Times Hudson Valley Media To Acquire Two Weeklies (mediapost.com)

Wenner Media is selling Rolling Stone, its last magazine brand, just shy of its 50th anniversary. The publisher sold its other two magazines, Us Weekly and Men’s Journal, to American Media Inc. earlier this year. It continues to publish Glixel, its video-games site launched last November. “I love my job, I enjoy it, I’ve enjoyed it for a long time,” founder Jann Wenner, 71, told The New York Times, which broke the story. Wenner added that letting go of the title is “just the smart thing to do.” “Publishing is a completely different industry than what it was,” he told the NYT. “The trends go in one direction, and we are very aware of that.” Once known as the counterculture music, pop-culture and entertainment magazine founded by Wenner in 1967, the publication has recently been caught in controversy. That includes a huge blow to its reputation when it retracted a discredited 2014 article about a rape at the University of Virginia. Rolling Stone was hit with three libel lawsuits as a result, and has had to pay $3 million in damages. Click Read More below for more of the story.

Bertelsmann is expanding its footprint in Brazil’s fast-growing education market. The international media, services and education company is acquiring a 25-percent stake and 46 percent of the voting rights in Afya, the leading provider of medical education and training in Brazil, for the equivalent of €500 million. Bertelsmann co-founded and helped build Afya. The transaction is pending regulatory approval. Since 2017, Afya has grown its revenue by an average of 80 percent per year to €203 million in 2020. Based on market capitalization, Afya is Brazil’s largest education company focused on the medical field.

*Diluted loss per share of $(2.10) and Adjusted Diluted loss per share of $(2.03) *Reopened stores performing better than anticipated *E-commerce trend improved in May; curbside pickup performing well *Anticipate exiting Q2 in a clean inventory position - “The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted our first quarter sales and earnings results, but I am proud of the way our team navigated this difficult period and maintained the business while our stores were closed,” said Jeff Gennette, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our strong digital business sales trend continued throughout May, and it is encouraging to see that as we reopen a store, the digital business in that geography continues to be strong. By June 1, we had approximately 450 stores reopened, with the majority opened in their full format. Our reopened stores are performing better than anticipated. Importantly, we are receiving positive feedback on the curbside pickup experience and our efforts to create a safe and welcoming shopping environment."