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BREAKING NEWS & VIEWS

Magazine Entrepreneur Don Welsh Passes Away
Monday, February 8, 2010

Don Welsh, who launched numerous magazines over the past 28 years, died Feb. 6. Cause of death was not immediately disclosed, but Welsh had undergone triple heart bypass surgery in November. He was said to be in his mid-60s.

After working for Wenner Media in the 1970s and early-1980s as Rolling Stone ad director and publisher of Outside (since sold to Larry Burke) and Us (now Us Weekly), Welsh started Welsh Publications in 1982 with Muppet magazine. A slew of "Kidpower" titles (Barbie, Power Rangers, Mickey Mouse, etc.) followed over the next 12 years until their 1994 sale to Marvel Entertainment

From there, Welsh launched several magazines, with his two greatest legacies being Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel in 1997 (sold to Newsweek in December 1999 and resold to Fletcher Asset Management in December 2009) and Budget Living in 2002. Two years later, BL won the National Magazine Award for 250,000-500,000 circulation"General Excellence," which made editor-in-chief Sarah Gray Miller (now Country Living editor-in-chief) a star. BL ceased publishing in 2006.

Welsh's last project was the Forbes Media-partnered Forbes Life Mountain Time, which published briefly in 2008 before being shut down due to the weak economy.  He had also helped with the 2007 launch of Larry Burke's Outside's Go. This was very endemic to Welsh, who had led and participated in several Outward Bound expeditions around the world with magazine colleagues.

min and University of Mississippi journalism professor Samir Husni honored Welsh in October 2005 as the top independent launch executive over the then-20-year span of Husni's Guide to New Magazines.

Welsh, who was a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and a graduate of Columbia University, is survived by his wife Bourne, a son, daughter and two granddaughters. The funeral will be private, but a memorial service is being planned.

 



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COMMENTS
1.
There was NEVER a warmer, more generous, wildly enthusiastic, hell for leather entrepreneur and friend to so many than Don. He redefined exuberant...with a brilliant mind and huge heart. We who knew him are crushed. Bourne and fam are in our hearts...
Posted by jim berrien on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 @ 09:25 AM
2.
My deepest sympathy to Don's family. Don was always exciting to work with, never a dull moment. His enthusiasm was contagious and every a lift to the day.
Posted by Molly Sheridan on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 @ 03:09 PM
3.
Sadly, I heard about Donald's passing....one of my all time favorite people .....a fellow midwesterner
Posted by bethannharlan on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 @ 05:46 PM

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