Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes [X]     No [  ]

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.     [X]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934).     Yes [X]     No [  ]

The registrant estimates that the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant at December 31, 2003, was $1,831,000,000 based upon the closing price on the New York Stock Exchange at that date.

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The Company was founded by Edwin Thomas Meredith in 1902 as an agricultural publisher and incorporated in Iowa in 1905. Meredith Corporation became public in 1946 and entered the television broadcasting business in 1948. It has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1965 and currently has approximately 50 million shares of common and class B stock outstanding. The Company had 2,696 employees (including 125 part-time employees) at June 30, 2004.

Meredith's annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports are available free of charge on the Company's website at www.meredith.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Also, copies of the Company's annual report, including Form 10-K, will be made available, free of charge, upon written request.

The Company has two business segments: publishing and broadcasting. Financial information about industry segments can be found in Item 7-Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and in Item 8-Financial Statements and Supplementary Data under Note 18. These segments had no material expenses for research and development during the past three fiscal years.

The publishing segment is focused on the home and family market. It consists of 17 magazine brands, including Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies' Home Journal, and American Baby, as well as approximately 160 special interest publications; book publishing with more than 300 books in print; integrated marketing relationships with some of America's leading companies; a large consumer database; an extensive Internet presence, including 24 web sites and strategic alliances with leading Internet destinations; brand licensing relationships; and other related operations.

The broadcasting segment includes the operations of 12 network-affiliated television stations located across the continental United States and one AM radio station. The television stations consist of six CBS affiliates, four FOX affiliates, one NBC affiliate, and one UPN affiliate.

The Company's largest revenue source is magazine and television advertising. Television advertising is to some extent seasonal, traditionally generating higher revenues in the second and fourth fiscal quarters and during key political contests, major sporting events, etc.

Name recognition and the public image of the Company's trademarks (e.g., Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies' Home Journal) and television station call letters are vital to the success of ongoing operations and to the introduction of new business. The Company protects its brands by aggressively defending its trademarks and call letters.

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Compliance with federal, state, and local provisions relating to the discharge of materials into the environment and to the protection of the environment has no material effect on capital expenditures, earnings, or the competitive position of the Company.

Publishing represented 75 percent of the Company's consolidated revenues in fiscal 2004.

Information for major subscription titles among the Company's 17 magazine brands follows:

Better Homes and Gardens magazine, the Company's flagship, accounts for a significant percentage of revenues and operating profit of the publishing segment and the Company. Meredith's other magazine brands not listed in the preceding table are Successful Farming; WOOD; Country Gardens; Renovation Style; Creative Home; Decorating; Do It Yourself; Garden, Deck & Landscape; American Patchwork & Quilting; and Scrapbooks etc. The Company also publishes three special interest titles under the American Baby brand aimed at the growing Hispanic market. These titles are Espera, Primeros 12 Meses, and Healthy Kids En Español.

The Company publishes a group of Special Interest Publications, primarily under the Better Homes and Gardens and Creative Collection banners, that are issued from one to six times a year and primarily sold on newsstands. Titles published quarterly or every other month include the aforementioned Country Gardens; Renovation Style; Creative Home; Decorating; Do It Yourself; Garden, Deck & Landscape; American Patchwork & Quilting; and Scrapbooks etc. as well as Beautiful Homes, Bedroom & Bath, Garden Shed, Home Planning Ideas, Kitchen and Bath Ideas, 100 Ideas series, Paint Decor, Quick & Easy Decorating, Remodeling Ideas, and Window & Wall Ideas. Approximately 160 issues were published in fiscal 2004.

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Meredith Interactive Media has extended many of the Company's magazine brands to the Internet. The flagship home and family site-bhg.com-is a leader in providing unique content and applications in its core content areas of decorating, food, home improvement, and remodeling. The Company has established multi-year alliance agreements with two of the leading Internet providers, driving additional traffic to the Company's sites. These web sites are additional sources of advertising and other revenues; more importantly, they hold the potential for significant cost reductions through online magazine subscription orders.

Advertising revenues are generated primarily from sales to clients engaged in consumer marketing. Many of Meredith's larger magazines offer different regional and demographic editions that contain the same basic editorial material but allow advertisers to concentrate on specific markets or specific audiences. The Company sells two primary types of magazine advertising: display and direct-response. Advertisements are either run-of-press (printed along with the editorial portions of the magazine) or inserts (preprinted forms). Most of the publishing segment's advertising revenues are derived from run-of-press display advertising. Meredith Corporate Solutions brings together all of the Company's resources to create multi-platform marketing programs that meet each client's unique advertising and promotional requirements.

Subscriptions obtained through direct-mail solicitation, agencies, insert cards, the Internet, and other means are Meredith's largest source of circulation revenues. All of the Company's subscription magazines except Successful Farming and American Baby are also sold by single copy as well. Single-copy sales are distributed through magazine wholesalers, who have the right to receive credit from the Company for magazines that retailers return to them.

Other revenues are derived from book sales, integrated marketing, other custom publishing projects, ancillary products and services, and brand licensing agreements.

The Company publishes and markets more than 300 consumer home and family service books. They are published under the Better Homes and Gardens trademark and under licensed trademarks such as The Home Depot® books, Trading Spaces® books, and Ortho® books. Meredith also published books based on properties of the HGTV Home and Garden Television®, Food Network®, and Discovery Channel® cable networks and Marvel Characters, Inc. in fiscal 2004. The Company's books are sold through retail book and specialty stores, mass merchandisers, and other channels. During fiscal 2004, 105 new or revised titles were published.

Meredith Integrated Marketing, which offers integrated promotional strategies that combine all of the Company's custom capabilities, and Meredith's consumer database, which can make more than 75 million names available to magazine and television advertisers, are important because they provide revenue sources that are independent of advertising and circulation. Fiscal 2004 clients included DIRECTV, DaimlerChrysler, Carnival Cruise Lines, Iams, Hunter Douglas, and Nestle.

The major raw materials essential to the publishing segment are coated publication and book-grade papers. Meredith supplies all of the paper for its magazine production and most of the paper for its book production. Average paper prices increased approximately 2 percent in fiscal 2004 from fiscal 2003. The price of paper is driven by overall market conditions and is therefore difficult to predict, but management anticipates paper prices will rise as demand grows over the next year. The Company has contractual agreements with major paper manufacturers to ensure adequate supplies for planned publishing requirements.

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Meredith has printing contracts with several major printers for all of its magazine titles. The Company's published books are manufactured by outside printers under contracts that are generally on a title-by-title basis.

Because of the large volume of magazine and subscription promotion mailings, postage is a significant expense to the publishing segment. The Company continually seeks the most economical and effective methods for mail delivery, including cost-saving measures such as pre-sorting and drop-shipping to central postal centers. The United States Postal Service last raised rates in June 2002, resulting in a cost increase of nearly 10 percent. The Postmaster General has stated that no further rate increases will be requested until at least 2006. Meredith continues to work with others in the industry and through trade organizations to encourage the Postal Service to implement efficiencies and contain rate increases. The Company cannot, however, predict future changes in the Postal Service and postal rates or the impact they will have on its publishing business.

Paper, printing, and postage costs accounted for approximately 42 percent of the publishing segment's fiscal 2004 operating expenses.

Fulfillment services for Meredith's publishing segment are provided by a third party. National magazine newsstand distribution services are provided by another third party through a multi-year agreement.

Publishing is a highly competitive business. The Company's magazines, books, and related publishing products and services compete with other mass media, including the Internet, and many other types of leisure-time activities. Competition for readers is based principally on price, editorial content, marketing skills, and customer service. Competition for advertising dollars is based primarily on advertising rates, circulation levels, reader demographics, advertiser results, and sales team effectiveness.

Gaining market share for newer magazines and specialty publications is extremely competitive. Competition is also intense for established titles. Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies' Home Journal, for example, must compete for readers and advertisers with other women's service magazines such as Family Circle®, Good Housekeeping®, Redbook®, and Woman's Day®, which are published by other companies. According to the Publisher's Information Bureau, the combined fiscal 2004 advertising revenue market share of Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies' Home Journal magazines totaled approximately 44 percent of the women's service magazine market.

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Broadcasting represented 25 percent of Meredith's consolidated revenues in fiscal 2004. Pertinent information about the Company's television stations owned at June 30, 2004 follows:

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In January 2004, Meredith acquired WSHM-LP, a low-power television station serving Springfield-Holyoke, MA, and signed a long-term affiliation agreement with CBS for the station.

In May 2004, Meredith acquired an AM radio station serving the mid-Michigan market, including Saginaw and Bay City. The station, WNEM-AM, primarily offers local news programming and utilizes the on-air talent and other news resources of WNEM-TV, the Company's CBS affiliate in the same market.

In June 2004, Meredith announced that it had agreed to purchase WFLI-TV, the WB television affiliate in Chattanooga, TN. Chattanooga is the 86^th ranked market in the United States. The transaction closed in August 2004.

