Editing Western Publishing (section)

===2000s===
In June 2001, [[DIC Entertainment]] announced they would purchase [[Golden Books Family Entertainment]] for $170 million and send them out of bankruptcy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kidscreen.com/2001/07/01/30920-20010701/|title=DIC gets busy in books and vids}}</ref> However, DIC would pass off the purchase due to high costs<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/BUSINESS/08/16/goldenbooks.re/ |title=CNN.com - Golden Books sold for poky little $84M - Aug. 16, 2001 |publisher=CNN |date= |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> and instead Golden Books Family Entertainment was eventually acquired jointly by [[DreamWorks Classics|Classic Media]], owner of the catalog of [[United Productions of America]] (UPA), and book publisher [[Random House]] in a bankruptcy auction for the $84.4 million on August 16, 2001.<ref name="prnewswire">{{Cite press release |title=Spectrum Equity Investors Takes Majority Stake in Classic Media, America's Largest Independent Family Entertainment Company |date=April 7, 2005 |publisher=PR Newswire |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spectrum-equity-investors-takes-majority-stake-in-classic-media-americas-largest-independent-family-entertainment-company-54208397.html |access-date=August 17, 2015 |author=Spectrum Equity Investors}}</ref><ref name="awn1">{{cite web |last=DeMott |first=Rick |title=Classic Media Gets Monetary Backing |url=http://www.awn.com/news/classic-media-gets-major-monetary-backing |access-date=August 17, 2015 |website=Animation World Network |publisher=Awn.com}}</ref> In turn, Random House, and Classic Media gained ownership of Golden Books' entertainment catalog (including the family entertainment catalog of [[Broadway Video]] which includes the pre-1974 library of [[Rankin/Bass Productions]] and the library of [[Total Television]]) as well as production, licensing and merchandising rights for Golden Books' characters and the [[Gold Key Comics]] and [[Dell Comics]] catalogs, while Random House gained Golden Books' book publishing properties.<ref name=nyt/><ref>{{cite news |date=August 16, 2001 |title='Poky Little' $84M deal |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/BUSINESS/08/16/goldenbooks.re/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007004416/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/BUSINESS/08/16/goldenbooks.re/ |archive-date=October 7, 2012 |access-date=July 3, 2014 |publisher=CNN |agency=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

The [[Henry Ellis Harris|H. E. Harris]] stamp and coin company bought Whitman Coin Products from St. Martin's Press in 2003 and renamed it Whitman Publishing.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://whitman.com/about-us/history/ |access-date=May 26, 2021 |website=whitman.com}}</ref>

On July 23, 2012, Classic Media was acquired by [[DreamWorks Animation]] for $155 million and renamed [[DreamWorks Classics]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kung |first=Michelle |date=July 22, 2012 |title=DreamWorks Buys Classics Studio Expands Library With Staples Such as Casper, Boosting Its IP Portfolio |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444025204577543182673790416 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814195046/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444025204577543182673790416 |archive-date=August 14, 2015 |access-date=September 29, 2013 |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}} Additional  on August 14, 2015. Opening paragraphs only without subscription.</ref> On July 1, 2013, Random House merged with the [[Penguin Group]], forming a new company called [[Penguin Random House]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bosman |first=Julie |date=July 2013 |title=Penguin and Random House Merge, Saying Change Will Come Slowly |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/business/media/merger-of-penguin-and-random-house-is-completed.html?_r=0 |access-date=August 17, 2015}}</ref> In April 2016, the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation (owner of DreamWorks Classics) by [[NBCUniversal]] was announced.<ref name="lat-comcastbuy">{{cite web |date=April 28, 2016 |title=Comcast's NBCUniversal buys DreamWorks Animation in $3.8-billion deal |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-nbcuniversal-buys-dreamworks--20160428-story.html |access-date=April 28, 2016 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

Historian [[Michael Barrier]] has lamented the apparent loss of Western's business records for future use by researchers.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barrier |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Barrier |date=June 9, 2008 |title=Help Wanted |url=http://www.michaelbarrier.com/WhatsNewArchives/2008/WhatsNewArchivesMayJune2008.html#helpwanted |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214194901/http://michaelbarrier.com/Home%20Page/WhatsNewArchivesMayJune2008.html#helpwanted |archive-date=February 14, 2015 |access-date=December 18, 2018 |publisher=[[Michael Barrier]]}}</ref>