Downe Communications
Encyclopedia
Downe Communications was a publishing company founded by Edward Downe, Jr.
that produced several popular magazines and provided subscription fulfillment services from 1967 to 1978.
Downe was a trained journalist who worked at newspapers before becoming a magazine editor. In 1966, Downe purchased Family Magazine
, a newspaper insert similar to Parade Magazine. He founded Downe Communications the following year.
The company acquired the Ladies' Home Journal
and The American Home
in 1968 from Curtis Publishing Company
for $5.4 million in stock. Argosy
magazine was purchased that same year.
Look magazine
ceased publication in 1971. Two months prior, the circulation department had completed the development of its new computer system that stored the names and addresses of customers on magnetic tape.
This new fulfillment system gave rise to the idea for a new business, with six Look employees looking for their first client. Publisher Edward Downe, Jr.
agreed to not only be the company’s first client, but also its owner – if the company was named after him. Thus, on April 1, 1972, Downe Computer Services opened with 172 employees and one client.
In 1977, the Charter Company
in Jacksonville, Florida
, started buying Downe Communications’ stock. Downe sold his controlling interest in the company to Charter for approximately $9 million in 1978.The company name was changed to Charter Data Services (CDS).
Edward Downe, Jr.
-Biography:Downe graduated from the University of Missouri’s Missouri School of Journalism in 1952. He worked in a variety of capacities at two Virginia newspapers before joining True magazine. In 1954, he left True to become an editor at the rival magazine Argosy; he later moved into...
that produced several popular magazines and provided subscription fulfillment services from 1967 to 1978.
Downe was a trained journalist who worked at newspapers before becoming a magazine editor. In 1966, Downe purchased Family Magazine
Family Magazine
Family is a weekly newsmagazine published from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan....
, a newspaper insert similar to Parade Magazine. He founded Downe Communications the following year.
The company acquired the Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
and The American Home
The American Home
The American Home was a monthly magazine published in the United States from 1928 to 1977. Its subjects included domestic architecture, interior design, landscape design, and gardening....
in 1968 from Curtis Publishing Company
Curtis Publishing Company
The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the Ladies' Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post, The American Home,...
for $5.4 million in stock. Argosy
Argosy (magazine)
Argosy was an American pulp magazine, published by Frank Munsey. It is generally considered to be the first American pulp magazine. The magazine began as a general information periodical entitled The Golden Argosy, targeted at the boys adventure market.-Launch of Argosy:In late September 1882,...
magazine was purchased that same year.
Look magazine
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
ceased publication in 1971. Two months prior, the circulation department had completed the development of its new computer system that stored the names and addresses of customers on magnetic tape.
This new fulfillment system gave rise to the idea for a new business, with six Look employees looking for their first client. Publisher Edward Downe, Jr.
Edward Downe, Jr.
-Biography:Downe graduated from the University of Missouri’s Missouri School of Journalism in 1952. He worked in a variety of capacities at two Virginia newspapers before joining True magazine. In 1954, he left True to become an editor at the rival magazine Argosy; he later moved into...
agreed to not only be the company’s first client, but also its owner – if the company was named after him. Thus, on April 1, 1972, Downe Computer Services opened with 172 employees and one client.
In 1977, the Charter Company
Charter Company
The Charter Company of Jacksonville, Florida was a conglomerate with more than 180 subsidiaries that was in the Fortune 500 for 11 years beginning in 1974 and ranked 61st in 1984 before it sought bankruptcy protection in late 1984 and spiraled into obscurity....
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, started buying Downe Communications’ stock. Downe sold his controlling interest in the company to Charter for approximately $9 million in 1978.The company name was changed to Charter Data Services (CDS).