Meredith Corporation Selects Kim Martin As Chief Strategy Officer
Former WE tv President To Place Strong Emphasis On Expanding Meredith's Millennial Reach
DES MOINES, Iowa and NEW YORK, March 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com), the leading media and marketing company serving more than 100 million unduplicated American women and 60 percent of U.S. millennial women, announced today it has named Kim Martin as its new Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, Martin will work with Meredith's senior management team on developing corporate and business unit strategies – with a strong focus on Meredith's millennial strategy across the Company's multiple media platforms – and leading other key strategic initiatives. She will start April 13, and report to Meredith Chairman and CEO Steve Lacy.
Martin brings a blend of senior-level media management, content development, and sales and marketing skills to the position. Most recently, she served as President and General Manager of WE tv for nine years. In this role, Martin oversaw all aspects of the network, including marketing, programming, production, scheduling, digital media and new business opportunities. She was responsible for evolving the network brand to attract young, professional contemporary women. Martin shifted the programming strategy, expanded the digital footprint, updated the network image and attracted celebrity talent, which all contributed to substantially increasing revenue from both affiliates and advertisers.
"Kim brings outstanding skills and experiences to this position, particularly in the video content creation field," Lacy said. "She has a proven track record of successful media leadership on a senior level, and cut her teeth in sales and marketing roles. Kim will serve as a valued advisor, particularly as it pertains to increasing our already strong reach to millennial women – as well as expanding our video strategy – across all our media platforms."
Prior to running WE tv, Martin spent five years with parent company Rainbow Media, eventually becoming Executive Vice President of Distribution and Affiliate Marketing. In this role, she was responsible for the distribution and marketing of all the company's networks, including AMC, Fuse, IFC and WE tv.
Before joining AMC Networks, Martin spent 10 years with Discovery Networks, rising to Senior Vice President of Affiliate Sales. She was instrumental in helping Discovery grow from a single network with 18 million subscribers to a multi-network company with over 300 million subscribers and brands such as Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health and Discovery Espanol.
"I am excited to join Meredith and eager to work with the senior team on developing strategies to grow its already strong millennial audience that's engaging content on multiple platforms and devices," Martin said. "Given my background, I'm particularly enthusiastic about the video content creation opportunities for the Meredith brands."
Martin holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Georgia College and State University. Martin has served on the Women in Cable and Telecommunications' (WICT) national Board of Directors as Treasurer. She also is a graduate of WICT's Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and Senior Executive Summit at Stanford University, and has served as a WICT executive mentor. Additionally, she has served on the national Board of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing.
Martin was named by CableFAX as one of the Top 30 most powerful women in cable for five consecutive years, and is a Multichannel News & WICT Wonder Woman. She was also named to The Hollywood Reporter's "Top 30 in Reality Television" list of honorees.
Martin currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Foundation Board of Trustees of Georgia College and State University. She is a Luminary Circle member and mentor for the Step Up Women's Network, a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to connecting and advancing women and girls.
ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION
Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP; www.meredith.com) has been committed to service journalism for more than 110 years. Today, Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms - including broadcast television, print, digital, mobile, tablets and video - to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.
Meredith's Local Media Group includes 17 owned or operated television stations reaching 11 percent of U.S. households. Meredith's portfolio is concentrated in large, fast-growing markets, with seven stations in the nation's Top 25 - including Atlanta, Phoenix and Portland - and 13 in Top 50 markets. Meredith's stations produce approximately 650 hours of local news and entertainment content each week, and operate leading local digital destinations.
Meredith's National Media Group reaches a multi-channel audience of 220 million consumers monthly, including 100 million unduplicated women and 60 percent of American millennial women. Meredith is the leader in creating content across media platforms in key consumer interest areas such as food, home, parenthood and health through well-known brands such as Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Allrecipes. The National Media Group features robust brand licensing activities, including more than 3,000 SKUs of branded products at 4,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. Meredith Xcelerated Marketing is a leader at developing and delivering custom content and customer relationship marketing programs for many of the world's top brands, including Kraft, Lowe's and Chrysler.
Meredith's balanced portfolio consistently generates substantial free cash flow, and the Company is committed to growing Total Shareholder Return through dividend payments, share repurchases and strategic business investments. Meredith's current annualized dividend of $1.83 per share yields approximately 3.5 percent. Meredith has paid a dividend for 68 straight years and increased it for 22 consecutive years.
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SOURCE Meredith Corporation
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