Family Circle

Stewing over problems takes up time and energy that can be put to better use. According to Family Circle magazine, setting aside a specific, but limited, amount ot time (15 minutes for instance) to worry about a problem can keep it from overwhelming you. The magazine recommends setting a kitchen timer. When it goes off, stop brooding and go on to something else.

Meredith Corp., publisher of 25 magazines including American Baby, is pairing with cable company Comcast Corp. to deliver a video-on-demand program geared at parents. The subject matter of Parents TV will range from "conception to college," the companies said Monday. Meredith's in-house production and distribution unit will produce the programming, which will feature experts from Meredith magazines such as Parents and Family Circle. Parents TV will premiere in December on Comcast.

Not content with selling a mere 10 million copies, "Joy of Cooking" is now a magazine. The magazine is a joint venture with Family Circle based on the cookbook revision released just before Christmas (which has sold more than 1 million copies). It covers everything from the routine ("30 All-Time Favorite Chicken Dishes") to the arcane ("Grilling Pizza") with the same kind of deadpan panache you would expect from such a marriage. At newsstands, $3.99 per copy.

Magazine publisher Gruner & Jahr USA sued an independent circulation agent, saying the agent provided faulty subscription data that could cause most of Gruner & Jahr's titles to fall short of their guarantees to advertisers. The circulation discrepancies come as Gruner & Jahr, a unit of Germany's Bertelsmann, has been working to restore trust among advertisers after questions emerged over the accuracy of its internal circulation reporting methods.

Shaking the salt habit is tough but medical reasons justify the effort. According to Family Circle magazine, a taste for salt is acquired and with help from the following tips, you can retrain your palette to like less of it: --Cut the salt in recipes by half or leave it out entirely. --Experiment with herbs, spices and other seasonings in place of salt. --Wash away salt. You can reduce the salt content of canned items with a quick rinse under cold water.

William L. Gherra, 81, former chairman and chief executive officer of PayLess Drug Stores. Gherra joined the company as an advertising and marketing specialist and became president in 1964, when the discount firm had six retail outlets. By his retirement in 1977, there were 100 PayLess stores throughout Nevada, California and Hawaii. Before joining PayLess, Gherra worked for Safeway Stores, where he helped launch Family Circle magazine. In Lake Tahoe on Saturday.

Meredith Corp., the publisher of Ladies' Home Journal, said it was buying Family Circle and three other magazines from German publisher Gruner & Jahr for $350 million. The deal also includes the magazines Child, Fitness and Parents and in effect marks an exit from the U.S. magazine market for Gruner & Jahr, which had suffered a series of setbacks in its efforts to expand here. The sale is expected to close June 30. Meredith rose $2.64, or 6%, to $50.28 on the New York Stock Exchange.