Reiman Media Group

In 1965, from the basement of his Wisconsin home, Roy Reiman started Reiman Publications. Having grown up on a farm in Iowa and with a degree in agricultural journalism, Reiman saw an underserved market in rural America. He launched magazines with a unique playbook: no advertising. Instead, the business relied entirely on subscription fees and a deep connection with its readers, who provided a significant portion of the content. This strategy was unconventional, but it proved successful. The company's portfolio grew to include titles like *Country Woman*, *Reminisce*, and its most prominent success, *Taste of Home*, which became the largest food magazine in the world. By the early 2000s, one in every eight households in the U.S. subscribed to a Reiman publication. A major event in the company's journey occurred in 1998 when Reiman sold a majority stake to the Chicago investment firm Madison Dearborn Partners for $640 million. This was followed in 2002 by a complete acquisition by The Reader's Digest Association for $760 million, one of the largest deals in the magazine industry at the time. The acquisition gave Reader's Digest access to Reiman's loyal database of 16 million subscribers. The integration led to cultural shifts, including the introduction of advertising, and the eventual dissolution of the Reiman Media Group name into its parent company.