002 |publisher=Businessweek.com |date=January 9, 2005 |access-date=January 16, 2014}} On June 18, 2007, Ardath Rodale stepped down as chairman, and her daughter, Maria, was named chairman. Ardath remained a member of the company’s board and took over the new title of Chief Inspiration Officer. On September 1, 2009, Murphy stepped down as President and CEO. Maria Rodale, granddaughter of company founder J.I. Rodale and daughter of previous chairpersons Robert Rodale and Ardath Rodale, succeeded Murphy as CEO.{{cite web|url=http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/magazines-newspapers/e3i39ca3f33c75e0e23c21bd98dbd0f943e |title=Business Week July 2009 |publisher=Mediaweek.com |date=January 10, 2014 |access-date=January 16, 2014}}

In October 2017, New York City–based Hearst Communications announced it would acquire the magazine and book businesses of Rodale. The transaction was expected to close in January following government approvals. Rodale announced some months prior that it would consider a total sale of the company, among other alternatives explored by its board of directors. It hired financial adviser Allen & Co. to lead the search for bidders. According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Hearst outbid Meredith Corporation, another large media company that had expressed interest in Rodale’s portfolio, almost immediately after they solicited offers.{{Cite news|url=http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-biz-hearst-buys-rodale-20170927-story.html|title=Media giant Hearst will acquire Rodale|last=Wagaman|first=Andrew|date=October 18, 2017|work=The Morning Call|access-date=October 21, 2017|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/hearst-agrees-to-acquire-rodale-inc-publisher-of-mens-health-and-runners-world-1508361381|title=Hearst Agrees to Acquire Rodale Inc., Publisher of Men's Health and Runner's World|last=Trachtenberg|first=Jeffrey A.|date=October 18, 2017|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=October 21, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}}

After the sale, Hearst sold Rodale's trade publishing division to Crown Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House.{{Cite web|first= Jim|last= Milliot| title = PRH Buys Rodale Books Assets| work = PublishersWeekly.com|date= January 9, 2018|access-date = February 5, 2018| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/75780-prh-buys-rodale-books-assets.html}}

In 2007, Rodale launched Modern Times, an imprint focused on non-fiction, politics, current affairs, and biographical books headed by Leigh Haber, previously of Hyperion.{{cite news |last1=Blumenau |first1=Kurt |title=Rodale launching Modern Times. The new book imprint will cover categories including politics, narrative nonfiction, current affairs, memoir, biography and humor. It will help distinguish them from health, wellness books. |url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2007-01-12-3721524-story.html |work=The Morning Call |date=January 11, 2007}}{{cite news |last1=Neyfakh |first1=Leon |title=Haber Out at Rodale Three Months After New Boss Takes Helm; Imprint to Shutter |url=https://observer.com/2008/06/haber-out-at-rodale-three-months-after-new-boss-takes-helm-imprint-to-shutter/ |work=Observer.com |date=19 June 2008}} Modern Times was discontinued in 2008.{{cite web |last1=Swanson |first1=Clare |title=Meet the Editor: Shannon Welch |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/63196-meet-the-editor-shannon-welch.html |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en |date=July 4, 2014}}

Rodale Kids, a children's imprint, was launched in 2017, and was absorbed into Random House Children's Books in the 2018 sale.{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Heloise |title=Penguin Random House buys Rodale Books |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/prh-buys-rodale-books-707321 |website=The Bookseller |language=En |date=January 10, 2018}}

• Bicycling
• The Bike Mag
• Men's Health
• Rodale's Organic Life
• Prevention
• Runner's World
• Women's Health

• {{cite book|author= Agatston, Arthur |title=The South Beach Diet |date=2003}}
• {{cite book|author=Gore, Al|title=An Inconvenient Truth|date=2006}}
• {{cite book|author=Hammond, Darell|title=Kaboom! How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play|date=2011}}
• {{cite book|author=Kidder, David S.|title=The Intellectual Devotional|date=2006}}
• {{cite book|author=Kurzweil, Ray & Grossman, Terry|title=Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever|date=2004}}
• {{cite book|author=Maher, Bill|title=New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer|date=2005}}
• {{cite book|author= Rose, Pete|title=My Prison Without Bars|date=2004}}
• {{cite book|author=Zinczenko, David & Goulding, Matt |title=Eat This, Not That!|date=2007}}
• Gore, Al (2017). An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.

Rodale News' website was launched on Earth Day, April 22, 2009, with the tagline “where health meets green".{{cite news| url=https://www.forbes.com/feeds/businesswire/2009/04/22/businesswire123636211.html| title=RodaleNews.com launch|work=Forbes|date=April 22, 2009}}{{dead link|date=January 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

• Rodale Institute

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