Life magazine to be revived in deal between Dotdash Meredith, Bedford Media

Life magazine is being resurrected six years after its acquisition by then-Des Moines-based Meredith Corp.

In a deal with now-owner Dot Dash-Meredith, Bedford Media plans to resume publishing the glossy magazine that graced coffee tables all over America for several decades in the last century.

Fashion model Karlie Kloss and her billionaire husband Joshua Kushner, founder of the venture capital firm Thrive Capital and younger brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are the owners of Bedford.

Launch of the new product will come in early 2025 and will include video and audio on a new website, according to a representative of Bedford Media.

The print version of the magazine will most likely be quarterly, but details as to frequency and when the first edition goes to print are still being worked out, according to the Bedford Media representative.

Life part of Meredith purchase of Time Inc.

Life, known for its large format and striking photography of news events and celebrities, ceased regular, standalone print publication in 2000, continuing for a time as a newspaper supplement and in occasional special issues.

Terms of the agreement with New York-based Dotdash Meredith, which maintains a Des Moines office, were not disclosed, but the company will continue to own the full rights to Life photography and content archives dating back to the 1930s and also will continue to publish single-topic special-interest magazines under the Life brand, according to a news release from Bedford Media.

Meredith, publisher of magazines including Better Homes & Gardens, Magnolia and Real Simple, acquired Life when it bought Time Inc. in 2018, making it the nation's largest magazine publisher.

Dotdash, an online publisher, bought Meredith in 2021 for $2.7 billion. It is a division of the publicly traded tech incubator IAC/Interactive Corp.

“Life's legacy lies in its ability to blend culture, current events, and everyday life — highlighting the triumphs, challenges, and unique perspectives that define us," Joshua Kushner, who will serve as publisher of the magazine, said in a statement.

"We see Life as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape," said Kloss, CEO of Bedford Media.

Kloss: 'Deeply inspired by Life's iconic legacy'

Although Life can trace its roots back to 1883, when it was primarily a humor magazine, Time magazine publisher Henry Luce purchased it in 1936 and it became the first American all-photographic news magazine. It was soon joined by Look magazine in 1937 founded by Gardner “Mike” Cowles Jr. and his brother John of the Cowles Media Co. Their father, Gardner Cowles Sr. had purchased the Des Moines Register and Des Moines Tribune, of which Mike Cowles served as executive editor.

Look ceased publication in 1971, and the weekly Life shut down a short time later, only to be revived as a monthly magazine.

"While Bedford is a new media company, we are deeply inspired by Life's iconic legacy and ability to connect diverse audiences with universal narratives of humanity," Kloss said.

Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Life magazine to be relaunched in Dotdash Meredith-Bedford Media deal