Hearst Tower in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
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Private | |
Industry | Mass media |
Founded | March 4, 1887 San Francisco, California, United States |
Founder | William Randolph Hearst |
Headquarters | , United States |
Key people
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Revenue | US$10.7 billion (2015) |
Owner | Hearst family (100%) |
Number of employees
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20,000 (2014) |
Divisions |
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Subsidiaries |
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Website | hearst |
Hearst Communications, often referred to as simply Hearst, is an American mass media and business information conglomerate. It owns a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, television channels, and television stations, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, 50% of broadcasting firm A&E Networks, and 20% of the sports broadcaster ESPN—the last two both co-owned with The Walt Disney Company. Despite being better known for these media holdings, it makes most of its profits in the business information section, where it owns companies including First DataBank, Homecare Hombase, and 80% of Fitch Ratings.
The Hearst company is based in the Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, and the Hearst family remains involved in its ownership and management.
Under William Randolph Hearst's will, a common board of thirteen trustees (its composition fixed at five family members and eight outsiders) administers the Hearst Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, and the trust that owns (and selects the 24-member board of) the Hearst Corporation. The foundations shared ownership until tax law changed to prevent this. As of 2014, the trustees are: