Sharon Stone famously said that you can only fuck your way to the middle. Fortunately, Peggy Northrop doesn't have that problem.

Northrop's husband, Sean Elder, famously confessed how magazines were ruining their sex life in this week's New York mag: now, Northrop, the former editor of Organic Style, has been appointed editor-in-chief of More.

There's a moral lesson in here somewhere. Damned if I can figure out what it is though.

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PEGGY NORTHROP NAMED EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FOR MORE MAGAZINE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, April 1, 2004 Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP) announced today that it has named Peggy Northrop Editor-in-Chief for More magazine.

Northrop joins More from Organic Style magazine, where she had served as Editor-in-Chief since 2002. She replaces Susan Crandell, who announced her resignation from the title earlier this year to pursue writing and journalism opportunities.

"We are incredibly fortunate to find someone with Peggy's unique skills, background and solid editorial track record to lead More," says Jack Griffin, President, Meredith Magazine Group. "More has been a phenomenal success since its start only a few years ago, and we feel confident that Peggy will take the magazine to new and exciting levels."

Griffin notes that since its inception a little over five years ago, More has achieved strong circulation performance, tripling from its original circulation of 320,000 to its current level of 950,000. In addition, last year the magazine's advertising page performance increased by 33% (749 vs. 562 in '02), and it was named to Advertising Age's "A List" of top ten magazines.

For the first four months of this year, More's advertising page performance is up by 12% versus the same period last year, among the highest for women's lifestyle publications.

"More is a magazine that truly resonates with its readers and has broken all the rules when it comes to speaking to women in their forties and fifties," says Northrop. "I've always admired what More has accomplished in the marketplace, and I'm extremely excited to be able to lead it to new heights."

During her tenure at Organic Style, the magazine increased its initial launch circulation size of 400,000 to its current level of 750,000 and its frequency from six to ten times per year. She was also responsible for a highly successful re-design of the magazine, and introduced new front and back sections and columns for the title.

Northrop was named one of MIN's "Most Intriguing People" in 2003, and Organic Style was recently selected for Adweek's prestigious "Hot List" of magazines.

Northrop has a strong background of editorial achievement including serving as the Deputy Editor for Real Simple magazine and Executive Editor for Redbook. She has also held senior level editorial positions for Glamour and Vogue, among other titles.

Northrop will be based in Meredith's New York offices, and she will officially begin her duties in mid-April.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, the 48-year-old Northrop resides with her family in Brooklyn.