PRIMEDIA Creates New Partnerships to Launch Branded Scrapbooking and C

    Business Editors

    NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2005--PRIMEDIA Enterprises, the worldwide brand licensing division for PRIMEDIA Inc. (NYSE: PRM), today announced three strategic partnerships to launch creative brand extensions for its popular craft titles, Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks, and Paper Crafts.
    Leading companies Leisure Arts, International Masters Publishers and TN Marketing will join the prestigious list of craft licensees to further expand the expertise of PRIMEDIA's magazine titles in the consumer crafting market. This is the latest in a series of successful brand extensions that transition the company's stable of high-performing enthusiast brands into product lines that build on readers' passions beyond the printed page.
    "Scrapbooking in the U.S. has gone from being a casual hobby to a $2.5 billion industry and PRIMEDIA's craft titles, in particular Creating Keepsakes, have been at the forefront of the industry's explosion since day one," said Jacqueline Blum, president of PRIMEDIA Enterprises, the company's licensing arm. "It made perfect sense to expand the company's voice of authority in the world of scrapbooking and crafting into additional, authentic products that an even broader base of consumers can enjoy."
    Through a deal with publisher Leisure Arts, PRIMEDIA's Simple Scrapbooks, Paper Crafts, and Paper Crafts' special series, Stamp It!, will broaden exposure in the marketplace through several forthcoming book launches. Leisure Arts publishes and markets lifestyle books and instructional materials through craft, home & garden and book trade channels, with these three books focusing on the craft trade. The new books follow on the heels of the recent March 2005 launch of Encyclopedia of Scrapbooking and a succession of previous deals in which Leisure Arts published six books under the Creating Keepsakes brand in 2004.
    "The books we previously launched through PRIMEDIA's craft titles have been met with great reception," said Sandra Case, VP/Editor-in-Chief at Leisure Arts. "The recognition and trust behind these brands is significant and will help Leisure Arts reach more consumers who are developing an interest in the scrapbooking hobby."
    For Creating Keepsakes, a partnership with International Masters Publishing (IMP) extends its current product line into scrapbooking kits dubbed "Scrap 'n Fun." Developed and produced by IMP in conjunction with Creating Keepsakes, the hands-on kit will contain multiple pieces, including a sticker sheet with die-lines using Creating Keepsakes-approved fonts, patterned papers using different patterns and colors, layout pages with pre-designed frames and borders, deluxe cardstock for backgrounds and accents in coordinating colors and textures, pop-out frames, pockets and accents, cut-out headlines and tags with different phrases and journaling blocks, and project ideas and design tips.
    The Creating Keepsakes brand will continue its expansion through production of a how-to video series developed by TN Marketing. The video content will offer step-by-step instruction and feature well-known scrapbooking expert, Tracy White along with other guest hosts. TN Marketing is a continuity marketer of video and book products, working closely with video producers to develop copy, style and presentation for the hands-on hobbyist.
    Blum added, "The timing is optimal for leveraging our established equity in enthusiast markets and showcasing our expertise in highly creative ways. We continue to seek out platforms that encourage new interaction between our brands and an engaged audience across a range of product categories."

    About PRIMEDIA Enterprises

    PRIMEDIA Enterprises is the worldwide brand licensing division for PRIMEDIA's 250 publications, having established brand extension programs for titles such as Motor Trend, Hot Rod, Lowrider, Super Street, Import Tuner, In-Fisherman, and Creating Keepsakes. PRIMEDIA Enterprises extends the company's brands into consumer product categories such as apparel, accessories, toys, interactive games, automotive accessories and equipment, books, and calendars, as well as service licensing and promotions. Internationally, PRIMEDIA's content and brands are licensed in more than a dozen countries around the world.

    About PRIMEDIA

    PRIMEDIA (NYSE: PRM) is the leading targeted media company in the United States. With 2004 revenue of $1.3 billion, our properties comprise more than 200 brands that connect buyers and sellers in more markets than any other media company through our print publications, Web sites, events, newsletters and video programs in four business segments: Enthusiast Media, Consumer Guides, Business Information, and Education. PRIMEDIA Enthusiast Media includes more than 120 consumer magazines, with well-known brands such as Motor Trend, Automobile, Creating Keepsakes, In-Fisherman, Power & Motoryacht, Hot Rod, Snowboarder, Stereophile and Surfer. PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides is the #1 publisher and distributor of free consumer guides, with Apartment Guide, Auto Guide and New Home Guide. PRIMEDIA Business Information has more than 60 publications in 18 market sectors. PRIMEDIA Education includes Channel One and other educational products.

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CONTACT: Media: Sloane & Company, Amanda Cheslock, 212-446-1884, acheslock@sloanepr.com

KEYWORD: NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ADVERTISING/MARKETING PUBLISHING MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: PRIMEDIA

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