QuickLinks -- Click here to rapidly navigate through this document
Exhibit 5.4
WOLF, BLOCK, SCHORR AND SOLIS-COHEN LLP LETTERHEAD
May 27, 2004
PRIMEDIA Inc.
745 Fifth Avenue
23rd Floor
New York, New York 10151
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special Pennsylvania counsel to PRIMEDIA Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and to PRIMEDIA Enthusiast Publications, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation (the "Pennsylvania Guarantor"), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement") filed by the Company and the subsidiaries of the Company named in Schedule I hereto (the "Guarantors") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, relating to the issuance by the Company of $300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 8% Senior Notes due 2013, Series B (the "Exchange Securities") and the issuance by the Guarantors of guarantees (each a "Guarantee" and, collectively, the "Guarantees") with respect to the Exchange Securities. The Exchange Securities and the Guarantees will be issued under an indenture dated as of May 15, 2003 (the "Indenture"), among the Company, the Guarantors and The Bank of New York, as trustee (the "Trustee"). The Exchange Securities will be offered by the Company in exchange for $300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 8% Senior Notes due 2013, Series A (the "Securities").
We have examined the Indenture, which has been filed with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We also have examined the originals, or duplicates or certified or conformed copies, of such corporate records, agreements, documents and other instruments and have made such other investigations as we have deemed relevant and necessary in connection with the opinions hereinafter set forth. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied upon certificates or comparable documents of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company and the Pennsylvania Guarantor. With your permission, we have relied upon a copy of a certificate of the Secretary of the Company and of the Pennsylvania Guarantor dated May 15, 2003 as if it were dated this date, and we have assumed that the Pennsylvania Guarantor is, directly or indirectly, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. With respect to the opinion set forth in numbered paragraph 1 below, we have relied upon copies of a subsistence certificate of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania dated October 23, 2002 and a letter from CT Corporation dated April 27, 2004.
In rendering the opinions set forth below, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as duplicates or certified or conformed copies and the authenticity of the originals of such documents. We also have assumed that the Indenture is the valid and legally binding obligation of the Trustee, the Company and each of the other parties thereto other than the Pennsylvania Guarantor.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications, assumptions and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
1. The Pennsylvania Guarantor has been duly incorporated and is a subsisting corporation under the law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
2. The Pennsylvania Guarantor has duly authorized, by all necessary corporate action, the execution and delivery of the Indenture.
3. The execution, delivery and performance by the Pennsylvania Guarantor of the Indenture and the Guarantee issued by the Pennsylvania Guarantor (the "Pennsylvania Guarantee") do not and will
not violate any law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania normally applicable to transactions of the type described above.
4. When (a) the Exchange Securities have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture upon the exchange and (b) the Pennsylvania Guarantee has been duly issued, the Pennsylvania Guarantee will constitute a valid and legally binding obligation of the Pennsylvania Guarantor enforceable against the Pennsylvania Guarantor in accordance with its terms.
Our opinions set forth above are subject to (1) the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally, (2) general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and (3) an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
We are members of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This opinion letter is given as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update or supplement this opinion letter to reflect any facts or circumstances that may hereafter come to our attention or any changes in laws that may hereafter occur.
This opinion letter may be relied upon by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in giving their opinions in connection with the above referenced transaction and we hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. This opinion letter may not be used for any other purpose without our prior written consent.
|
Very truly yours, |
|
/s/ Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen LLP |
|
WOLF, BLOCK, SCHORR AND SOLIS-COHEN LLP |
2
SCHEDULE I: GUARANTORS
Legal Name
| | Jurisdiction of Organization
|
|---|
| About, Inc. | | Delaware |
| Canoe & Kayak, Inc. | | Delaware |
| Channel One Communications Corp. | | Delaware |
| Cover Concepts Marketing Services, LLC | | Delaware |
| CSK Publishing Company Inc. | | Delaware |
| Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Inc. | | Delaware |
| Go Lo Entertainment, Inc. | | Delaware |
| Haas Publishing Companies, Inc. | | Delaware |
| Hacienda Productions, Inc. | | Delaware |
| HPC Brazil, Inc. | | Delaware |
| IntelliChoice,Inc. | | California |
| Kagan Media Appraisals, Inc. | | California |
| Kagan Seminars, Inc. | | California |
| Kagan World Media, Inc. | | Delaware |
| McMullen Argus Publishing, Inc. | | California |
| Media Central IP Corp. | | Delaware |
| Motor Trend Auto Shows Inc. | | Delaware |
| Paul Kagan Associates, Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Companies Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Enthusiast Publications, Inc. | | Pennsylvania |
| PRIMEDIA Finance Shared Services,Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Holdings III Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Information Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Leisure Group Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Magazines Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Magazine Finance Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Special Interest Publications Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Specialty Group Inc. | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Workplace Learning LLC | | Delaware |
| PRIMEDIA Workplace Learning LP | | Delaware |
| Simba Information Inc. | | Connecticut |
| The Virtual Flyshop, Inc. | | Delaware |
3
QuickLinks
SCHEDULE I: GUARANTORS