Advertising is the principal source of revenues for the broadcasting segment. The stations sell commercial time to both local/regional and national advertisers. Rates for spot advertising are influenced primarily by the market size, number of in-market broadcasters, audience share, and audience demographics. The larger a station's share in any particular daypart, the more leverage a station has in setting advertising rates. As the market fluctuates with supply and demand, so do a station's rates. Most national advertising is sold by independent representative firms. The sales staff at each station generates local/regional advertising revenues.

Typically 30 to 40 percent of a market's television advertising revenues is generated by local news. The Company's stations have increased the number of hours of local news programming over the last several years and are continually working to improve their news operations and ratings.

The national network affiliations of Meredith's 12 television stations influence advertising rates. Generally a network affiliation agreement provides a station the exclusive right to broadcast network programming in its local service area. In return, the network has the right to sell most of the commercial advertising aired during network programs. In some instances, the network compensates the local stations in accordance with the television station's network affiliation agreement. Conversely, affiliated stations make payments to the network for certain specified programming such as professional football. As a standard practice, the FOX and UPN networks make no cash payments to affiliates. The Company's FOX affiliates, however, pay the FOX network for additional advertising spots in prime-time programming. Network compensation has declined gradually at most stations over the past several years. This industry trend is expected to result in the eventual elimination of network compensation. Revenues from n etwork affiliation agreements are not material to Meredith.

The Company's six CBS affiliates have agreements that expire from November 2004 to November 2010. Meredith's affiliation agreements for all FOX-affiliated stations expire in June 2007. The Company's Nashville station has an affiliation agreement with NBC that expires in December 2013 and the Portland UPN affiliation agreement expires in September 2004. Meredith is currently negotiating the renewal of the Atlanta station's CBS affiliation agreement, which expires in November 2004, and the Portland UPN affiliation agreement. Management expects these agreements to be renewed. While Meredith's relations with the networks historically have been good, the Company can make no assurances these relationships will continue in the same manner over time.

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Meredith's television and radio stations compete directly for advertising dollars and programming in each of their markets with other television and radio stations and cable television providers. Other mass media providers such as newspapers, web sites, and direct broadcast satellite are also competitors. Advertisers compare market share, audience demographics, and advertising rates and take into account audience acceptance of a station's programming, whether local, network, or syndicated.

Television and radio broadcasting operations and ownership are subject to regulation by the FCC under the Communications Act of 1934 as amended (Communications Act). Among other things, the FCC allots channels for television and radio broadcasting; determines the particular frequencies, locations and operating power of television and radio stations; issues, renews and modifies station licenses; determines whether to approve changes in ownership or control of station licenses; regulates equipment used by stations; adopts and implements regulations and policies that directly or indirectly affect the ownership, operation, program content, employment practices and business of stations; and has the power to impose penalties, including license revocations, for violations of its rules or the Communications Act.

Television broadcast licenses are granted for eight-year periods. The Communications Act directs the FCC to renew a broadcast license if the station has served the public interest and is in substantial compliance with the provisions of the Communications Act and FCC regulations. Management believes the Company is in substantial compliance with all applicable provisions of the Communications Act and FCC regulations and knows of no reason why Meredith's broadcast station licenses will not be renewed.

The Communications Act and the FCC regulate the ownership of television and radio stations. In 2003, Congress enacted a national television ownership cap that limits one entity to ownership of an unlimited number of television stations, provided that these stations do not reach more than 39 percent of U.S. television households. As of June 30, 2004, the Company's television household coverage was less than eight percent (per the FCC calculation method).

In June 2003, the FCC adopted several significant changes to local ownership restrictions. These changes largely eased restrictions on the combination of television stations, radio stations, and newspapers that a single entity can own in a local market. In September 2003, a federal appeals court issued an order staying the effective date of these new media ownership regulations. In June 2004, the same court issued a decision remanding certain aspects of the FCC's June 2003 media ownership decision to the FCC for further proceedings and continuing to stay the effective date of the new regulations. Congress is also considering legislation that would modify or repeal some or all of the new FCC media ownership regulations. The Company cannot predict when or how these matters eventually will be resolved.

The Communications Act and the FCC also regulate relationships between television broadcasters and cable and satellite television providers. Under these provisions, most cable systems must devote a specified portion of their channel capacity to the carriage of the signals of local television stations that elect to exercise this right to mandatory carriage. Alternatively, television stations may elect to restrict cable systems from carrying their signals without their written permission, referred to as "retransmission consent." Congress and the FCC have established and implemented generally similar market-specific requirements for mandatory carriage of local television stations by satellite television providers when those providers choose to provide a market's local television signals.

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The FCC is implementing the transition to digital television (DTV) broadcast service and digital radio broadcast service. DTV technology permits television stations to transmit video images with a higher resolution than that of existing analog signals, and it also permits broadcasters to transmit multiple video program streams and ancillary data services. All of the Company's television stations with the exception of KFXO and WSHM, which are low-power stations and therefore not subject to these requirements, are currently transmitting DTV signals on their assigned second channels. The Company's radio station, WNKX, does not transmit a digital radio signal at this time.

At the end of the DTV transition period, television stations will be required to transmit exclusively in the DTV format. The Communications Act directs the FCC to complete the transition to DTV on a market-by-market basis by the end of 2006 or when 85 percent of viewers can receive a DTV signal, whichever is later. The FCC has not yet issued final regulations governing certain aspects of DTV operation, including how cable and satellite television providers should carry DTV signals and whether and to what extent DTV stations should be subject to additional public interest obligations. In addition, Congress and the FCC are considering altering certain existing transition rules, including the deadline for completion of the DTV transition.

The information given in this section is not intended to be inclusive of all regulatory provisions currently in effect. Statutory provisions and FCC regulations are subject to change, and any such changes could affect future operations and profitability of the Company's broadcasting segment. Management cannot predict what regulations or legislation may be adopted, nor can management estimate the effect any such changes would have on the Company's television and radio broadcasting operations.

Below is a listing of the executive officers of the Company. Executive officers are elected to one-year terms of office each November and may be re-elected.

William T. Kerr
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (1998-present) and a director of the Company since 1994. Formerly: President and Chief Executive Officer (1997-1998); President and Chief Operating Officer (1994-1997); President-Magazine Group and Executive Vice President (1991-1994). Age 63.

Stephen M. Lacy
President and Chief Operating Officer (effective July 2004) and a director of the Company since 2004. Formerly: President-Publishing Group (2000-2004); President-Interactive and Integrated Marketing Group (2000); Vice President-Chief Financial Officer (1998-2000). Age 50.

John H. (Jack) Griffin, Jr.
President-Publishing Group (effective July 2004). Formerly: President-Magazine Group (2003-2004). Prior to joining Meredith, Mr. Griffin had been President of Parade Publications, Inc. and Publisher of Parade magazine since 1999. Mr. Griffin spent five years with Meredith prior to joining Parade Publications. He served in a number of sales and marketing roles, including General Manager of Meredith Integrated Marketing and Meredith Custom Publishing, and Vice President of Marketing for the Meredith Broadcasting Group. Age 44.

Kevin P. O'Brien
President-Broadcasting Group (2001-present). Prior to joining Meredith, Mr. O'Brien had worked for Cox Broadcasting for 15 years, most recently serving as executive vice president of the Cox Television Independent Group. In this capacity he supervised five Cox stations around the United States and also served as vice president and general manager of Cox's FOX affiliate in San Francisco. Age 61.

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Suku V. Radia
Vice President-Chief Financial Officer (2000-present). Prior to joining Meredith, Mr. Radia had served as managing partner of the Des Moines, Iowa office of KPMG LLP, a global professional services firm, since 1993. Age 53.

John S. Zieser
Vice President-Corporate Development/General Counsel and Secretary (effective May 2004). Formerly: Vice President-Corporate and Employee Services/General Counsel and Secretary (2002-2004); Vice President-General Counsel and Secretary (1999-2002). Prior to joining Meredith, Mr. Zieser had been group president of First Data Merchant Services Corporation, a division of First Data Corporation (FDC), a leading provider of transaction processing and information services. Mr. Zieser joined FDC in 1993 as legal counsel and was subsequently promoted to associate general counsel prior to his appointment to other senior management positions. Age 45.

Meredith is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The Company owns buildings at 1716 and 1615 Locust Street and 1912 Grand Avenue and is the sole occupant of these buildings. These facilities are adequate for their intended use.

The publishing segment operates mainly from the Des Moines offices and from leased facilities at 125 Park Avenue in New York City. The New York facility is used primarily as an advertising sales office for all Meredith magazines and as headquarters for Ladies' Home Journal and MORE magazines and the American Baby Group properties. The publishing segment also maintains offices, which are leased, in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and several other cities. These offices are adequate for their intended use.

