Macfadden Communications Group is a publisher of business magazines. It has a historical link with a company started in 1898 by

Bernarr Macfadden Bernarr Macfadden (born Bernard Adolphus McFadden, August 16, 1868 – October 12, 1955) was an American proponent of physical culture, a combination of bodybuilding with nutritional and health theories. He founded the long-running magazine pu ...

that was one of the largest magazine publishers of the twentieth century.

History

Macfadden Publications

''Physical Culture'', Bernarr Macfadden's first magazine though the company Macfadden Publications, was based on Macfadden's interest in

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the practice of Resistance training, progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's skeletal muscle, muscles via muscle hypertrophy, hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to a ...

. The launch of '' True Story'' in 1919 made the company very successful. Other well-known magazines, such as ''

Photoplay ''Photoplay'' was one of the first American film fan magazines, its title another word for screenplay. It was founded in Chicago in 1911. Under early editors Julian Johnson and James R. Quirk, in style and reach it became a pacesetter for fan m ...

'' and ''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American Anthology series, anthology Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Nic Pizzolatto for the premium cable network HBO. The series premiered on January 12, 2014, and ...

'', soon followed. Macfadden also launched the tabloid '' New York Evening Graphic''. Bernarr Macfadden withdrew from his leadership roles with the company in 1941.

Macfadden-Bartell

In 1961, the Bartell Broadcasting Corporation bought a controlling share in Macfadden and merged with the company, forming Macfadden-Bartell. Bartell owned WADO New York, WOKY

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, and KCBQ

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. A share in Bartell was acquired by Downe Communications in 1967, with full control in 1969. Between 1969 and 1974 Downe was acquired by

Charter Company The Charter Company of Jacksonville, Florida was a conglomerate with more than 180 subsidiaries that was in the ''Fortune'' 500 for 11 years beginning in 1974 and ranked 61st in 1984. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in late 1984, e ...

. Bartell was fully acquired by Downe in 1976, and Downe was fully acquired by Charter in 1978. Downe purchased the newspaper supplement '' Family Weekly'' in 1966, and the ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...

'' and ''

The American Home ''The American Home'' was a monthly magazine published in the United States from 1928 to 1977. Its subjects included domestic architecture, interior design, landscape design and gardening."American Home", Library of Congress Catalog. History ...

'' from the

Curtis Publishing Company The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the ''Ladies' Home ...

in 1968.

Macfadden Group

Macfadden's

women's magazine This is a list of women's magazines from around the world. These are magazines that have been published primarily for a readership of woman, women. Currently published *''10 Magazine (UK), 10 Magazine'' (UK – distributed worldwide) *''Al Jam ...

s were spun off in 1975, and sold to the unit president, Peter J. Callahan. These magazines were: * ''True Story'' * ''Photoplay'' * ''TV-Radio Mirror'' * ''True Confessions'' * ''Motion Picture'' * ''True Romance'' * ''True Experience'' * ''True Love'' '' Us'' was purchased in 1980, and sold in 1986. In the mid-eighties, Macfadden bought the Ideal Publishing Company, which published ''

Teen Beat ''Teen Beat'' was an American magazine geared towards teenager, teenaged readers, published 1967–. Over its history, the magazine had multiple teen idols on its cover, including John Travolta, David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Menudo (band), Menud ...

'' and other fan magazines, from

Filmways Filmways, Inc. (also known as Filmways Pictures and Filmways Television) was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff and Edwin Kasper in 1952. It is probably best remembered as the production c ...

. MacFadden acquired a stake in what would become American Media in 1989 when it bought a stake in the ''

National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays Source (journalism), sources for tips (chec ...

''.

Sterling/Macfadden

In 1991, the Macfadden consumer magazines were spun off and merged with Sterling's Magazines. Sterling's published fan magazines such as ''

Tiger Beat ''Tiger Beat'' was an American teen fan magazine published by The Laufer Company and marketed primarily to adolescent girls. The magazine had a paper edition that was sold at stores until December 2018, and afterward was published exclusively o ...

'', as well as the music magazine ''

Metal Edge ''Metal Edge'' was a magazine covering heavy metal music published by Zenbu Media. The magazine was founded in the summer of 1985, during the height of glam metal's success. While its sister publication, ''Metal Maniacs'' focused more on extreme ...

''. The merger was finalized in October 1992. In 1998, the conglomerate's line of youth music publications was sold off to

Primedia Primedia is a South African media group, headquartered in Sandton, Johannesburg. History Primedia was established in 1994 and its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange was completed in April 1995. Primedia remained listed on the JSE until 1 O ...

; the rest were bought by

Dorchester Media Dorchester Publishing was a publisher of mass market paperback books. Although mostly known for romance, Dorchester also published horror, thriller and Western titles. Publication lines Dorchester was the original publisher of the '' Hard Case ...

in 2004.

Teen Magazines

*'' Right On! '' *''

'' *'' 16 Magazine'' *''

'' *''

Teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...

Macfadden Holdings

The trade magazines ''

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

'' and ''Discount Merchandiser'', as well as the company's stake in American Media, remained a separate company. American Media was sold in 1999 to the investment group

Evercore Partners Evercore Inc., formerly known as Evercore Partners, is a global independent investment banking advisory firm founded in 1995 by Roger Altman, David Offensend, and Austin Beutner. The firm has advised on over $4.7 trillion of merger, acquisitio ...

. The Macfadden trade titles were sold to VNU the same year.

Present day

The executives of Macfadden Business Communications started a new company using the Macfadden name. It is a publisher of business-to-business magazines. No publications of Macfadden Communications Group have updated since early January, 2025.

