Athlon Media is already a low-impact player in the Sunday newspaper insert arena, but it’s about to jump all the way to #1 with the acquisition of Sunday morning magazine warhorse Parade.
The seller, according to the New York Post, is Advance Publications, which has owned the publication for 38 of its 73 years.
Athlon’s entry into that market, aimed at smaller newspapers and markets, is called American Profile, and has a circulation of around 12M, well behind Parade and its 32M reader, 700 newspaper credentials. The #2 Sunday insert is Gannett’s USA Weekend with 23M.
The 1973 price commanded by Parade was $305M. The current price was not disclosed.
Athlon also publishes magazines Spry Living and Relish, along with numerous sports annuals. Athlon’s owner Spencer Hays is said to be a self-made billionaire and has interests in a number of unrelated business fields. The company is headquartered in Nashville.
