Topic: College of Communication Information and Media
August 14, 2007
National Geographic barely edged The New Yorker for top spot in a survey of the nation's top consumer magazines, according to a new survey by Ball State.
The ranking was conducted by David Sumner, a Ball State journalism professor, who presented the findings at the recent annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in Washington, D.C.
The study is based on responses from 49 journalism professors in the association's magazine division.
"I asked the professors to rank the magazines according to their influence and prestige among readers, as well as scope and size of circulation," Sumner said. "The study found a significant statistical correlation between the professors' rankings and the number of National Magazine Awards these magazines had won, which is what you would expect to find. The National Magazine Awards are the most prestigious in the magazine industry and comparable to the Pulitzer Prizes among newspapers."
National Geographic received 39 votes — one more than The New Yorker — to capture the top spot. Rounding out the top five are Sports Illustrated with 35 votes, Newsweek with 34 and Time with 33.
The next five-ranked magazines in Sumner's poll are Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Esquire, O The Oprah Magazine and People.
Also during the conference, Sumner, who coordinates Ball State's magazine program, was honored as the 2007 Magazine Educator of the Year by AEJMC's magazine division in recognition of his national leadership in magazine research and education.
It's the 27th year the organization has saluted outstanding magazine professionals and educators. Past honorees include William Shawn of The New Yorker, Richard Stolley of Time Inc. and Abe Peck of Northwestern University.
By Marc Ransford, Senior Communications Strategist