Rodale CEO Steven Pleshette Murphy to Leave Rodale; Maria Rodale to Succeed Him as CEO

EMMAUS, Pa. & NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
Steven Pleshette Murphy, president and chief executive officer of Rodale Inc.,
and Maria Rodale, its chairman, today announced that Mr. Murphy will be leaving
Rodale. Maria Rodale, granddaughter of company founder J.I. Rodale and daughter
of previous company chairpersons Robert Rodale and Ardath Rodale, will succeed
him as CEO effective September 1, at which time he will remain available to help
with the transition through the end of the year.

"After a wonderful decade at Rodale, I have decided not to renew my contract and
to take time off to pursue my own creative interests," said Mr. Murphy, 55, who
joined Rodale as president and chief operating officer in 2000 and was named CEO
two years later. "I have worked closely with Maria on a daily basis, and she is
a remarkably creative leader and colleague. Thanks to the many talented people
on the Rodale team, during my tenure we have transformed the company, achieved
tremendous success, and positioned it for continued growth. I am very proud of
our many accomplishments. Now is the perfect moment for Maria to lead the
company forward by adding the top managerial responsibility to her role as
chairman."

Maria Rodale said, "I have been preparing my whole life to lead Rodale. As
chairman and CEO, I will work to build on the strong foundation we have
established during the past ten years to take this incredible company to even
greater heights. I am grateful for the full support of the family and the board
to guide me on our important mission. Steve was brought in by the board to take
Rodale to a new level, a goal he has achieved. He has raised the quality of our
products, instilled a culture of creativity and built an outstanding team. The
entire Rodale family thanks Steve for his expert leadership, in particular his
ability to ensure the company's stability during a most challenging time. He
will forever hold a place in Rodale`s history as both a creative innovator and a
disciplined executive, all the while staying true to our company's unique
mission."

During Mr. Murphy`s time with the company, Rodale has experienced the most
profitable period in its 69-year history. Under his leadership, the company
created a strong, broad portfolio of media properties and branded content,
reaching more than 70 million people around the world, including 25 million
active customers in its database. During his tenure, Rodale`s book division grew
significantly, signed numerous acclaimed authors and thought leaders, including
Nobel Prize winner Vice President Al Gore and Dr. David Kessler, among others,
and landed more than forty Rodale books on The New York Times` Bestseller Lists,
including The South Beach Diet.

Mr. Murphy also oversaw the reinvention of Rodale`s brands, including Men`s
Health and Prevention, and the launch of Women`s Health, one of the most
successful consumer magazine launches in recent years. Under his watch, the
company expanded dramatically overseas, with 85 editions of Rodale`s magazines
now available around the world. Mr. Murphy has directed the company's ongoing
transition of its large direct mail business to digital. Since 2000, Mr. Murphy
and the company have won numerous awards, including 3 National Magazine Awards.
In 2004, Mr. Murphy was named one of BusinessWeek`s Top 25 Best Managers of the
Year, and in 2006, Advertising Age named Rodale as Magazine Publishing Company
of the Year. That same year, Mr. Murphy spearheaded a move to diversify beyond
traditional magazine print advertising, resulting in the company`s extraordinary
success online, and in particular e-commerce and books.

Maria Rodale has worked at the company in various capacities since 1987,
including as its director of strategy where she introduced the company`s current
successful brand-centric strategy. She is Editor-in-Chief of the company`s
newest online venture, Rodale.com, which features the latest daily news about
healthy living on a healthy planet, as well as her blog "Maria`s Farm Country
Kitchen," which also appears on Huffington Post. She was first named to the
board in 1991 and became its chairman in 2007, succeeding her mother Ardath, who
today is the company's chief inspiration officer. Maria`s father, Robert Rodale,
was chairman of the company from 1971 until his death in 1990. Her grandfather
J.I. Rodale founded the company in 1930. Maria is the author of three books and
has won numerous awards, including in 2004 the National Audubon Society`s
"Rachel Carson Award" and in 2007 the United Nations Population Fund's "Award
for the Health and Dignity of Women." In 2009 she was named to Pennsylvania`s
"Best 50 Women in Business" List. She is a member of the board of Bette Midler's
New York Restoration Project, Vice-Chair of the board of the Rodale Institute,
and has recently joined the board of the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

"The family and I will miss Steve and all that he has meant to Rodale," said
Maria Rodale. "We have a unique set of resources, a great portfolio and a
wonderful team. I know we will continue to succeed and bring Rodale's
increasingly important mission and unique message to millions more people around
the world."

About Rodale Inc.

Rodale is a global media company with a heritage, mission, and authority
dedicated to the health and wellness of the individual, community, and planet.
Through a broad portfolio of leading media properties, Rodale reaches more than
70 million people around the world through multiple distribution channels,
including magazines, books, online, e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, and video.
The company publishes some of the best-known health and wellness lifestyle
magazines, including Men's Health, Prevention, Women's Health, Runner's World,
Bicycling, Running Times, and Organic Gardening, and is the largest independent
book publisher in the United States, with a collection of bestselling titles,
including Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, Flat Belly Diet, and Eat This, Not
That! Rodale is also a leader in direct-response marketing and has more than 25
million active customers in its database. www.rodaleinc.com

Rodale Inc.
Robin Shallow, 212-573-0474
Robin.Shallow@Rodale.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009