Active Interest Media, Inc. (AIM) has acquired Backpacker Magazine, AIM President and Chief Executive Officer Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III announced today. The new acquisition adds to AIM's growing portfolio of enthusiast magazines, consumer shows, books, and Internet sites. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1973, Backpacker now has a circulation rate base of 340,000.
Says Zimbalist, whose previous experience includes CEO of Times Mirror Magazines, “Backpacker is an excellent magazine with outstanding future growth potential and represents the best kind of properties we seek to acquire. With its dedicated readership, growing circulation, and advertising revenues, Backpacker is the leading multi-platform brand for the outdoor enthusiast.”
“The sale of Backpacker will allow Rodale to focus its resources on long-term growth and further strengthen the position of its business and brands in the health, fitness, and wellness space,” said Steven Pleshette Murphy, President and CEO of Rodale. “Active Interest Media, which focuses on niche enthusiast markets, provides a strategic home for Backpacker as it fits well within AIM's portfolio of titles.”
Jonathan Dorn, Editor-in-Chief of Backpacker, will join the AIM team. Under Dorn's leadership, in 2006 Backpacker received its first National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors, the magazine industry's highest editorial honor, MIN Best of the Web award, and the Ambassador Award, the outdoor industry's highest honor.
