BabyCenter Baby Center Mag PR 6 6 Page 3
Mary Jo Romeo is Named Publisher of BabyCenter Magazine
BabyCenter Taps Expert in Parenthood Category To Lead Ad Sales Team for
Groundbreaking Magazine
BabyCenter Press Releases - 05/09/05 05/09/05
San Francisco, CA (April 18, 2005) -- Tapping a respected veteran in the parenthood category to help lead
its ambitious expansion into print, BabyCenter has named Mary Jo Romeo as publisher of BabyCenter
magazine.
Romeo brings 16 years of leadership in the parenthood category to BabyCenter magazine. The former
publisher of Parents, former VP publisher of Working Mother Media, and onetime ad director of American
Baby Group, Romeo will work to expand BabyCenter's presence with key advertisers as the company
undertakes an aggressive evolution from a web business into a media company serving "the 21st century
mom". She will be based in BabyCenter's East Coast sales office.
BabyCenter, the web's most-visited resource for new and expectant parents, recently announced plans for
BabyCenter magazine to launch in September. The pioneering magazine will be the first and only publication
that gives pregnant women and new moms critical information and insights they want exactly when they want
it.
The quarterly will break new ground in its category by publishing customized issues with editorial focused on
moms-to-be and new moms during specific phases of pregnancy and motherhood. The first issue of the
magazine will serve prenatal moms in their second trimester, with three more personalized editions set to roll
out through 2006.
"There are few people who know this category better than Mary Jo, and I think she's going to play an
invaluable role in helping advertisers understand our unique advantages," said Mari Baker, BabyCenter's
president. "With millions of members online, we have unparalleled insight into what today's moms are
thinking, and BabyCenter magazine is going to reflect that."
Romeo agreed. "It's exciting to be able to introduce marketers to a completely new concept, especially one
that will help them reach moms with more relevant messages" she said. The magazine's stage-based editorial,
and cross-media programs with BabyCenter.com, will help advertisers talk to moms in ways other
publications cannot, she added.
Romeo joins BabyCenter after a stint as vp regional manager at The Weather Channel. Before that, at
Working Mother Media, she held the position of publisher and then vp publisher.
Prior to Working Mother, Romeo was publisher of Parents at Gruner + Jahr USA, which also included
responsibilities for Parents Expecting, Parents Baby, and Ser Padres magazines as well as Parents.com. She
began her tenure at Gruner + Jahr as advertising director of Parents magazine, eventually rising to publisher.
At Primedia before that, Romeo had been advertising director of American Baby Group. Romeo lives in
Bronxville, NY.
BabyCenter magazine plans to deliver a high-quality controlled circulation of 2 million annually, with a rate
