The Washington Post Co. / WPO

About The Washington Post Co.

1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071
www.washpostco.com | 202-334-6000 | Founded: 1877

Industry: Media | Category: Top 100 Companies

The strongest revenue growth at The Washington Post Co. continued to come from its education division, as Kaplan turned in double-digit sales growth every quarter last year. The unit also made several acquisitions. During the year, Kaplan Professional completed the purchase of Bisys Education Services, a company that provides the financial services industry with training in licensing and compliance. Kaplan also completed its acquisition of the Kidum Group, the leading provider of test preparation services in Israel, and bought Singapore-based Asia Pacific Management Institute (APMI), an educational firm for undergraduates and postgraduates in Asia.
The newspaper environment continued to be challenging last year as readers migrated to new forms of media. Circulation at The Washington Post continued to decline, while traffic and advertising grew at The Post's Web site. Daily newspaper circulation at The Post declined 4.3 percent, to an average 694,100 in 2005, and Sunday circulation fell 4.1 percent, to 969,000. The paper faced new competition from the Washington Examiner, a free daily tabloid owned by billionaire investor Philip F. Anschutz that began operation in February 2005.
The washingtonpost.com Web site recorded double-digit growth in revenue and advertising sales. With the addition of Slate, whose purchase from Microsoft Corp. closed at the start of last year, the Post broadened its presence online.
This year, The Post extended the reach of its journalism through creation of a news and talk radio outlet called Washington Post Radio. The station, WTWP, which made its debut in March, is broadcast locally over two frequencies, 1500 AM and 107.7 FM, on stations owned by Bonneville International Corp.
The Post's cable operations took a hit in the third quarter from Hurricane Katrina. Some 94,000 subscribers lay in the storm's path, and the cable unit's revenue suffered from a 30-day service credit given to Gulf Coast customers.
The Post's board of directors added Christopher C. Davis, chairman of the investment firm Davis Selected Advisers LP, expanding the board membership to 11.

Chairman and CEO: Donald E. Graham

Chairman and CEO: Donald E. Graham

2007 Financial Data

Total employees: 28,575 | Local employees: 6,521