The broadcasting segment operates from offices in the following locations: Atlanta, GA; Phoenix, AZ; Portland, OR; Hartford, CT; Nashville, TN; Fairway, KS; Greenville, SC; Asheville, NC; Henderson, NV; Flint, MI; Saginaw, MI; and Bend, OR. All of these properties are adequate for their intended use. The properties in Asheville, Flint and Bend are leased while the other properties are owned by the Company. Each of the broadcast stations also maintains an owned or leased transmitter site.

There are various legal proceedings pending against the Company arising from the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, liabilities, if any, arising from existing litigation and claims will not have a material effect on the Company's earnings, financial position or liquidity.

No matters have been submitted to a vote of shareholders since the Company's last annual meeting held on November 10, 2003.

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The principal market for trading Meredith's common stock is the New York Stock Exchange (trading symbol MDP). There is no separate public trading market for Meredith's class B stock, which is convertible share-for-share at any time into common stock. Holders of both classes of stock receive equal dividends per share.

The range of trading prices for the Company's common stock and the dividends paid during each quarter of the past two fiscal years are presented below.

Stock of Meredith became publicly traded in 1946, and quarterly dividends have been paid continuously since 1947. Meredith has increased its dividend in each of the last 11 years. It is anticipated that comparable dividends will continue to be paid in the future.

On July 31, 2004, there were approximately 1,600 holders of record of the Company's common stock and 900 holders of record of class B stock.

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The following table sets forth information with respect to the Company's repurchases of common and class B stock during the quarter ended June 30, 2004.

In January 2001, Meredith announced the Board of Directors had authorized the repurchase of up to 2 million additional shares of the Company's stock through public and private transactions.

In February 2004, Meredith announced the Board of Directors had authorized the repurchase of up to 2 million additional shares of the Company's stock through public and private transactions.

For more information on the Company's share repurchase program, see Item 7-Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, under the heading "Share repurchase program" on page 32.

Selected financial data for the years 2000 through 2004 is contained under the heading "Eleven-Year Financial History with Selected Financial Data" on pages 76-79 and is derived from financial statements for those years which were audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. The information contained in the "Selected Financial Data" is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for future years, and should be read in conjunction with Item 7-Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and Item 8-Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Form 10-K.

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Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) consists of the following sections:

The MD&A should be read in conjunction with the other sections of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including Item 1-Business, Item 6-Selected Financial Data, and Item 8-Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. The MD&A contains a number of forward-looking statements, all of which are based on our current expectations and could be affected by the uncertainties and risk factors described throughout this filing and particularly in the Outlook and Risk Factors section of the MD&A.

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Meredith operates in two business segments. Publishing consists of magazine and book publishing, integrated marketing, interactive media, database-related activities, brand licensing and other related operations. Broadcasting consists of 12 network-affiliated television stations and one radio station. Both segments operate primarily in the United States and compete against similar media and other types of media on both a local and national basis. Publishing accounted for 75 percent of the Company's $1.16 billion in revenues in fiscal 2004 while broadcasting revenues totaled 25 percent.

Meredith is committed to building value for its shareholders. We have three primary strategies. The first is to expand our powerful publishing base by broadening our magazine portfolio, extending and developing our brands, capturing the potential in the Hispanic market and expanding our book and custom publishing businesses. The second strategy is to continue to strengthen the broadcasting business by improving ratings and share especially for newscasts, aggressively selling the improved ratings, creating additional revenue sources, and managing costs. The third strategy is to maintain our excellent financial position which allows us to pursue targeted acquisitions and to invest in our businesses. In publishing we are primarily focused on acquiring properties aimed at women between the ages of 30 and 40. Topics of interest to this age group include fitness, health, and parenting. In broadcasting we are targeting the creation of duopolies (the ownership of two stations in a single market) or regional clust ers that allow us to generate cost efficiencies by operating multiple stations from one location. We also seek to improve our network diversity and expand our audience reach while maintaining our geographic diversity.

PUBLISHING
Advertising revenues made up 48 percent of fiscal 2004 publishing revenues. These revenues are generated from the sale of advertising space in the Company's magazines and on web sites to clients interested in promoting their brands, products and services to consumers. Changes in advertising revenues tend to correlate with changes in the level of economic activity in the United States. Indicators of economic activity include changes in the level of gross domestic product, consumer spending, housing starts, unemployment rates, auto sales, and interest rates. Circulation levels of Meredith's magazines, reader demographic data, and the advertising rates charged relative to other available advertising opportunities also affect the level of advertising revenues.

Circulation revenues accounted for 28 percent of fiscal 2004 publishing revenues. Circulation revenues result from the sale of magazines to consumers through subscriptions and by single copy sales on newsstands, primarily at major retailers and grocery/drug stores. In the short term, subscription revenues, which accounted for nearly 70 percent of circulation revenues, are less susceptible to economic changes because subscriptions are generally sold for terms of one to three years. However, the same economic factors that affect advertising revenues can influence consumers' response to subscription offers and result in lower revenues and/or higher costs to maintain subscriber levels over time. A key factor in Meredith's subscription success is our industry-leading database. It contains approximately 75 million names, including about three-quarters of American homeowners, with an average of 300 data points on each name. This size and depth is a key to our circulation model and allows more precise consumer ta rgeting. Newsstand revenues are more volatile than subscription revenues and can vary significantly month to month depending on economic and other factors.

The remaining 24 percent of publishing revenues came from a variety of activities that included the sale of books and custom publishing services as well as brand licensing, product sales and other related activities. These revenues generally are affected by the same economic factors that affect advertising revenues.

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Publishing's major expense categories include production and delivery of publications and promotional mailings and employee compensation costs. Paper, postage, and production charges represented approximately 42 percent of the segment's operating expenses in fiscal 2004. Paper is a commodity, and pricing can vary significantly year to year. Prices fluctuate based on the worldwide demand and supply for paper in general and for specific types of paper used by Meredith. Postal rates are dependent on the financial condition of the United States Postal Service. Postal rates were last increased in June 2002, and no further rate increases are expected until 2006. Meredith works with others in the industry and through trade organizations to encourage the Postal Service to implement efficiencies and contain rate increases. Our publications are outsourced to printers, and rates can fluctuate with changes in the demand and supply for printing services in the United States. We typically have multi-year contracts for the production of our magazines, a practice which reduces price fluctuations over the contract term.

Employee compensation, which includes benefits expense, represented almost 20 percent of fiscal 2004 publishing operating expenses. Compensation expense is affected by salary and incentive levels, the number of employees, the costs of our various employee benefit plans, and other factors. The remaining 38 percent of fiscal 2004 publishing expenses included costs for magazine newsstand and book distribution, advertising and promotional efforts, and general overhead costs for facilities and technology services.

BROADCASTING
Broadcasting derives almost all of its revenues-98 percent in fiscal 2004-from the sale of advertising. The remainder comes from television rebroadcast rights fees, network compensation, television production services, and other services.

The stations sell both local/regional and national advertising. Political advertising associated with biennial election campaigns can result in cyclical increases (in odd-numbered fiscal years) and decreases (in even-numbered fiscal years) in advertising revenues. Meredith has also developed the Cornerstone program, which leverages our publishing brands. The program packages material from our national magazines with local advertising to create customized mini-magazines delivered to targeted customers. We have generated additional revenues from Internet activities and programs focused on local interests such as Community events and college and professional sports. Changes in advertising revenues tend to correlate with changes in the level of economic activity in the United States and in the local markets in which we operate stations; they also are linked to cyclical changes discussed previously. Indicators of economic activity include changes in the level of gross domestic product, consumer spending, unemp loyment rates, auto sales, and interest rates. Programming content, audience share, audience demographics, and the advertising rates charged relative to other available advertising opportunities also affect advertising revenues. On occasion, unusual events necessitate uninterrupted television coverage and will adversely affect spot advertising revenues.

Broadcasting's major expense categories are employee compensation and programming costs. Employee compensation represented approximately 49 percent of fiscal 2004 broadcasting operating expenses and is affected by the same factors as noted for publishing. Programming expense represented approximately 14 percent of this segment's fiscal 2004 expenses. Programming expense is affected by the costs of programs available for purchase and the selection of programs aired by our television stations. Sales and promotional activities and general overhead costs for facilities and technical resources accounted for the majority of the remaining 37 percent of operating expenses.

• In terms of advertising growth, both publishing and broadcasting outperformed their peers in fiscal 2004. According to the Publisher's Information Bureau (PIB), Meredith's magazine advertising pages increased 9 percent in fiscal 2004 while the industry was down 1 percent. Meredith increased broadcasting advertising revenue 6 percent while the industry grew 2 percent, according to the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB).

• Both segments increased revenues and operating profits and improved their operating profit margins in fiscal 2004.

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• Diluted earnings per share increased 24% to $2.14 from prior year earnings of $1.73 before the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle. The increase reflected the improved performance of both operating groups as well as lower interest expense.

