P.M. BRIEFING : Publisher Dies in Moscow Crash

Robert Rodale, who built a publishing empire from his father’s magazines Prevention and Organic Gardening, was killed today in a car accident in Moscow, the company said. He was 60.

Rodale was in the Soviet Union to set up a Russian-language edition of The New Farmer, one of numerous publications of the Rodale Press Inc. devoted to a natural approach to agriculture that reduces reliance on chemicals.

Rodale and the Russian publisher of the new venture were killed on their way to the Moscow airport about 1 p.m., said Kae Tienstra, spokeswoman for the company.

The Rodale Press has become a publishing giant known for its sophisticated direct-marketing techniques. The company, which publishes Runner’s World, Bicycling, Backpacker and Practical Homeowner among numerous others, had $214 million in revenue last year.