Rance Crain

Inducted 2010

Rance Crain is president of Crain Communications Inc and editor-in-chief of Advertising Age, Crain’s Chicago Business, Crain’s New York Business, and tvweek.com. Named a senior editor of Advertising Age in 1965, he was appointed first editor of Business Insurance in 1967 and editorial director of Crain Communications in 1971. He added the title of company president in 1973.

Mr. Crain’s career began as a reporter for Advertising Age in its Washington bureau and later moved to the publication’s New York and Chicago offices. He continues to lead Advertising Age as editor-in-chief and writes a bi-weekly column for the leading industry publication.

Mr. Crain founded four of the company’s influential titles — Pensions & Investments, Crain’s Chicago Business, Crain’s New York Business and Electronic Media (now published as tvweek.com).

A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and former sports editor of The Daily Northwestern (1960), Mr. Crain is a charter member of Medill’s Hall of Achievement and a proud recipient of the 1992 Northwestern University Merit Award. He is a member of the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame and was the recipient of Kodak’s Print Ambassador Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2009 Missouri School of Journalism Medal of Honor. Among his business and charitable activities, Mr. Crain served 13 years as a board member of Lee Enterprises, a New York Stock Exchange Newspaper company in Davenport, Iowa.

Mr. Crain works in the New York and Chicago offices of Crain Communications and resides with his wife Merrilee in Windermere, Florida. He has two daughters, Heather and Cindi, and six grandchildren.