• We generated $171 million in operating cash flows in fiscal 2004. Our priorities for the use of available cash include investments in the businesses, debt reduction, dividend payments, and share repurchases. In fiscal 2004, long-term debt was reduced by $75 million to $300 million. The quarterly dividend was increased 26 percent from 9.5 cents per share to 12 cents per share effective with the March 2004 payment. In addition, we spent $37.4 million to repurchase shares of our common stock and $24.5 million on capital investments.

• We acquired a low-power television station serving Springfield-Holyoke, MA and signed a long-term affiliation agreement with CBS for the station. The station is operated by WFSB-TV, our CBS affiliate serving Hartford, CT. We also acquired an AM radio station serving the mid-Michigan market, including Saginaw and Bay City. The station's programming has been changed to a local news radio format utilizing the on-air talent and other news resources of WNEM-TV, our CBS affiliate serving the same market. We also announced plans to purchase WFLI-TV, the WB television affiliate serving Chattanooga, TN. This transaction closed in August 2004. While our initial investments in these acquisitions are not material, they demonstrate our ability to seek new, cost-effective ways to expand and grow revenues and operating profit.

OVERVIEW
Following are descriptions of significant acquisitions and dispositions as well as accounting changes that have affected the comparability of Meredith's results of operations over the last three fiscal years. Also included is a discussion of our rationale for the use of financial measures that are not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or non-GAAP financial measures, and a discussion of the trends and uncertainties that affect our businesses. Following the Overview is an analysis of the results of operations for the publishing and broadcasting segments and an analysis of the consolidated results of operations for the last three fiscal years.

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Acquisitions, Exchanges and Dispositions
In December 2002, Meredith purchased American Baby magazine and related assets (American Baby Group) from Primedia Inc. for $117.9 million. In June 2002, Meredith exchanged its Orlando and Ocala, FL television stations for KPTV in Portland, OR. The transaction created a Meredith duopoly in Portland where we already owned KPDX-TV. A duopoly (defined as the ownership of two stations in a single market) provides opportunities to combine operations and lower overall costs. The operations of the acquired properties have been included in our consolidated operating results since their respective acquisition dates. See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements for further information.

Upon the adoption of SFAS No. 142, we, like most broadcasters, determined that our broadcasting network affiliation agreement intangible assets had indefinite lives and ceased recording amortization expense on these assets. The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently determined that network affiliation agreements are definite lived assets and should be amortized over the period of time the agreements are expected to remain in place, assuming renewals without material modifications to the original terms and conditions. After discussion with the SEC, we have changed our accounting policy and will amortize these assets effective with the adoption of SFAS No. 142 generally using lives of 25 to 40 years from their original acquisition dates. This change in accounting policy has resulted in the restatement of results for fiscal 2003 (and each of the quarters of fiscal 2003) and the first three quarters of fiscal 2004 in this annual report on Form 10-K. If future renewals result in mod ifications to the original terms and conditions of these agreements, the lives will be reassessed. In addition, the final resolution of Issue No. 03-09, which relates to the determination of the useful life and amortization of an intangible asset, by the Emerging Issues Task Force may also result in the reassessment of the lives of the network affiliation agreements.

The elimination of amortization expense related to indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill as a result of SFAS No. 142 materially affected the comparisons of fiscal 2004 and 2003 results with the reported results for fiscal 2002. SFAS No. 142 does not permit the restatement of prior years' results. Because this reduction in amortization expense resulted from a change in accounting principle and did not reflect a change in the underlying performance of the business, we believe it is useful to present adjusted financial information as if the amortization provisions of SFAS No. 142 had been effective in all periods presented. The adjusted data do not reflect the after-tax impairment loss of $85.7 million that was recognized by the Company upon the adoption of SFAS No. 142 and do not take into account impairment charges that may have been recorded had the Company adopted this statement at an earlier date. If the statement had been adopted at th e beginning of fiscal 2002 earnings and earnings per share would have been as follows:

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Use of Non-GAAP financial measures
The adjusted earnings and earnings per share figures shown above are non-GAAP financial measures.

In the following discussions, results excluding the effect of this accounting change are disclosed as adjusted segment operating costs, adjusted segment operating profit, adjusted consolidated operating costs and expenses, and adjusted income from operations. These, too, are non-GAAP measures.

The following analysis of broadcasting segment results includes references to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). EBITDA and EBITDA margin are non-GAAP measures. We use EBITDA along with operating profit and other GAAP measures to evaluate the financial performance of our broadcasting segment. EBITDA is a common alternative measure of performance in the broadcasting industry and is used by investors and financial analysts, but its calculation may vary among companies. Broadcasting segment EBITDA is not used as a measure of liquidity, nor is it necessarily indicative of funds available for our discretionary use.

We believe the non-GAAP measures used in the MD&A contribute to an understanding of our financial performance. These measures should not, however, be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. We use and present non-GAAP financial measures along with GAAP results to evaluate and communicate the performance of the Company and its segments. We believe the non-GAAP financial measures provide an additional analytic tool to understand our results from core operations and to reveal underlying trends.

Trends and Uncertainties
Advertising volume is the Company's key uncertainty, and its fluctuation can have a material effect on operating results. Advertising revenues accounted for approximately 60 percent of total revenues in fiscal 2004. Other significant uncertainties that can affect operating results include fluctuations in the cost of paper, postage rates and, over time, television programming rights. The Company's cash flow from operating activities, its primary source of liquidity, is adversely affected when the advertising market is weak or when costs rise. One of our priorities is to manage our businesses prudently during expanding and contracting economic cycles to maximize shareholder return over time. To manage the uncertainties inherent in our businesses, we prepare monthly forecasts of anticipated results of operations and monitor the economic indicators mentioned in the Executive Overview. See the Outlook and Risk Factors section of the MD&A for further discussion.

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The publishing segment achieved record revenues and operating profit in fiscal 2004. Revenues grew 8 percent and operating profit increased 16 percent as a result of a full year's ownership of the American Baby Group, higher advertising revenues, improved circulation contribution, and higher revenues and improved operating results from integrated marketing and interactive media operations. Publishing operating results for the last three fiscal years were as follows:

In the following discussion, references to comparable results in both fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2003 exclude the impact of the American Baby Group acquisition that occurred in December 2002.

Publishing Revenues
The 8 percent increase in publishing revenues in fiscal 2004 followed a 10 percent increase in fiscal 2003. The table below presents the components of revenues for the last three fiscal years.

Advertising Revenues
The next table presents advertising page information according to PIB for our major subscription-based magazines for the last three fiscal years:

Publishing advertising revenues increased 10 percent in fiscal 2004. Comparable (excluding American Baby Group) advertising revenues increased in the mid-single digits on a percentage basis. Comparable advertising revenue growth was stronger in the first half of the fiscal year than in the second half. Second half comparisons reflected both stronger comparative revenues in the prior year and some slowing in the advertising demand in the current calendar year. Online advertising revenues increased more than 40 percent in fiscal 2004 due to full-year ownership of American Baby Group and increased market demand.

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Comparable advertising pages increased 6 percent in fiscal 2004 while average net revenues per page were down slightly. The decline in average net revenues per page reflected slowing advertising demand and our efforts to maintain or improve market share. According to PIB, we increased our share of overall magazine industry advertising revenues to 6.7 percent in the twelve months ended with the June issues compared with 6.3 percent in the prior year. Combined advertising pages for our two largest circulation titles, Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies' Home Journal, increased nearly 3 percent in fiscal 2004. Ladies' Home Journal faced difficult comparisons due to strong prior-year advertising page sales related to the release of a new editorial and design package in the third quarter. Advertising pages for our mid-size titles, Country Home, Traditional Home, Midwest Living, and MORE, increased 14 percent in fiscal 2004.

Advertising categories showing strength in fiscal 2004 included the home and building category as well as the food and beverage, retail and technology categories. Advertising was weaker in the pharmaceutical and direct response categories, especially at Ladies' Home Journal.

In fiscal 2003, publishing advertising revenues increased 18 percent. On a comparable basis, advertising revenues increased 11 percent as the advertising market slowly improved from the recession that followed September 11, 2001. Total comparable advertising pages increased 14 percent, and all of our major magazines reported higher revenues. During the recession, we acted to build market share through three measures: initiatives designed to capture a greater share of advertisers' budgets, specific market share incentives for sellers, and a trade industry promotional program. These measures contributed to our recovery in fiscal 2003 and allowed our growth to outpace the industry's.

In fiscal 2003, magazine circulation revenues declined 1 percent. The decline reflected lower average subscription revenues per copy for several titles due to an increase in the term of direct mail offers. The decline in subscription revenues was partially offset by higher newsstand revenues. The increase occurred in spite of industrywide weakness in the second half of the fiscal year. The industry downturn coincided with the start of the U.S.-Iraq conflict.

