Sidney Harman

Sidney Harman Age: 92 Education: Bachelor's degree, City University of New York. Doctorate in education, Union Institute and University, New York. Homes: Washington, D.C.; Venice, Calif.; and Aspen, Colo. Marriage: Husband of U.S. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) since 1980. First marriage, to Sylvia Harman, ended in divorce. Children: Four from first marriage, two from second marriage and two step-children. Age range: 26-65. Ten grandchildren. Career highlights: Chief executive of Harman Kardon, later Harman International Industries.

Newsweek will print its final edition at the end of this year. After nearly 80 years of publication, the news magazine will shift to a digital-only format, available online and on tablet computers, Editor in Chief Tina Brown said on the magazine's website Thursday morning. Its last printed edition will be the Dec. 31 issue. "We are transitioning Newsweek, not saying goodbye to it," Brown said. "We remain committed to Newsweek and to the journalism that it represents. This decision is not about the quality of the brand or the journalism -- that is as powerful as ever.

In May, Barbara Harman, a retired Wellesley College English professor who runs her family's philanthropic foundation, got a call from her father. "Do you get the New York Times?" asked Sidney Harman, audio pioneer, arts philanthropist and self-described "trophy husband" of Jane Harman, the Democratic congresswoman from Venice. Take a look at the business section, Harman told his daughter. A story about potential buyers of financially imperiled Newsweek mentioned Harman as a suitor.

In May, Barbara Harman, a retired Wellesley College English professor who runs her family's philanthropic foundation, got a call from her father. "Do you get the New York Times?" asked Sidney Harman, audio pioneer, arts philanthropist and self-described "trophy husband" of Jane Harman, the Democratic congresswoman from Venice. Take a look at the business section, Harman told his daughter. A story about potential buyers of financially imperiled Newsweek mentioned Harman as a suitor.

Sidney Harman, founder of Harman International Industries Inc., agreed to buy Newsweek magazine from Washington Post Co., ending a three-month bidding process for the money-losing publication. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The sale will not have a material effect on Post, the company said in a statement Monday. Post will retain pension assets and liabilities and certain employee obligations. "In seeking a buyer for Newsweek, we wanted someone who feels as strongly as we do about the importance of quality journalism," Donald E. Graham, chairman and chief executive of Post, said in a statement.

Democracy might mean "government by the people," but the American people have never had a direct say in their government's policies. We elect representatives to make political decisions for us because polling millions of citizens honestly and swiftly about major issues of the day traditionally has been far from practical.

Sidney Harman, the stereo industry magnate who announced Monday that he was buying Newsweek magazine, has made a lot of money in his life. Harman, who turns 92 this week, told the staff at the ailing newsweekly that he was not all that interested in making more, at least from his new acquisition. "I'm not here to make money," he told them, according to a Newsweek published account. "I'm here to make joy." They could use some. Newsweek, which has about 325 employees, hasn't made a profit since 2007 and lost about $30 million last year.

Sidney Harman, 74, has quite a life. He has stock holdings worth more than $45 million, thanks to a long business career. Good health. A big house in Marina del Rey. A wife who's in the U.S. Congress. Two young children. So why is he driving to Northridge each day and putting in long hours at the office? He's trying to rebuild the company he founded. Harman International Industries Inc.

One of the last major furniture factories on the West Coast sits on Balboa Boulevard, turning out cabinetry for the JBL stereo loudspeakers that come off the assembly line at Harman International Industries. It's part of the business empire controlled by Sidney Harman, whose fortune of about $200 million comes from half a century of selling stereo loudspeakers and consumer electronics. Harman, 79, is the well of deep money behind his wife Jane Harman's gubernatorial run.

Harman International Industries Inc., a Northridge-based manufacturer of stereo equipment, said it has agreed to acquire a German car stereo manufacturer for 400,000 shares of Harman stock plus cash and debt totaling about $60 million. The German company, Becker GmbH, has annual sales of about $200 million and supplies auto maker Mercedes-Benz with car stereos equipped with cassette and compact-disc players, Harman said.

Sidney Harman, a philanthropist, polymath and pioneer in high-fidelity sound for homes and cars who tried to resuscitate an icon of American journalism when he bought Newsweek last year, has died. He was 92. Harman died Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., of complications from leukemia, according to a statement from his family on the website of the Daily Beast, which Harman merged with Newsweek in November. He was married to former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman of Venice, who resigned her seat in February to lead the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

U.S. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), a leading congressional voice on anti-terrorism issues, plans to resign from Congress to head up the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a senior congressional source confirmed Monday, setting up a special election to choose her successor in a coastal district that stretches from Venice into the South Bay. She is expected to leave her seat soon to succeed former Rep. Lee Hamilton as head of the Washington-based...

Sidney Harman Education: Bachelor's degree, City University of New York. Doctorate in education, Union Institute and University, New York. Homes: Washington, D.C.; Venice, Calif.; and Aspen, Colo. Marriage: Husband of former U.S. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) since 1980. First marriage, to Sylvia Harman, ended in divorce. Children: Four from first marriage, two from second marriage and two step-children. Age range: 26-65. Ten grandchildren. Career highlights: Chief executive of Harman Kardon, later Harman International Industries.

It's a familiar story: A seemingly mismatched pair falls for each other and ties the knot while some look on hopefully and others hold their breath. The merger of Newsweek magazine and the Daily Beast website, announced Friday, is a classic May-December marriage. Newsweek, 77 years old and recently purchased for a dollar by audio pioneer Sidney Harman, gets an infusion of energy and immediacy from the 2-year-old Beast and its irrepressible editor and co-founder, Tina Brown. The Daily Beast, part of media mogul Barry Diller's InterActive Corp.

Sidney Harman, the stereo industry magnate who announced Monday that he was buying Newsweek magazine, has made a lot of money in his life. Harman, who turns 92 this week, told the staff at the ailing newsweekly that he was not all that interested in making more, at least from his new acquisition. "I'm not here to make money," he told them, according to a Newsweek published account. "I'm here to make joy." They could use some. Newsweek, which has about 325 employees, hasn't made a profit since 2007 and lost about $30 million last year.