まさかここまでとは

今さら怪しいと思ったと言っても遅いんでしょうけど数ヶ月前にエース級の編集長が素っ気ない退任をしていました。それより前からアプリがどんどんしょぼくなっていたので経営が厳しいとは思っていました。でも買収のニュースを見てもとりあえずTIMEは続くと思っていました。アプリ更新をしてみるとこれまでのとは全く違う作りになり編集方針だってガラリと変わるかも不安になり始めたところです。定期購読の延長をしてしまったばかりなので尚更です。。。

こういうのは公式発表では何と言っているか確認したくなります。

Time Inc. to be Acquired by Meredith Corporation

on Nov 26, 2017

John Fahey, Chairman of the Board, said, "Time Inc.'s Board of Directors has unanimously determined that this all-cash transaction, and the immediate, certain value it provides, is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. On behalf of the entire Board, I thank Rich Battista for his strong and exemplary leadership. We also thank the management team and all Time Inc. employees, who together have made significant progress transforming one of the world's most iconic and historically significant publishing companies into a leading multiplatform media enterprise." 

(NEW YORK, NY, November 26, 2017)—Time Inc. (NYSE: TIME) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP). Under the terms of the agreement, Meredith will make an $18.50 per share cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding Time Inc. shares for a total transaction value of approximately $2.8 billion, including the assumption of debt and net of cash acquired. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Meredith and Time Inc., and is expected to close during the first quarter of 2018. The $18.50 per share price represents a 46% premium over the closing price on November 15, 2017, the day prior to media reports about the transaction, and a 66% premium over the 10-day volume weighted average trading price ending on that day.

買収した会社は雑誌TIMEには大して興味ないはずだからTIMEは廃刊かもねと語る元編集者の記事です。昔の記者の豪華な仕事ぶりも回想しています。大昔は今のフェースブックのような勢いがあったのかもれません。

RIP, Time Inc. It Was Fun While It Lasted.

An Iowa publisher didn't buy Time for its famous global brands. That's just a sign of the times.

By 

Joe Nocera

37

2017年11月28日 3:52 GMT+11

But that day has come. On Sunday evening, Meredith Corp., a magazine company based in Des Moines, Iowa, announced that it was buying Time Inc. It will pay $1.85 billion in cash and assume close to $1 billion in Time Inc. debt. Charles and David Koch are supplying $650 million of that cash, raising fears that they will want to use the magazines, especially Time, to spread their conservative views — just as founder Henry Luce did in the 1930s and 1940s.

I doubt that will happen, but not because I believe the Koch brothers’ promise not to get involved. I just don’t think Time magazine is going to be around much longer, at least not in a form its loyalists would recognize. When Meredith first tried to buy Time Inc. in 2013, it did not want to include Time, Fortune, Money or Sports Illustrated in the deal. There are already rumors that Meredith plans to shut down Time. My guess is that Fortune and Money are goners, too. None of them make money. Meredith publishes magazines for the heartland, like Better Home and Gardens, Family Circle and Ladies Home Journal. The Time Inc. magazines it likely covets are titles like In Style and Real Simple that it can market to its subscriber base.

英語学習者には思い入れがある雑誌ですがもう魅力的な職場ではないのだなと実感するのがこちらの求人のための会社案内のチャンネル。見る人がほとんどおらず。たったの2桁の再生回数の動画もあります。寂しいですがこれも時代の流れなんでしょう。定期購読を解約するか考えよう(苦笑)