Other Revenues
Other publishing revenues increased 22 percent in fiscal 2004 (20 percent on a comparable basis), primarily reflecting strong new business growth in integrated marketing, our custom publishing operation. One of our larger new contracts is for publication of the monthly programming guide for DIRECTV® satellite television. Book sales also were up because of strong sales of books based on The Learning Channel® cable network's Trading Spaces® and the Discovery Channel® cable network's Monster Garage® television series and home improvement titles for The Home Depot®. The creation of license-branded books was a significant factor in the growth of our book business although we have experienced higher return rates of the licensed product compared to our internally-developed brands. Released in fiscal 2003, the 12^th edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book continued its strong performance in the fiscal year just ended.

In fiscal 2003, other publishing revenues increased 14 percent (7 percent on a comparable basis). The growth in comparable revenues was primarily the result of an increase in the volume of book sales. Book revenues increased 27 percent, led by the fall 2002 release of the 12th edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book and the spring 2003 release of a book based on The Learning Channel® cable network's popular Trading Spaces® decorating show. Integrated marketing's fiscal 2003 new business was insufficient to offset programs reduced or eliminated by existing clients. Integrated marketing new business sales improved significantly in fiscal 2003, but, due to long lead times, revenues from most new programs did not commence until fiscal 2004.

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Fiscal 2004 publishing costs increased 6 percent from fiscal 2003. Comparable (excluding American Baby Group) costs were up 5 percent. The higher comparable costs reflected volume-related increases in integrated marketing production and book costs as well as a 2 percent increase in average paper prices. In total, costs for production and delivery of publications and promotional mailings rose 7 percent. Higher employee compensation costs were another contributing factor. Comparable employee compensation costs increased in the mid-single digits on a percentage basis, reflecting higher staff levels primarily to support the growth in integrated marketing business and higher salary levels due to annual merit increases. Partially offsetting these increases were lower magazine subscription acquisition costs resulting from a shift to more profitable direct-to-publisher sources.

In fiscal 2003, publishing costs increased 9 percent after adjusting for the impact of SFAS No. 142. Comparable costs increased 4 percent in fiscal 2003 reflecting higher sales volume in advertising pages and books, higher postal rates, and higher employee compensation costs. The increases were partially offset by lower integrated marketing production costs resulting from lower sales volume, lower paper prices, and lower magazine subscription acquisition costs.

Publishing operating profit increased 16 percent in fiscal 2004. The primary factors were higher advertising revenues, increased integrated marketing sales and operating profits, lower subscription acquisition costs, and a full year's ownership of the American Baby Group. These improvements were partially offset by increased employee compensation costs and higher paper prices.

In fiscal 2003, publishing operating profit increased 17 percent after adjustment for the impact of SFAS No. 142. Major contributors were higher advertising revenues, increased book sales and operating profits, and lower paper prices. These positives were partially offset by higher postal rates and increased employee compensation costs.

BROADCASTING
The following discussion reviews operating results for the Company's broadcasting segment, which consists of 12 network-affiliated television stations, one radio station, and the related interactive media operations. The broadcasting segment contributed 25 percent of Meredith's revenues and 31 percent of the income from publishing and broadcasting operations in fiscal 2004.

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Revenues grew 6 percent in fiscal 2004, leading to a 20 percent increase in operating profit. The revenue growth was achieved despite significantly lower political advertising due to the biennial nature of elections. Operating costs increased just 2 percent. Lower programming rights amortization expense nearly offset higher costs for sales and promotion efforts. Broadcasting operating results for the last three fiscal years were as follows:

Broadcasting revenues increased 6 percent in fiscal 2004, reflecting higher non-political advertising revenues. Political advertising declined 71 percent, or nearly $15 million. Non-political advertising revenues increased 13 percent in fiscal 2004. Most of our stations have improved their ratings, including ratings for local newscasts, over the last two years. Local newscasts typically account for 30 to 40 percent of a television station's advertising revenues. Our stations' sales staffs have worked aggressively to translate the improved ratings to higher revenues, and we believe their efforts were a significant factor in the revenue growth. All of our stations have recorded strong growth in advertising revenues from unique direct-to-consumer advertising and marketing programs, some of which use content from our well-known magazine titles.

In fiscal 2003, broadcasting revenues increased 7 percent due to strong political advertising revenues. Political advertising associated with the November 2002 election campaigns totaled $20.9 million compared with only $1.6 million in political advertising in fiscal 2002. Political advertising displaces a certain amount of non-political advertising, so political advertising revenues are not entirely incremental.

Another factor affecting the comparison of fiscal 2003 and fiscal 2002 revenues was the June 2002 exchange of our Orlando and Ocala, FL television stations for KPTV in Portland, OR. The exchange negatively affected revenues in fiscal 2003, but it did not have a material effect on operating profits because of cost savings associated with the duopoly in Portland. On a same-station basis, fiscal 2003 revenues increased 15 percent. Same-station comparisons include revenues of KPTV-Portland and exclude revenues of the two Florida stations in all periods. The strong same-station growth reflected cyclical political advertising revenues, an improving advertising market, and execution of strategies to improve performance-implementing management changes, revamping newscasts, and modifying sales practices. The television advertising market was weak in fiscal 2002, especially following September 11, 2001. Improvement began late in fiscal 2002 and continued into fiscal 2003.

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Broadcasting costs declined 2 percent in fiscal 2003 after adjustment for the impact of SFAS No. 142. The slight decline primarily reflected lower broadcasting program rights amortization net of higher employee compensation costs resulting from our station improvement efforts.

Broadcasting operating profit increased 20 percent in fiscal 2004 as revenues grew 6 percent and costs increased just 2 percent. Broadcasting operating profit grew 57 percent in fiscal 2003 after adjustment for the impact of SFAS No. 142. The improvement resulted from a 7 percent increase in revenues and a 2 percent decrease in costs.

Supplemental Disclosure of Broadcasting EBITDA
Meredith's broadcasting EBITDA is defined as broadcasting segment operating profit plus depreciation and amortization expense. EBITDA is not a GAAP financial measure and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial measures. See the discussion of management's rationale for the use of EBITDA in the Overview of this section. Broadcasting EBITDA and EBITDA margin were as follows:

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UNALLOCATED CORPORATE EXPENSES
Unallocated corporate expenses are general corporate overhead expenses not attributable to the operating groups. These expenses for the last three years were as follows:

Unallocated corporate expenses increased 12 percent in fiscal 2004, reflecting increased charitable contributions and higher employee compensation costs. The increase in employee compensation reflected higher performance-based incentives, annual salary merit adjustments and higher employee severance costs resulting from restructuring in certain areas.

Unallocated corporate expenses increased 33 percent in fiscal 2003 due to higher performance-based incentives, higher employee benefit expenses, and increased costs for professional services such as insurance and auditing.

Consolidated Operating Costs and Expenses
Consolidated operating costs and expenses for the last three fiscal years were as follows:

Production, distribution and editorial costs
Fiscal 2004 production, distribution and editorial costs increased 8 percent from fiscal 2003. Excluding the impact of the December 2002 American Baby Group acquisition, the increase was 7 percent. The increase in comparable costs primarily reflected a volume-related increase in production costs for integrated marketing custom publishing projects. Also contributing was a 2 percent increase in average paper prices. These cost increases were partially offset by lower broadcasting program rights amortization expense.

Fiscal 2003 production, distribution and editorial costs increased 7 percent. Excluding American Baby Group costs, the increase was 4 percent, reflecting higher volumes in publishing and higher postal rates. Higher volumes resulted from an increase in the number of advertising pages and books sold. Postal rates increased nearly 10 percent on June 29, 2002.

Selling, general and administrative expenses
Fiscal 2004 selling, general and administrative expenses increased 3 percent from fiscal 2003. Comparable expenses (excluding the impact of the American Baby Group acquisition) increased 2 percent. Investments in our sales and promotion efforts, higher charitable contributions, and increased employee compensation costs were partially offset by lower magazine subscription acquisition costs.

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Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 6 percent in fiscal 2003. Excluding American Baby Group costs, the increase was 3 percent, coming primarily from higher performance-based incentive accruals.

Depreciation and amortization expenses
Fiscal 2004 depreciation and amortization expenses declined 3 percent because of prior-year amortization expense for short-lived intangibles related to the American Baby Group acquisition. Comparable depreciation and amortization expense increased 2 percent, primarily reflecting segment investments in information technology.

Depreciation and amortization expenses declined 32 percent in fiscal 2003 because of the significant amortization expense eliminated by the adoption of SFAS No. 142. Excluding the impact of the new accounting standard, depreciation and amortization expenses increased 7 percent largely due to the amortization of intangible assets resulting from the American Baby Group acquisition. On a comparable basis, fiscal 2003 expense was even with the prior year's. Higher depreciation expense resulting primarily from broadcasting's investments in digital technology equipment was offset by lower amortization expense due to the impairment write-downs of broadcasting network affiliation agreement intangible assets. These write-downs resulted from the adoption of SFAS No. 142.

