Southern Living parent company has a new name—here’s why

If you didn’t know one of the country’s largest media brands had a strong base right here in Birmingham, it may be due to a name recognition problem.

What we all recognize as Southern Living (or Southern Progress, the former company umbrella over Southern Living magazine) was born and raised right here in Birmingham, alongside several other former magazine powerhouses like Cooking Light, Oxmoor House books, Coastal Living and more.

After many corporate ownership changes throughout its storied history, for the past 3+ years it’s been part of national conglomerate Dotdash Meredith, the largest print and digital media company in the country.

Now, as of yesterday, there’s a new corporate name that will soon adorn the building off of Lakeshore Drive in Homewood: People Inc.

Dotdash Meredith changes name to People Inc.

The company announced the change today via press release, citing a new chapter for its iconic national brands like InStyle, Food & Wine, Verywell, Byrdie and, of course, People magazine.

It’s also a refocus on the people it serves at the core of its digital, print and experiential media messaging.

“When we put Dotdash and Meredith together over three years ago, we knew our combined name wasn’t the most elegant or meaningful.

As our business and ambitions have grown, we realized we already had the best name for us, People. People Inc. reflects our energy and vibrancy, the promise of our incredible brands, and our distinctly human legacy.”

_{Neil Vogel, CEO of People, Inc. via press release}

While not much will change for the consumer beyond the new name, it’s the strong Birmingham ties that have employed and inspired generations of Birmingham residents.

How Birmingham’s Southern Progress Corporation made its mark in magazine media

In addition to a national and global reach, a surprising number of its content is still created right here in Birmingham off of Lakeshore Drive in Homewood.

There, writers, editors, recipe developers and visual creatives are crafting the content that graces the digital and print pages for titles like:

• Southern Living
• Allrecipes
• Food & Wine
• Real Simple
• People
• Better Homes & Gardens
• …and more!

On a personal note: After spending 20+ years at Southern Progress before joining Bham Now, I can speak first-hand to the amazingly creative, kind and resourceful folks these brands have employed over the years and the impact they’ve had on our city.

I worked at Cooking Light (the nation’s largest food + healthy lifestyle magazine in the country before it was absorbed in a merger a few years back…RIP) and with the folks at the Food Studios, which continues to produce recipes and stunning visual content for all People Inc brands nationwide.

“Whenever folks learned I worked at Southern Living, their first comment was that they didn’t realize Southern Living was published in Birmingham.

SL always seeks perfection: from the building to the quality, relevant editorial sharing Southerners and our unique and special heritage.”

_{Rebecca Brock Scoggins, Southern Living employee from 1978-2008}

The name evolution of People Inc’s Birmingham ties

For employees who now have to change their business cards once again, here’s how the company name has evolved over the years from a local POV:

• 1886: Progressive Farmer magazine founded in North Carolina
• 1911: Progressive Farmer moves its headquarters to Birmingham
• 1966: A popular “Southern Living” section in Progressive Farmer becomes standalone Southern Living, producing its first issue
• 1980: The Progressive Farmer parent company is renamed Southern Progress Corporation (SPC)
• 1985: Time Inc purchases Southern Progress Corporation
• 1990: Warner Communications purchases Time Inc to become Time Warner Inc
• 2000: AOL acquires Time Warner to become AOL Time Warner (this is when my personal business card bingo began…)
• 2009: The mega-media company spins off its AOL and cable divisions, basically reverting to Time Warner
• 2014: Time Warner separates its magazine media division back into Time Inc
• 2018: Des Moines, Iowa-based Meredith Corporation purchases Time Inc, bringing everything under the name Meredith
• 2021: Digitally-focused Dotdash acquires Meredith, renaming itself Dotdash Meredith
• July 31, 2025: Dotdash Meredith remains intact but renames itself People, Inc.

While the media landscape continues to evolve, the Birmingham community can still proudly boast its own impact on a national and global scale when it comes to influencing the food on America’s tables, the decor in their homes and the style that makes their lives a little more colorful.

Do you have a personal connection to this Birmingham creative hub? Let us know @bhamnow, or send me a note at chatcher@bhamnow.com.