Scholastic to End Independent Publication of Weekly Reader

Scholastic Corp. (SCHL), the publisher behind Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, plans to discontinue separate issues of its Weekly Reader magazines after more than a century of publication.

The magazines will be co-branded with Scholastic classroom publications starting this school year, Kyle Good, a spokeswoman for the New York-based company, said in an e-mail today.

Scholastic bought Weekly Reader from Readers Digest Association Inc. in February. Co-branded titles under the new format will include Junior Scholastic/Current Events and Scholastic News/Weekly Reader. Scholastic Classroom Magazines have been in circulation for more than 90 years and reach 25 million students.

“We are confident that the combined Scholastic News/Weekly Reader team will now offer an even better supplemental news and information experience,” Good said.

Good and Cathy Lasiewicz, another Scholastic spokeswoman, couldn’t confirm how many employees from White Plains, New York- based Weekly Reader will lose their jobs. The New York Post reported earlier today that Weekly Reader would cease publication and that 55 of 60 of its employees in White Plains would be fired.

Some Weekly Reader employees are working at Scholastic, others are being considered for positions and some aren’t interested in commuting to Scholastic offices, Good said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jeanna Smialek in New York at jsmialek@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Lisa Wolfson at lwolfson@bloomberg.net