Operating costs and expense
Publishing paper, production and postage costs and employee compensation were the largest components of our operating costs and expenses. They are presented in the following table, expressed as a percentage of total pretax operating costs and expenses:

Income from Operations
The following table details the impact of SFAS No. 142 on income from operations:

Nonoperating (Expense) Income
Nonoperating expense totaled $1.6 million in fiscal 2003 and included a loss on the sale of a subsidiary ($2.2 million) and the write-off of an investment in a start-up technology company ($1.6 million). These charges were partially offset by a gain related to final post closing adjustments on the June 2002 exchange of two Florida television stations for KPTV-Portland ($1.3 million) and proceeds from life insurance policies ($0.9 million).

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Fiscal 2002 nonoperating income totaled $63.8 million, consisting of a noncash gain from the disposition of two Florida television stations ($61.8 million) and proceeds from the demutualization of an insurance company with which Meredith holds policies ($2.0 million).

Net Interest Expense
Net interest expense was $22.5 million in fiscal 2004, $27.2 million in fiscal 2003, and $32.6 million in fiscal 2002. Average long-term debt outstanding declined to $330 million in fiscal 2004 from $390 million in fiscal 2003 and $430 million in fiscal 2002. The Company's approximate weighted average interest rate was 6.9 percent in fiscal 2004, 7.1 percent in fiscal 2003, and 7.7 percent in fiscal 2002.

Interest expense over the three-year period included the effects of interest rate swap contracts. We had entered into interest rate swap contracts to effectively convert a substantial portion of our variable rate debt to fixed rate debt. The net cash disbursements related to these contracts were included in interest expense in all periods. As a result of the April 2002 debt refinancing and subsequent debt repayments, we had interest rate swap contracts that no longer met the qualifications for hedge accounting. Those swap contracts were deemed ineffective and dedesignated as hedge contracts. Subsequent to the dedesignation, we determined it was probable the level of variable-rate debt would not increase to allow use of these swaps over the term of the swap contracts. Consequently, related amounts in accumulated other comprehensive loss were reclassified to earnings, resulting in a $3.5 million increase in fiscal 2002 interest expense. Subsequent to the discontinuation of hedge accounting, changes in the f air market value of the affected interest rate swap contracts were recorded as interest expense. These fair market value adjustments resulted in reductions in interest expense of $3.9 million in fiscal 2004 and $0.9 million in fiscal 2003 and an increase in interest expense of $1.3 million in fiscal 2002. All of our interest rate swap contracts expired in June 2004.

Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate was 38.7 percent in each of the past three fiscal years.

Earnings and Earnings per Share
Fiscal 2004 net earnings were $110.7 million ($2.14 per diluted share), up 26 percent from $88.1 million ($1.73 per diluted share) in fiscal 2003 before the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle. The improvement reflected higher segment operating profits and lower interest expense. Average diluted shares outstanding increased 1 percent to 51,689,000 in fiscal 2004. Average basic shares outstanding were 50,214,000, also up 1 percent from fiscal 2003.

Fiscal 2003 net earnings were $2.3 million or 5 cents per diluted share. Net earnings included a charge of $85.7 million ($1.68 per diluted share) for the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle related to the adoption of SFAS No. 142. Earnings before the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle were $88.1 million ($1.73 per diluted share), down 4 percent from fiscal 2002 net earnings. The decline resulted from unfavorable changes in nonoperating (expense) income that were nearly offset by higher segment operating profits and lower net interest expense. Publishing and broadcasting operating profits improved both on a reported basis and after adjustment for SFAS No. 142.

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OVERVIEW
Meredith's primary source of liquidity is cash generated by operating activities. Debt financing is typically used for acquisitions. Our core businesses-magazine and book publishing and television broadcasting-have been strong cash generators. Despite the introduction of many new technologies such as the Internet and cable and satellite television, we believe these businesses will continue to have strong market appeal for the foreseeable future. As with any business, operating results and cash flows are subject to changes in demand for our products and changes in costs. Changes in the level of demand for magazine and television advertising and/or other products can have a significant effect on cash flows.

Historically, Meredith has been able to absorb normal business downturns without significant increases in debt, and management believes the Company will continue to do so. We expect cash on hand, internally generated cash flow, and available credit from third-party financing agreements will provide funds for operating and recurring cash needs (e.g., working capital, capital expenditures, debt repayments and cash dividends) into the foreseeable future. We have up to $250 million available under current credit agreements. While there are no guarantees that we will be able to replace current credit agreements when they expire, we expect to be able to do so.

Our current long-term debt outstanding is due between March 2005 and April 2008. We do not expect to prepay any of this debt prior to the scheduled due dates because of provisions in the debt agreements that make it costly to do so. Therefore, in the absence of a significant acquisition or other cash investment, we expect to accumulate increasing amounts of cash in the coming years. Cash amounts in excess of those needed for operating and recurring needs will be invested prudently and should provide a modest return.

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Cash provided by operating activities totaled $171.0 million in fiscal 2004 compared with $172.4 million in fiscal 2003. Cash received from advertising sales increased 8 percent in fiscal 2004 but was offset by a reduction in cash received from magazine newsstand sales as well as increased cash spending for employee compensation costs and paper purchases.

Cash provided by operating activities increased 26 percent in fiscal 2003 reflecting increased cash received from advertising, book and magazine newsstand sales and a reduction in cash payments for income taxes. These increases in cash were partially offset by greater cash expenditures for employee compensation and postage costs.

Another factor affecting cash provided by operations is the Company's contributions to qualified defined benefit pension plans. Meredith traditionally contributes the maximum allowable tax-deductible amount to these plans. These contributions totaled $9.0 million in fiscal 2004, $12.0 million in fiscal 2003, and $5.7 million in fiscal 2002. We expect both the maximum allowable tax-deductible contribution and our required contribution to be less than $0.2 million in fiscal 2005.

Investing activities
Investing cash inflows generally include proceeds from the sale of assets or a business. Investing cash outflows generally include payments for the acquisition of new businesses, investments, and additions to property, plant and equipment.

Net cash used by investing activities decreased significantly in fiscal 2004 compared with the prior year primarily because of the acquisition of the American Baby Group for $117.6 million in fiscal 2003. Likewise, this acquisition led to a significant year-over-year increase in cash used by investing activities in fiscal 2003.

Financing activities
Financing cash inflows generally include borrowings under debt agreements and proceeds from common stock issued for stock option exercises and for our Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Financing cash outflows generally include the repayment of long-term debt, repurchases of Company stock, and the payment of dividends.

Net cash used by financing activities totaled $107.7 million in fiscal 2004, up significantly from $37.4 million in fiscal 2003. The biggest factor in the change was a $75 million net debt reduction in fiscal 2004 compared with a $10 million net debt reduction in fiscal 2003. In fiscal 2003, we incurred $100 million in debt in connection with the American Baby Group acquisition. In fiscal 2002, net cash used by financing activities totaled $124.6 million and included an $85 million net debt reduction.

Long-term debt
At June 30, 2004, long-term debt outstanding totaled $300 million in fixed-rate unsecured senior notes. The fixed-rate notes are repayable in amounts of $50 million and $75 million and are due from March 1, 2005 to April 1, 2008. Interest rates range from 6.39 percent to 6.65 percent with a weighted-average interest rate of 6.55 percent. We also have credit available under an asset-backed commercial paper facility with a capacity of up to $100 million and a revolving credit facility of up to $150 million.

In connection with the asset-backed commercial paper facility, we entered into a revolving agreement in April 2002. Under this agreement, we currently sell all of our rights, title, and interest in the majority of our accounts receivable related to advertising, book and miscellaneous revenues to Meredith Funding Corporation, a special-purpose entity established to purchase accounts receivable from Meredith. At June 30, 2004, $156 million of accounts receivable, net of reserves, were outstanding under the agreement. Meredith Funding Corporation in turn sells receivable interests to an asset-backed commercial paper conduit administered by a major national bank. In consideration of the sale, Meredith receives cash and a subordinated note that bears interest at the prime rate (4.00 percent at June 30, 2004) from Meredith Funding Corporation.

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The revolving agreement is structured as a true sale under which the creditors of Meredith Funding Corporation will be entitled to be satisfied out of the assets of Meredith Funding Corporation prior to any value being returned to Meredith or its creditors. The accounts of Meredith Funding Corporation are fully consolidated in Meredith's consolidated financial statements. The asset-backed commercial paper facility renews annually until April 9, 2007, the facility termination date. The interest rate changes monthly and is based on a fixed spread over the average commercial paper cost to the lender. The interest rate would have been 1.53 percent in June 2004 had any amount been borrowed.

