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Meredith Corporation

American media conglomerate

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 7, 2026
Entity authorityQ1921579
Source-derived summary

Meredith Corporation was an American media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, that owned newspapers, magazines, television stations, and websites. Its publications had a readership of more than 120 million and paid circulation of more than 40 million, its websites had nearly 135 million monthly unique visitors and its broadcast television stations reached 11% of U.S. households. Since 2021, Meredith was absorbed into the new conglomerate, Dotdash Meredith, underneath the holding company IAC Inc.

History

Early years

Edwin Thomas Meredith founded the company in 1902 when he began publishing Successful Farming magazine.

In 1922, Meredith began publishing Fruit, Garden and Home magazine, a home and family service publication. In 1924, the magazine was retitled Better Homes and Gardens, and the first issue cost a dime on the newsstand. In 1930, the company published the first edition of The Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. In 1946, the company became a public company.

In 1970, the company attempted to enter the entertainment industry by purchasing game show and film producer Ralph Andrews Productions. Two years later, it became MC Productions, and Ralph Andrews bought back rights to the game shows later that year, which resulted in a subsequent lawsuit in the late 1970s.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Meredith Corporation” as american media conglomerate. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Meredith, Corporation and American.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2021, 1902, 1922, 1924—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1902-01-01. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Meredith, Corporation and American providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Meredith Corporation”, the useful work is to connect “american media conglomerate” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1921579. VIAF identifies the subject as 150146289. The Library of Congress control number is n84107846. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021, 1902, 1922 and 1924.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Meredith Corporation”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Meredith Corporation primary sources, Meredith Corporation archive and Meredith research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Meredith Corporation”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Meredith Corporation” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.