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Crain Communications history
Crain Communications company history timeline
Crain's first endeavor, the 36-page, seven-by-ten-inch Hospital Management, debuted in February 1916.
In 1916, 31-year-old Crain put his experience to the test and founded two specialized periodicals, Hospital Management (HM) and Class.
1916: G.D. Crain begins publishing Hospital Management.
1916 At age 30, G.D. Crain focuses his attention on starting his own publishing company in Louisville, Ky.
G.D. Crain's second venture, the smaller-formatted, 32-page Class was a business-to-business digest covering the industrial advertising and sales field. It was also a convenient way to advertise its sibling publication, HM. To devote himself to selling ads and editing copy for Class, Crain hired sportswriter Matthew Foley as editor of HM. In 1919, Crain's older brother Kenneth Crain relocated to Chicago and soon became HM's general manager.
To the credit of Ellen Krebby, who was hired in 1921 to handle the office and accounting, Crain never realized the tenuity of the company's financial status.
1921 The spinoff of Class, Crain’s Market Data Book and Directory of Class, Trade and Technical Publications, is published and begins the tradition of Crain publishing directories.
In the months before Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, G.D. Crain finalized details for a news weekly called Advertising Age.
1930: Advertising Age debuts.
In the interim, Sid Bernstein was named assistant to the publisher in October 1931, and Ad Age grew to average 16 pages with a circulation of 9,000, an increase of nearly 1,400 over the previous year.
In 1933, rather than sacrifice Class altogether, it became a special section of Ad Age until ad sales and circulation could recover.
Ad Age was not profitable until 1934, four years after its birth.
In 1943, Advertising Publications implemented an unheard of concept--an employee profit-sharing plan--fully funded by the company and the first of many employee benefits programs.
In a January 7, 1946 editorial, Bernstein announced 'Advertising has emerged from the war with a new stature, new tasks and new duties.
Once more outgrowing its premises, Advertising Publication moved into a remodeled warehouse at 200 East Illinois Street, its home until April 1962 when operations moved to 740 North Rush Street.
1964 G.D. Crain assumes the position of company chairman, while Sid Bernstein is named president and publisher of Advertising Age.
October 1967 Business Insurance debuts as an idea Crain has wanted to produce for almost 50 years.
Late 1968 Crain makes the purchase of Chicago-based American Trade Magazines, which includes American Drycleaner and American Laundry Digest.
July 1969 The company’s name changes from Advertising Publications Inc. to Crain Communications Inc to reflect the company’s growing diversity.
1969 New technology is introduced with the first computer purchased and installed within Crain for use in the circulation department, where key-punched cards are fed into the computer to output address labels.
The company changed its name to Crain Communications in 1969.
In 1970, on Keith Crain's behalf, Bernstein bid on the downtrodden Automotive News (AN), a 46-year-old weekly tabloid based in Detroit.
Keith's first AN issue came out on June 7, 1971; within six months, it was breaking even and eventually secured a 100 percent paid circulation.
G.D. Crain's pet project, Ad Age, commemorated its 40th anniversary and reached a circulation of 65,000, while the Crain think-tank developed Pensions & Investments in July 1973.
1973: Gertrude Crain becomes chairman following her husband's death.
1974 Gertrude Crain named chairperson.
Following his father's death, Rance Crain became president of Crain Communications in 1974.
In October 1975, G.D. Crain was posthumously inducted into the American Advertising Federation's Hall of Fame.
As the Detroit office boomed, Keith purchased Akron-based Rubber & Plastics News in 1976, stipulating that editor and publisher Ernie Zielasko and Lowell (Chris) Chrisman, vice-president of sales, come along.
1976 McGraw-Hill sells Modern Healthcare to Crain Communications Inc, and Charles Lauer is hired as its publisher and advertising director.
1976 Automotive News hosts its first World Congress.
1977: Crain buys its first consumer magazine, AutoWeek.
A new publication, Crain's Chicago Business, was launched in 1978; similar newspapers covering local business events were soon introduced in other cities, including Detroit, Cleveland, New York, and Mexico City.
In 1978, Rance Crain channeled his energy in a new direction.
January 1980 The 50th anniversary issue of Advertising Age runs.
Zielasko and Chrisman, the dynamic duo of Rubber & Plastics News, were also the driving force behind the formation of Crain's Cleveland Business in 1980, which overtook its competition, the Northern Ohio Business Journal, to become the area's definitive news weekly.
In May 1981, Keith Crain was named vice-chairman, overseeing Crain Communication's daily activities with Rance Crain.
April 1983 Tire Business launches as an extension of Rubber & Plastics News, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with Ernie Zielasko as the magazine’s editor and publisher.
1984 Urethanes Technology launches as a news source for the international polyurethane industry.
February 1985 Crain’s Detroit Business launches, with Keith Crain as publisher and Peter Brown as editor.
Neither Thursday (a jazzy, mid-week edition of Ad Age), The Collector-Investor nor Crain's Illinois Business generated sufficient interest, and Crain's New York Business faced an uphill battle after its founding in 1985.
September 1986 The magazine Creativity is introduced as a monthly addition to Advertising Age.
Gertrude Crain, meanwhile, was busy too: in 1986, at age 75, she rode shotgun with NASCAR racer Tim Richmond, hitting 185 mph; for her 77th birthday, she went parasailing in Key Largo.
