PRIMEDIA Names Automotive Industry Leader Jean Jennings Editor in Chief of Automobile Magazine

17 November 1999

PRIMEDIA Names Automotive Industry Leader Jean Jennings Editor in Chief of Automobile Magazine

    NEW YORK--Nov. 17, 1999--David Tanzer, president and chief executive officer, PRIMEDIA Consumer Magazines, announced that Jean Jennings, 45, currently deputy editor of Automobile Magazine, has been named editor in chief of the magazine, effective January 1, 2000. Jennings will succeed Founding Editor David E. Davis, Jr., 69, who has been promoted to a senior position working on PRIMEDIA's automotive-related Internet activities and who will continue to contribute a monthly column to Automobile Magazine.
    "Jean has been instrumental in the creation, development and growth of Automobile Magazine and has worked side by side with David E. Davis, Jr. for the entire history of the magazine," said Tanzer. "She has been a driving force in making Automobile Magazine a must-read for 'the enlightened automotive enthusiast,' and I am confident that she will continue to make Automobile Magazine even stronger."
    Jennings has been writing for automotive enthusiast titles since 1980 including at Automobile Magazine since it was founded in 1985. She is widely recognized as a leading industry expert, and she has won numerous awards for feature writing and for her monthly column, Vile Gossip, in Automobile Magazine. She has also served as the automotive correspondent for Good Morning America since 1994 and is the automotive correspondent for Oxygen Media. Jennings will be the first female editor in chief of a leading automotive enthusiast title.
    While with Automobile Magazine, Jennings helped develop several special issues including the Automobile Magazine Buying and Leasing Guides and the Automobile Magazine 4X4 Field Guide adventure magazine, as well as a number of custom automotive publications.
    Jennings said that she plans to further develop Automobile Magazine's award-winning Web site (www.automobilemag.com) - with plans to add an automotive insider newsletter, "Scoop," for the industry and for "super" enthusiasts. Other plans are to continue to build the "Automobile Magazine Automobile of the Year" and "Automobile Magazine All-Stars" awards.
    Further, Jennings will pursue synergistic projects with other PRIMEDIA automotive properties including auto show coverage with ASTN (The Automotive Satellite Television Network); shared editorial and cost-of-ownership database with IntelliChoice; special supplement projects with PRIMEDIA Special Interest outdoor titles; and the development of automotive-related symposiums.
    PRIMEDIA Inc., with 1998 sales from continuing businesses of $1.5 billion, is a targeted media company focused on consumer and business-to-business audiences. Some key brands include Seventeen, New York, Chicago, Fly Fisherman, Channel One Network, Horticulture, Modern Bride, American Baby, IntelliChoice, Telephony, and American Demographics. The Company owns and operates more than 215 Web sites.