Irvin J. Borowsky
| Irvin J. Borowsky | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
November 23, 1924 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | November 25, 2014 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Publisher, Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Laurie Wagman |
| Children | 6 |
Irvin J. Borowsky (November 23, 1924 – November 25, 2014) was an American publisher and philanthropist.
Irvin J. Borowsky was born to a Jewish family in 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest of the nine children of Emma and Samuel Borowsky. His parents had emigrated from Poland to the United States where Samuel Borowsky became a supplier of flour and related products for bakeries. At twelve years old, the young Borowsky answered an ad in Popular Mechanics for a five dollar printing press. The press came with a package of type, ink and instructions. It changed his life. At the time of his father’s death, Borowsky was fourteen years old and was operating his own printing business which he named City Wide Press.
At the end of World War II, Borowsky, now a master printer, founded Foster Manufacturing Company to provide custom storage equipment to printers and newspapers throughout the nation. He redesigned the ad makeup departments for the Washington Post, Boston Herald, The Plain Dealer, Philadelphia Inquirer and many other newspapers, farming out the construction of his specially designed steel equipment. In 1948, recognizing the power and potential of the emerging television industry, he started a weekly magazine, TV Digest, which in time became TV Guide. With his Foster Manufacturing Company providing funds, he bought large presses to accommodate the magazine format and the first editions of the magazine were printed - a major event for this new TV field.
He moved his companies to a location that accommodated all three enterprises. City Wide Press, Foster Manufacturing, and TV Digest were now efficiently housed under one roof.
His innovations in the publishing and printing industries are legendary, creative and groundbreaking.
After selling his TV magazine to Walter Annenberg in 1953, Borowsky founded the North American Publishing Company (NAPCO), which became a highly successful publisher of magazines nationwide. Beginning with Printing Impressions, now the leading publication for the printing and graphic arts industries, Borowsky expanded NAPCO by creating new magazines as well as purchasing and restructuring other publications. His first acquisition was Audio magazine. Within 18 months his stable of magazines included Sailing World, Target Marketing, Magazine and Book Seller, American School and University, American Import/Export Management, In Plant Reproductions, Custom House Guide, Package Printing, and more.
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