Celebrating 35 Years of KC Parent

Moviegoers sported big hair and big shoulder pads at Back to the Future showings, Tina Turner and Bruce Springsteen shone among the top pop artists, and George Brett led the KC Royals to their first World Series triumph. It was 1985—the same year that KC Parent showed up on the scene.

“Magazines were going through a kind of renaissance, with lots of segmented titles coming out to serve very segmented audiences,” Bob Unell, the magazine’s founder explains. He and his wife, Barbara, combined their skills in advertising, marketing and publishing to give Kansas City what they noticed other notable cities had: parenting news and information tailored to a metropolitan area. KC Parent launched as a monthly newsprint tabloid-size publication with Barbara as the editor.

 “We were driven by the mission to help families raise responsible, caring young people to become self-sufficient adults,” Barbara says.

Early editorial content revolved around hot topics of the time: families with two working parents, women’s roles and childcare issues.

With no internet, finding information on raising children was not as easy as it is today. “The audience was Baby Boomers,” Bob says. “They were real information-seekers. Laptops and desktops were still a few years away. It was an exciting time for parenting.”

The Unells owned the magazine for nearly a year before they sold it to another married couple so they could focus on national projects and publications. Then, in 2005, family values, bright ambition and a love for Kansas City led Michael and Susan Gimotty to acquire the magazine. A few years earlier, the Gimottys had started KC Baby & Maternity from scratch and were ready to expand their hometown reach.

“My prior job had me on the road a good amount, and I knew this wasn't something I wanted long-term once we started a family,” Michael says. “After Susan and I had four kids in six years, I was eager to put myself in a position where I could be around for my kids seven days a week. I have always been an entrepreneur by nature and enjoy taking on new challenges.”

The Gimottys jumped right in with making their own imprint on the publication, launching numerous modifications right off the bat and in the succeeding years. One of the first things they did was change the publication to a magazine-size glossy product, making it easy for on-the-go moms to grab and stick in their bag for later.

In addition, they converted the editorial to a local slant, with nearly all the stories coming from local writers. KC Parent also launched a strong digital presence that has been a huge part of its success in the past decade. KCParent.com gets more than 3.2 million page views annually, the weekly eNewsletter goes to nearly 53,000 people, and the Facebook page has more than 54,000 fans. During the last decade they’ve also added KC Going Places to their family of publications. Published bi-annually, the magazine features where to go and what to do in Kansas City for both local residents and visitors.

One thing that has not changed over the years is the timely, useful information the magazine provides. “The reason why Kansas City parents turn to our magazine for advice and tips is because the content has stayed relevant and local. Our calendar, both in print and online, has remained incredibly popular with our readers,” Michael says. “It is a real joy to know that we play some role in connecting families together in Kansas City.”

So what does the future hold for KC Parent? More timely content, relevant stories and a commitment to stay ahead of the curve, by bringing local parents helpful information for the next 35 years!