Historical publications

Magazines

Sources: *''Physical Culture'' *'' True Story'' (1919–2004) *''Brain Power'' (1922–24) (also titled ''National Pictorial Brain Power Magazine'') *''True Experiences'' (1922- *''True Romances'' (1923- *''Love and Romance'' (1923- *''Muscle Builder'' (1924- *''

'' (1924–1971) *''Master Detective'' (1930- *''Famous Detective Cases'' *''True Love'' *''True Love Stories'' (1924- *''True Marriage Stories'' (1924- *''Modern Marriage'' *''Own Your Own Home'' *''Your Faith'' *''Your Home'' *''Dream World'' (also titled ''Dream World: Love and Romance'') *''Ghost Stories'' (1926–32) (under Harold Hersey's control 1930–32) *'' Macfadden's Fiction Lovers' Magazine'' *''Midnight'' (also titled ''Midnight Mysteries'') *''The Dance Magazine'' *''Climax: Exciting Stories for Men'' *''

'' (1934–1980) *''Secrets'' (1936- *''Personal Romances'' (1937- *''Movie Mirror'' *''Radio Mirror'' ( -1948) *''Saga: Adventure Stories for Men'' (195x-198x) *'' TV Radio Mirror'' (1949–1977) *'' True Confessions'' (1963–1992) *''

Motion Picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

'' (1911–1977) *''

Sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

'' (1946–1975) *''Intimate Stories'' (1948- *''Revealing Romances'' (1949- *''

Pageant Pageant(s) or The Pageant(s) may refer to: Events * Procession or ceremony in elaborate costume * Beauty pageant, or beauty contest * List of pageants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * Medieval pageant, a narrative medieval pro ...

'' (1961–1977) *''

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

'' (1931–1950) *''Home Furnishings News'' (2006–2014) also known as ''HFN'' *''

Dance Magazine ''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' is currently part of Dance Media, led by longtime arts publisher Joanna Harp as president, and has mu ...

'' (2001–2016) *''Dance Spirit'' (2006–2016)Lifestyle Media Inc. merged with Macfadden Dance Magazine, LLC
*''Dance Teacher'' (2006–2016) *''

Pointe Pointe technique ( ) is part of classical ballet involving a technique that concerns ''pointe work'', in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet when wearing pointe shoes. A dancer is said to be ''en po ...

'' (2006–2016) *''Dance Retailer News'' (2006–2016) *''Grocery Headquarters'' (2004–2017)

Newspapers

*'' New York Graphic'' (1924–1932) *''

Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', a daily newspaper in Philadelphia. The ''Dail ...

'' (1925–1932) *''Detroit Daily'' *'' Detroit Mirror'' (? – 1931)

Teck Publishing Corporation (1931–1938)

*''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...

'' *''

Radio News ''Radio News'' was an American monthly technology magazine published from 1919 to 1971. The magazine was started by Hugo Gernsback as a magazine for amateur radio enthusiasts, but it evolved to cover all the technical aspects to radio and electr ...

'' *''Wild West Stories & Complete Novel Magazine''

Bartholomew House imprint

Macfadden also published a few hardcover books through the years, under the imprint Bartholomew House. Initially a way to group together stories from Macfadden's magazines into a book (as in ''Great Western Heroes'', ''Great Pioneer Heroes''), the imprint expanded into first editions of new material after the purchase by the

Bartell Group The Bartell Group, later known as Bartell Broadcasters, Bartell Family Radio, Macfadden-Bartell, and the Bartell Media Corporation, was a family-owned company that owned a number of radio stations in the United States during the 1940s through the 1 ...

(''

Coffee, Tea or Me? ''Coffee, Tea or Me?'' is a book of purported memoirs by the fictitious stewardesses Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones, written by the initially uncredited Donald Bain and first published in 1967. The book depicts the anecdotal lives of two lusty y ...

'', ''"Say ... Didn’t You Used to Be George Murphy?"''). * 1950 - ''Magic Cook Book: The Key to Kitchen Economy, prepared by the Food Editors of True Story Magazine'' * 1957 - ''Great Western Heroes: Six True Stories of the Men Who Tamed the West'', edited by Rafer Brent * 1958 - ''Great Pioneer Heroes: True Stories of the Men Who Made America'', edited by Rafer Brent * 1966 - '' Ecstasy and Me: My Life as a Woman'' by

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial erotic romantic drama '' Ecstasy ...

(ghostwritten by Leo Guild and Cy Rice) * 1967 - '' Coffee, Tea or Me?: The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Airline Stewardesses'' by Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones (ghostwritten by Donald Bain) * 1968 - ''The CanniBal$: a Novel About Television's Savage Chieftains'' by

Keefe Brasselle Keefe Brasselle (February 7, 1923 – July 7, 1981) was an American film actor, television actor/producer, and author. He is best remembered for the starring role in '' The Eddie Cantor Story'' (1953). Early years and career He was born Henr ...

* 1969 - ''Mannequin: My Life as a Model'' by Carolyn Kenmore (ghostwritten by William Dufty) * 1970 - ''"Say ... Didn’t You Used to Be George Murphy?"'' by

George Murphy George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 – May 3, 1992) was an American actor and politician. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944 to ...

(with Victor Lasky)

Current publications

*''Pet Business'' (purchased in 2000)

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.macfad.com
The True Story of Bernarr Macfadden
Magazine publishing companies of the United States Privately held companies based in New York (state) Companies based in New York City Publishing companies established in 1898