Monthly Detroit is changed to Detroit Monthly in 1986 with the slogan, “Now we’re literally putting Detroit first.”
December 1987 Thirty-nine radio stations across the country, including WMAQ-AM Chicago and WXYT-AM Detroit, began running “Crain’s Business Report,” a weekly half-hour radio program composed of reports from Crain publications.
In 1987, she was inducted into Working Woman's Hall of Fame; named Chicagoan of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago; and selected as one of the Top 60 Women Business Owners by Savvy magazine.
When Gertrude Crain was asked in a 1987 interview what the biggest problems facing the company were in the near future, she quipped 'Rance and Keith.' One thing was certain: Gertrude, Rance, and Keith would always be united in perpetuating G.D. Crain's vision.
Advertising,' was finally given his due as well, inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame on March 28, 1989.
March 1989 Plastics News launches from Akron, Ohio, as a magazine dedicated to covering the global plastics industry.
January 1990 Pensions & Investment Age returns to its old name, Pensions & Investments.
July 1992 Crain Communications Inc purchases RCR (Radio Communications Report), a news source focused on the growing wireless industry.
1992 Gertrude Crain becomes the first woman to be inducted into the Junior Achievement of Chicago Business Hall of Fame.
On May 29, 1993, another Crain legend, 86-year-old Sid Bernstein, died. 'Sid Bernstein has always served as the editorial conscience of our company,' Rance said in a tribute published in Ad Age shortly after Bernstein's death.
In 1994, in a joint venture with America On-Line, Crain's Chicago Business and Crain's Small Business were hooked up to Chicago On-Line.
In the fall, Crain staffers laid the groundwork for two new publications, Franchise Buyer and Waste News, set to debut in the spring of 1995.
The increasing globalization of the auto industry spurred Crain to launch Automotive News Europe in February 1996.
1996: Gertrude Crain retires in May, and dies two months later.
Keith Crain became the company's third chairman in February 1997, while Rance Crain remained president.
Crain launched the weekly InvestmentNews in September 1997.
January 1998 lnvestmentNews begins as a national newspaper for financial advisers.
February 1998 Crain Communications Inc launches its corporate website, www.crain.com.
March 1998 Gertrude Crain is inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.
1998: AdAge.com garners $1 million in annual advertising revenues.
1998 Crain Communications Inc purchases its 30th publication, Automotive International, which is later folded into Automotive News.
August 1999 The New York office moves to 711 Third Avenue in midtown after nearly 20 years in the Daily News Building on 42nd Street.
March 2000 Business Marketing, Crain’s oldest magazine, changes its design and name to BtoB.
January 2001 Crain acquires its first non-English language periodicals El Asesor de Mexico and El Asesor de Monterrey, increasing the company’s regional business publications to six titles.
September 2001 Crain launches its first German automotive publication, Automobilwoche, becoming the company’s third non-English language periodical.
March 2002 Crain’s New York Business releases the company ‘s first digital edition, provided to select subscribers in PDF format.
November 2004 Crain acquires American Demographics magazine, publishing it as a feature within Advertising Age and adage.com.
March 2007 KC Crain named Publisher of Autoweek.
April 2008 Keith Crain inducted into Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
November 2008 Crain acquires Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc., provider of research, data and analysis covering the contingent workforce.
November 2008 Automotive News Today launches, a 3-minute online newscast.
2009 Waste News changes its name to Waste & Recycling News
June 2010 KC Crain named VP/Group Publisher.
2010 Rance Crain inducted into Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame.
June 2013 Chris Crain named EVP, Director of Strategic Operations.
June 2013 Chris Battaglia named Group Publisher.
October 2013 BtoB merges with Advertising Age.
2013 Rance Crain inducted into Advertising Hall of Fame.
July 2014 Keith Crain inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame.
November 2015 Crain launches daily digital business newsletters in nine new markets including Boston, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.
February 2016 Crain celebrates its 100th anniversary, launches redesigned website, crain.com.
July 2017 Rance Crain retires after 57 years with the company.
October 2017 Advertising Age rebrands to Ad Age.
August 2018 Crain sells InvestmentNews to Bonhill Financial Services.
September 2019 Crain acquires digital brand GenomeWeb.
October 2019 Crain sells Autoweek to Hearst Autos, a division of Hearst Magazines.
January 2020 Crain launches Sustainable Plastics as part of the Global Polymer Group.
November 2020 KC Crain named Chief Executive Officer.
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Crain Communications competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TheStreet | 1996 | $62.5M | 800 | - |
| American City Business Journals | 1985 | $280.0M | 1,900 | 26 |
| Adweek | 1978 | $13.0M | 322 | - |
| Advance Publications | 1922 | $2.4B | 12,000 | - |
| MarketWatch | 1997 | $10.5M | 246 | - |
| Business Wire | 1961 | $147.2M | 882 | 3 |
| International Data Group | 1964 | $5.2B | 3,000 | 2 |
| Crain's Detroit Business | 1985 | $740,000 | 50 | - |
| Dow Jones | 1882 | $1.5B | 8,000 | 69 |
| Lebhar-Friedman | 1925 | $17.0M | 200 | - |
Crain Communications history FAQs
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