The revolving credit facility of $150 million expires on April 5, 2007. At June 30, 2004, borrowings made under the revolving credit facility were subject to an interest rate of 1.9 percent. This rate is variable based on LIBOR and Meredith's debt to trailing 12 month EBITDA ratio. No amount was borrowed under this facility at June 30, 2004.

We believe these debt agreements are material to discussions of Meredith's liquidity. All of our debt agreements include financial covenants, and failure to comply with any such covenants could result in the debt becoming payable on demand. A summary of the most significant financial covenants and their status at June 30, 2004 follows:

The Company was in compliance with these and all other debt covenants at June 30, 2004 and expects to remain so in the future.

Interest rate swap contracts
Over the last three fiscal years, Meredith used interest rate swap contracts to effectively convert our variable-rate debt to fixed-rate debt. The average notional amount of indebtedness outstanding under the contracts was $132 million in fiscal 2004, $166 million in fiscal 2003, and $195 million in fiscal 2002. All interest rate swap contracts expired in June 2004, and at this time we have no plans to enter into new interest rate swap contracts. These contracts did have a significant effect on interest expense over the last three years as discussed under Net Interest Expense on page 28 of the MD&A.

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Contractual obligations
The following table summarizes our principal contractual obligations as of June 30, 2004:

Purchase obligations represent legally binding agreements to purchase goods and services that specify all significant terms. Outstanding purchase orders, which represent authorizations to purchase goods and services but are not legally binding, are not included in purchase obligations. We believe that current cash balances, cash generated by future operating activities, and cash available under current credit agreements will be sufficient to meet our contractual cash obligations and other operating cash requirements for the foreseeable future. However, projections of future cash flows are subject to substantial uncertainty as discussed throughout the MD&A and particularly in the Outlook and Risk Factors section beginning on page 35. Debt agreements may be renewed or refinanced if we determine it is advantageous to do so. We also have commitments in the form of standby letters of credit and other guarantees totaling $1.3 million. Approximately half of the commitments expire within one year; the rest ar e long-term.

In June 2004, Meredith announced that it had agreed to purchase WFLI-TV, the WB television affiliate in Chattanooga, TN. The transaction closed in August 2004. The preliminary purchase price was approximately $8.5 million and was paid from cash on hand.

Share repurchase program
We have maintained a program of Company share repurchases for more than fifteen years. In fiscal 2004, we spent $37.4 million to repurchase an aggregate of 747,000 shares of Meredith Corporation common stock at then current market prices. We spent $31.5 million to repurchase 761,000 shares in fiscal 2003 and $30.2 million to repurchase 877,000 shares in fiscal 2002. We expect to continue repurchasing shares from time to time in the foreseeable future, subject to market conditions. As of July 30, 2004, approximately 2.0 million shares were authorized for future repurchase, including a 2 million share repurchase authorization approved by the Board of Directors in February 2004. The status of the repurchase program is reviewed at each quarterly Board of Directors meeting. See Part II, Item 5, Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities, of this Form 10-K for detailed information on share repurchases during the quarter ended June 30, 2004.

Dividends
Meredith has paid quarterly dividends continuously since 1947 and we have increased our dividend for 11 consecutive years. The last increase occurred in February 2004 when the Board of Directors increased the quarterly dividend 26 percent, or 2.5 cents per share, to 12 cents per share effective with the dividend payable on March 15, 2004. Based on the current number of shares outstanding, this will result in additional dividend payments of approximately $5 million annually. Dividends payments totaled $21.6 million, or 43 cents per share, in fiscal 2004 compared with $18.4 million, or 37 cents per share, in fiscal 2003 and $17.3 million, or 35 cents per share, in fiscal 2002.

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Capital expenditures
Spending for property, plant, and equipment totaled $24.5 million in fiscal 2004, $26.6 million in fiscal 2003 and $23.4 million in fiscal 2002. Spending was higher in fiscal 2003 because of the purchase of equipment and remodeling associated with the consolidation of the Portland duopoly and for the initial transition to digital technology at five television stations. Spending for the initial transition to digital technology is now complete. We expect to spend between $18 and $22 million in fiscal 2005 and 2006 for a new facility for our television station in Hartford. We have no other material commitments for capital expenditures. We expect funds for future capital expenditures to come from operating activities or, if necessary, borrowings under credit agreements.

Meredith's consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). Our significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Some of these estimates and assumptions are inherently difficult to make and subjective in nature. We base our estimates on historical experience, recent trends, our expectations for future performance, and other assumptions as appropriate. We reevaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis; actual results, however, may vary from these estimates.

The following are the accounting policies that management believes are most critical to the preparation of our financial statements and require management's most difficult, subjective, or complex judgments. In addition, there are other items within the financial statements that require estimation but are not deemed to be critical accounting policies. Changes in the estimates used in these and other items could have a material impact on the financial statements.

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are tested for impairment in accordance with SFAS No. 142. All other intangible assets are tested for impairment in accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. Goodwill and intangible assets totaled $865.3 million, or nearly 60 percent of Meredith's total assets, as of June 30, 2004. See Notes 3 and 7 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information. The impairment analysis of these assets is considered critical because of their significance to Meredith as a whole and to the publishing and broadcasting segments.

Management periodically reviews goodwill and intangible assets to evaluate whether the carrying value exceeds the fair value. The determination of fair value requires us to estimate the future cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets. These estimates include assumptions about future revenues (including projections of overall market growth and our share of market), estimated costs, and appropriate discount rates where applicable. Our assumptions are based on historical data, various internal estimates, and a variety of external sources and are consistent with the assumptions used in both our short-term financial forecasts and long-term strategic plans. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, future cash flow projections can vary within a range of outcomes. Changes in key assumptions about the publishing or broadcasting businesses and their prospects or changes in market conditions could result in an impairment charge.

BROADCAST RIGHTS
Broadcast rights, which consist primarily of rights to broadcast syndicated programs and feature films, are recorded at cost when the programs become available for airing. Amortization of broadcast rights is generally recorded on an accelerated basis over the contract period. Broadcast rights valued at $16.9 million were included in the consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2004. In addition, we had entered into contracts valued at $56.1 million not included in the consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2004 because they were not yet available for airing. Amortization of broadcast rights accounted for approximately 14 percent of broadcasting segment expenses in fiscal 2004. Valuation of broadcast rights is considered critical to the broadcasting segment because of the significance of the amortization expense to the segment.

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Broadcast rights are valued at the lower of unamortized cost or net realizable value in accordance with GAAP. The determination of net realizable value requires us to estimate future net revenues expected to be earned during the airing of the programming. Future revenues can be affected by changes in the level of advertising demand, competition from other television stations or other media, changes in television programming ratings, changes in the planned usage of programming materials, and other factors. Changes in such key assumptions could result in the write-down of broadcast rights.

PENSION AND POSTRETIREMENT PLANS
Meredith has noncontributory pension plans covering substantially all employees. These plans include qualified (funded) plans as well as non-qualified (unfunded) plans. These plans provide participating employees with retirement benefits in accordance with benefit provision formulas. The non-qualified plans provide retirement benefits only to certain highly compensated employees. Meredith also sponsors defined healthcare and life insurance plans that provide benefits to eligible retirees.

The accounting for pension and postretirement plans is actuarially based and includes assumptions regarding expected returns on plan assets, discount rates, and the rate of increase in healthcare costs. We consider the accounting for pension and postretirement plans critical to Meredith and both of our segments because of the number of significant judgments required. More information on our assumptions and our methodology in arriving at these assumptions can be found in Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements.

Changes in key assumptions could materially affect the associated assets, liabilities, and benefit expenses. Depending on the assumptions and estimates used, these balances could vary within a range of outcomes. We monitor trends in the marketplace and rely on guidance from employee benefit specialists to arrive at reasonable estimates. These estimates are reviewed annually and updated as needed. Nevertheless, the estimates are subjective and may vary from actual results.

Meredith expects to use a long-term rate of return on assets of 8.00 percent in developing the fiscal 2005 pension costs, consistent with the rate used in fiscal 2004. This rate was determined based on a variety of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the plans' asset allocations, a review of historic capital market performance, historical plan performance, current market factors such as inflation and interest rates, and a forecast of expected future asset returns. The pension plan assets earned a return of approximately 33 percent in fiscal 2004. If we had decreased our expected long-term rate of return on plan assets by 0.5 percent in fiscal 2004, our pension expense would have increased by $0.3 million.

Meredith expects to use a discount rate of 5.75 percent in developing the fiscal 2005 pension costs, down from a rate of 6.25 percent used in fiscal 2004. If we had decreased the discount rate by 0.5 percent in fiscal 2004, the combined effect on pension and postretirement expenses would have been an increase of $0.1 million.

Assumed rates of increase in healthcare cost levels have a significant effect on postretirement benefit costs. A one-percentage-point increase in the assumed healthcare cost trend rate would have increased postretirement benefit costs by $0.2 million in fiscal 2004.

