Andrews McMeel Syndication

Andrews McMeel Syndication (formerly Universal Uclick) is an American content syndicate which provides syndication in print, online and on mobile devices for a number of lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and cartoons and various other content. Some of its best-known products include Dear Abby, Doonesbury, Ziggy, Garfield, Ann Coulter, Richard Roeper and News of the Weird. A subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, it is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. It was formed in 2009 and renamed in January 2017.[1]

Andrews McMeel Syndication
FormerlyUniversal Uclick (2009–2017)
TypePrint syndication & web syndication
FoundedSeptember 2009 (2009-09) with the merger of Universal Press Syndicate and Uclick
Headquarters
Kansas City, Missouri
,
United States
Key people
Brent Bartram, Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager of AMS
ServicesLifestyle & opinion columns, comic strips & cartoons
ParentAndrews McMeel Universal
SubsidiariesUnited Feature Syndicate
Newspaper Enterprise Association
Websitesyndication.andrewsmcmeel.com

History

Universal Press Syndicate (UPS) was founded in 1970 by Jim Andrews and John McMeel.[2] The company began syndicating Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury comic strip in October 1970. Trudeau won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1975 for his work on Doonesbury. The strip as of 2009 was syndicated in more than 1,400 newspapers worldwide.[3] Over decades, the syndicate added other well-known comic strips including Ziggy, Cathy, For Better or For Worse, Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, FoxTrot, Baldo, The Boondocks, In the Bleachers, Non Sequitur, Stone Soup, Real Life Adventures, Cornered, Liō, Cul De Sac, Thatababy, Wumo, editorial cartoonists and columnists.

Universal Uclick was formed in July 2009 following the merger of Universal Press Syndicate with Andrews McMeel's digital entertainment company Uclick.[4]

In late December 2010, it was announced that Dilbert would move from United Feature Syndicate to Universal Uclick beginning in June 2011.[5] Dilbert was with Universal Uclick/Andrews McMeel Syndication until they severed their relationship with Adams in February 2023.[6] Several newspapers have chosen to replace Dilbert with a new comic strip Andrews McMeel syndicates, Crabgrass by Tauhid Bondia which was introduced in 2022.[7][8]

On February 24, 2011, Universal Uclick signed a deal with E. W. Scripps Company's United Media to handle syndication of the latter company's 150 comic strip and news features (under the banners United Feature Syndicate and the Newspaper Enterprise Association) beginning on June 1 of that year.[9][10] The United Media deal brought over such long-running comic strips as Alley Oop, Marmaduke, Nancy, and Tarzan.

As a result of this acquisition, Universal Uclick became one of the largest print syndicators in the United States, as United Media — along with King Features Syndicate and Creators Syndicate — was one of Andrews McMeel's main competitors in the industry.

Comic strips and panels

Existing and formerly syndicated comics by Andrews McMeel Syndication include Dilbert (until February 2023), For Better or For Worse, FoxTrot, Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, The Boondocks, Doonesbury, Cathy, Pooch Cafe, Baldo, What the Duck, Ink Pen, Liō, Cul de Sac, Ziggy, Tom the Dancing Bug, Ozy and Millie, The Far Side and Peanuts (since February 27, 2011) in newspapers, calendars and books.

Andrews McMeel Syndication also owns and operates GoComics (launched in 2005), a comics aggregate website featuring comic strips syndicated in print, online and on mobile devices by Andrews McMeel Syndication, as well as discontinued titles such as Calvin and Hobbes, The Boondocks and Bloom County, webcomics such as Pibgorn and Kliban, plus a selection of syndicated comic strips from Creators Syndicate and Tribune Content Agency.

In October 2008, Uclick launched a GoComics gadget for iGoogle which allows users to read comic strips on their iGoogle pages.[11]

As of 2016, the company syndicated more than 80 comic strips to over 2,000 newspapers worldwide.[12]

Editorial cartoons

Andrews McMeel Syndication syndicates the editorial cartoonists Don Asmussen, Tony Auth, Stuart Carlson, Lalo Alcaraz, Glenn McCoy, Pat Oliphant, Ted Rall, Rob Rogers (cartoonist), Ben Sargent, Tom Toles, Matt Davies, Matt Bors, Matt Wuerker, Ruben Bolling and Kerry Waghorn.

Puzzles and games

Andrews McMeel Syndication distributes daily puzzles and games in newspapers and other print media. The company also distributes puzzles and casual games online through consumer and news web portals as well as through its own puzzle and game portals, PuzzleSociety.com and UclickGames.com. Andrews McMeel Syndication products include crossword puzzles and games edited by David Steinberg and Pat Sajak, number placement puzzles like Sudoku and Kakuro, jigsaw puzzles and other casual games. Andrews McMeel Syndication distributes the daily Jumble online (but not in print, where Tribune Media Services distributes the puzzles).

Syndicated columns and text features

Andrews McMeel Syndication syndicated columns and text features are distributed in newspapers and other print media worldwide and online through consumer and news web portals, as well as through the Andrews McMeel Syndication syndicated column and text feature consumer site, uExpress.com. Popular Andrews McMeel Syndication columns and text features include the advice columns Dear Abby and Miss Manners, conservative columnist Ann Coulter, film critic Roger Ebert, and News of the Weird.

Comic books and manga

In 2006, Universal Uclick launched the United States' first comic book reader application for mobile phones.[13] The introductory line of titles included Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Five Fists of Science, Godland, PvP and Too Much Coffee Man. Andrews McMeel Syndication has also published mobile versions and iPhone applications featuring comic book titles from Devil's Due Publishing, Image Comics, IDW Publishing and Jeff Smith's Bone series.[14][15]

See also

References
  1. "The New Year Brings a New Name for Universal Uclick". syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com (Press release). Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  2. "Universal Press Syndicate". Archived from the original on 2005-10-23. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
  3. "Doonesbury". Archived from the original on 2009-07-18. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
  4. "Universal Press Syndicate and Uclick merge – The Daily Cartoonist". www.dailycartoonist.com.
  5. Gardner, Alan. "DILBERT LEAVES UNITED MEDIA FOR UNIVERSAL UCLICK (UPDATED)," The Daily Cartoonist (December 28, 2010).
  6. "AMU severing relationship with Dilbert creator Scott Adams". Andrews McMeel Universal. February 27, 2023.
  7. "Crabgrass by Tauhid Bondia – New for '22 – the Daily Cartoonist".
  8. "'Dilbert' to be replaced by 'Crabgrass,' a comic strip by a Kentucky artist, in Paxton Media papers".
  9. Universal Uclick to Provide Syndicate Services for United Media, PR Newswire, February 24, 2011.
  10. United Media Outsources Content to Universal Uclick , Editor & Publisher, April 29, 2011.
  11. "Uclick Introduces Comics Gadget for iGoogle", Editor & Publisher, October 17, 2008.
  12. Dwyer, Ed. "CULTURE: The Funny Papers: Newspapers may be in trouble, but the comic strip is alive and well — and flourishing online," Saturday Evening Post (November 7, 2016).
  13. Blass, Evan. "uclick to deliver GoComics Books service to cellphones" Archived May 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, engadget mobile, February 28, 2006.
  14. "/404". www.publishersweekly.com.
  15. Twiddy, David. "Comic books turn up on mobile phones", USA Today, September 6, 2007.
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