Active Interest Media, Inc. Acquires Backpacker Magazine

El Segundo, CA (May 17, 2007) — Active Interest Media, Inc. (AIM) has acquired Backpacker Magazine, AIM President and Chief Executive Officer Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III announced today. The new acquisition adds to AIM’s growing portfolio of enthusiast magazines, consumer shows, books and Internet sites (www.aimmedia.com). The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1973, Backpacker (www.backpacker.com) provides the most engaging and trusted information about backcountry adventure in North America. It is the leading backpacking magazine in the country, with a circulation rate base of 340,000. Says Zimbalist, whose previous experience includes CEO of Times Mirror Magazines, “Backpacker is an excellent magazine with outstanding future growth potential, and represents the best kind of properties we seek to acquire. With its dedicated readership, growing circulation and advertising revenues, Backpacker is the leading multi-platform brand for the outdoor enthusiast.” “The sale of Backpacker will allow Rodale to focus its resources on long-term growth and further strengthen the position of its business and brands in the health, fitness and wellness space,” said Steven Pleshette Murphy, President and CEO of Rodale. “Active Interest Media, which focuses on niche enthusiast markets, provides a strategic home for Backpacker as it fits well within AIM’s portfolio of titles.” Jonathan Dorn, Editor-in-Chief of Backpacker, will join the AIM team. Under Dorn’s leadership, in 2006 Backpacker received its first National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors, the magazine industry’s highest editorial honor, MIN Best of the Web award, and the Ambassador Award, the outdoor industry’s highest honor.

About AIM
Based in El Segundo, California, AIM (www.aimmedia.com) is a dynamic media company that serves a base of loyal constituents through print, event and online products that connect consumers with their passions. The company was formed in October 2003 by Zimbalist and the private equity investment firm Wind Point Partners. AIM operates in four distinct vertical segments; Healthy Living, Marine, Homebuyer, and Western Art and Living. The company publishes 13 market leading magazines and websites including Yoga Journal, Vegetarian Times, Better Nutrition, Optimum Wellness, Wild Oat, Southwest Art, American Cowboy, Log Home Design, Log Home Living, Timber Home Living, Building Systems, Black Belt, and Yachts International magazines. In addition to magazines, AIM produces and markets category leading dvds, books, Yoga conferences, log home shows, and more than two dozen building seminars. In March of 2006, the company acquired Yachting Promotions, Inc. YPI and its Show Management operations produce five major boat shows in Florida along with numerous other special events. They are best known as the producers of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show®, the largest boat show in the world.

About Wind Point Partners
Wind Point Partners® (www.wppartners.com) is a private equity investment firm with offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Southfield, Michigan that manages $2 billion in capital. Wind Point focuses on partnering with top caliber executives to acquire solid middle market businesses with a clear path to value creation.

About Backpacker
Backpacker brings the outdoors straight to the reader’s doorstep, inspiring and enabling them to go more places and enjoy nature more often. The authority on active adventure, Backpacker is the world’s first GPS-enabled magazine, and the only magazine whose editors personally test the hiking trails, camping gear, and survival tips they publish. Backpacker’s six regional editions offer accessible, close-to-home getaways with detailed, tear-out maps to dozens of nearby hikes, as well as practical tips on day hikes, camping and the best gear information available. Backpacker’s Editors’ Choice Awards, an industry honor recognizing design, feature and product innovation, has become the gold standard against which all other outdoor-industry awards are measured. Backpacker has a circulation of 340,000, is published 9 times a year, and last year was a recipient of a coveted National Magazine Award for editorial excellence. Backpacker’s web site, www.backpacker.com, is updated daily and features more than 30,000 hikes, a searchable and comprehensive database of outdoor gear with reviews (www.gearfinder.com), a special section for female hikers, and an all-new map and GPS center.