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Estimates of returns from magazine newsstand and book sales are based on historical experience and current marketplace conditions. Allowances for returns are adjusted continually on the basis of actual results. Unexpected changes in return levels may result in adjustments to net revenues.

INCOME TAXES
Income taxes are accounted for in accordance with SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes, which requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be recognized, using enacted tax rates, for the effect of temporary differences between the book and tax basis of recorded assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Income tax expense was almost 39 percent of earnings before income taxes. Net deferred tax liabilities totaled $100.1 million, or approximately 11 percent of total liabilities, at June 30, 2004. In addition, we operate in numerous taxing jurisdictions and are subject to audit in each of these jurisdictions. These audits can involve complex issues that could require an extended time to resolve and could eventually result in an increase or decrease to amounts previously paid to the taxing jurisdictions.

OUTLOOK
Subject to the risk factors discussed below, our current view of fiscal 2005 is as follows:

• We believe the current First Call mean estimate of $0.49 per diluted share for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 is achievable. That would equate to an earnings per share increase of 32 percent compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2004.

• We believe the current First Call mean estimate of $2.61 for all of fiscal 2005 is achievable. However, there are a number of uncertainties that may impact our second quarter and full-year performance. First, there is increased period to period volatility in magazine advertising. Second, we continue to see fluctuation in our retail-based businesses, primarily special interest magazines and books. Third, political advertising continues to book very late, and may be impacted by the competitiveness of national and local campaigns in our markets.

We may update this guidance periodically during the fiscal year through our quarterly earnings releases or through management presentations to industry, investor, and investment analyst groups. Copies of our quarterly earnings releases are available on our website (www.meredith.com) in the Investor Information section. Copies of the text of management presentations that may contain material non-public information are also posted on our website, typically for one week following the presentation. Copies of both earnings releases and such management presentations are also filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a Form 8-K and can be accessed through their website (www.sec.gov). We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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Advertising revenues
Advertising is the most significant source of revenue for Meredith and our publishing and broadcasting segments. Advertising revenues accounted for approximately 60 percent of total revenues in each of the last three fiscal years. Competition from other forms of media available in our various markets, including but not limited to other magazines and television stations, cable and satellite television broadcasters, newspapers, radio stations, websites and direct marketing, affects our ability to attract and retain advertisers and to increase advertising rates. Hundreds of new magazines are launched annually, many with limited success. Channel capacities of both cable and direct broadcast satellites have increased as a result of digital transmission technology and other improvements. These developments and the increasing popularity of the Internet have contributed to the increasing number of options available to advertisers and consumers and may adversely affect our ability to sell advertising.

In general, demand for advertising tends to correlate with changes in the level of economic activity in the United States and in our specific markets. Increased consolidation of major advertisers, changes in marketing strategies of major advertisers or the loss of one or more major advertisers may also affect advertising demand for our products. In addition, world, national and local events may affect advertising demand and may require uninterrupted television coverage that adversely affects revenues at our television stations.

Advertising demand for space in our magazines and airtime on our television stations is dependent on our ability to deliver cost-effective access to consumers. Changes in the size or demographics of our magazine readership and/or television audiences may affect our ability to attract advertisers.

Other revenues
Magazine circulation is another significant source of revenues, accounting for more than 20 percent of total revenues and nearly 30 percent of publishing segment revenues. Competition from other forms of media and changing consumer lifestyles may limit our ability to attract and retain magazine readers and to raise prices. Similar factors affect Meredith's remaining revenues that consist primarily of revenues from the sale of books and custom publishing programs. Circulation and other revenues are also influenced by economic conditions that change the level of demand for our services or affect consumers' disposable income.

Operating costs and expenses
Meredith's major expense categories include employee compensation; publishing paper, postage and production; and broadcasting program rights amortization. Some of the factors affecting our costs are beyond our control.

We offer our employees competitive salary and benefit packages in order to attract and retain the quality employees required to grow and expand our businesses. These costs are influenced by general economic factors, including those affecting the cost of health insurance, and any trends specific to the employee skill sets we require or the markets in which we operate. Only a small percentage of our workforce is unionized.

Program rights amortization is affected by the costs of programs purchased by our stations. The costs of programs are influenced by the availability of desirable programming and the demand for programs in general and in our specific markets. Increased consolidation in the broadcasting industry may affect local market competition for syndicated programming and lead to higher costs.

Product portfolio and acquisitions
We continually evaluate the performance of our businesses. These evaluations may lead to the decision to divest or otherwise discontinue certain businesses or products. In addition, we are continually seeking ways to expand and grow our businesses through acquisitions and internally developed products or programs, the implementation of which may affect our future revenues, costs, profitability, and financial position. Other risks include difficulties in integrating acquired properties, diversion of management resources, unforeseen costs or liabilities, and in some cases debt incurred to finance these ventures. A new magazine launch typically will require investment for at least three to five years. Very few magazines launched in the last 10 years have achieved long-term success.

Broadcasting industry
Our broadcasting operations are subject to regulation by the Federal Communication Commission and may also be affected by legislation and judicial developments. Additional detail regarding regulation and its impact on our broadcasting operations is provided in Item 1-Business beginning on page 10. All of our television stations are currently affiliated with national networks. Significant changes in our television network affiliation agreements are not currently anticipated. Any such changes, however, could affect the profitability of our broadcasting operations.

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Meredith is exposed to certain market risks as a result of its use of financial instruments, in particular the potential market value loss arising from adverse changes in interest rates. All of the Company's financial instruments subject to market risk are held for purposes other than trading. There have been no significant changes in the market risk exposures since June 30, 2003.

Long-term debt
At June 30, 2004, Meredith had outstanding $300 million in fixed-rate long-term debt. There are no earnings or liquidity risks associated with the Company's fixed-rate debt. The fair market value of the fixed-rate debt (based on discounted cash flows reflecting borrowing rates currently available for debt with similar terms and maturities) varies with fluctuations in interest rates. A 10 percent decrease in interest rates would have changed the fair market value of the fixed-rate debt to $312.9 million from $310.1 million at June 30, 2004.

Broadcast rights payable
The Company enters into broadcast rights contracts for its television stations. As a rule, these contracts are on a market-by-market basis and subject to terms and conditions of the seller of the broadcast rights. These rights generally are sold to the highest bidder in each market, and the process is very competitive. There are no earnings or liquidity risks associated with broadcast rights payable. Fair market values are determined using discounted cash flows. At June 30, 2004, a 10 percent decrease in interest rates would have resulted in a $0.9 million increase in the fair market value of the available and unavailable broadcast rights payable.

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To the Board of Directors and
Shareholders of Meredith Corporation:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Meredith Corporation and subsidiaries (the Company) as of June 30, 2004 and 2003, and the related consolidated statements of earnings, shareholders' equity and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended June 30, 2004. In connection with our audits of the aforementioned financial statements, we also audited the related financial statement schedule (as listed in Part IV, Item 15 (a) 2 herein). These consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of company management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Meredith Corporation and subsidiaries as of June 30, 2004 and 2003, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended June 30, 2004, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has restated its financial statements as of and for the year ended June 30, 2003. Also, as discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, on July 1, 2002.

/s/ KPMG LLP

KPMG LLP
Des Moines, Iowa
July 30, 2004

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To the Shareholders of Meredith Corporation:

Meredith management is responsible for the preparation, integrity and objectivity of the financial information included in this annual report to shareholders. We take this responsibility very seriously as we recognize the importance of having well informed, confident investors. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and include amounts based on our informed judgments and estimates. We have adopted appropriate accounting policies and are fully committed to ensuring that those policies are applied properly and consistently. In addition, we strive to report our financial results in a manner that is relevant, complete and understandable. We welcome any suggestions from those who use our reports.

To meet our responsibility for financial reporting, internal control systems and accounting procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance as to the reliability of financial records. In addition, the internal audit staff monitors and reports on compliance with Company policies, procedures and internal control systems.

The consolidated financial statements have been audited by independent auditors from a registered public accounting firm. In accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the independent auditors conducted a review of the Company's internal accounting controls and performed tests and other procedures necessary to determine an opinion on the fairness of the Company's consolidated financial statements. The independent auditors were given unrestricted access to all financial records and related information, including all Board of Directors' and Board committees' minutes.

The audit committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for reviewing and monitoring the Company's accounting policies, internal controls and financial reporting practices. The audit committee is also directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the Company's independent auditors. The audit committee consists of five independent directors, and meets with the independent auditors, management and internal auditors to review accounting, auditing and financial reporting matters. To ensure complete independence, the independent auditors have direct access to the audit committee without the presence of management representatives.

At Meredith, we have always placed a high priority on good corporate governance. We endorse the ongoing improvements in this area.

/s/ Suku V. Radia

Suku V. Radia
Vice President - Chief Financial Officer

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