Case Studies
Ball State Professor Uses ABC Data to Teach the Business of Magazines
Situation
Professor David E. Sumner teaches magazine writing and management courses in the Department of Journalism at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. Ball State’s department is one of the ten largest in the country. Sumner describes JOUR 328: Magazine Management as a “macroview of trends and issues in the magazine industry.”
Issue
Sumner’s magazine management class provides a glimpse into the world of magazine publishing. “I describe this course as everything about magazines except the writing,” he said. A major part of the magazine industry is analyzing trends and researching individual magazines and the industry in general. Sumner wanted his students to use the same information as media professionals to evaluate magazines.
Solution
As an associate academic member of ABC, Sumner can download PDFs of three years of newspaper and magazine data via eStatements. He is also able to purchase additional products at member rates. Sumner, who has written three books about magazines, chose to purchase the ABC Magazine Trend Report and put it on reserve for his students at the library.
Results
Sumner’s students use ABC data for two major projects—a profile of a magazine publisher and a profile of a specific sector of magazines. These projects help prepare students for careers in magazine publishing. “I’ve heard from students who are able to go to work at a magazine and have a familiarity with the industry that their peers lack,” Sumner said. He added that this class introduces students to the vocabulary and issues common to the publishing industry and helps them transition to jobs where they use the data.
About ABC’s Associate Academic Membership
Using real-life data helps students understand what it means to work in the media
industry before starting their careers. ABC reports also reflect the evolving publishing
industry by including both print and digital data. ABC can provide your
university with the same reports and services used in the media industry to unlock
trends in circulation, prices, readership and more.
There are many educational uses for ABC data, but only students, faculty and staff of ABC-member universities may have access. ABC now offers two options for academic associate membership.
All university students, faculty and staff may access ABC data upon request with ABC’s newest option, Library Resource Center Associate Membership. The university library holds membership, and for just $250 annually, the library’s digital resources are enhanced by ABC data. Additional licenses are available for $100 each.
For $100, ABC’s Academic Department Associate Membership allows one academic department to access the data.
No matter which membership type you choose, there are many benefits to becoming an academic associate member:
- Access to thousands of reports via ABC’s eStatements, updated every 24 hours
- Understand ABC reports with educational booklets and web training
- Navigate products and services with help from ABC’s dedicated staff
- Purchase additional products at regular member rates
- Stay informed with news and email communications
- Save with multi-year membership
The goal of Sumner’s magazine management class is to teach students how the magazine industry works, and using actual ABC data facilitates these learning goals. Students use circulation data to profile a magazine publisher and track the company’s circulation trends. In another project, students choose a specific magazine sector, such as women’s or travel magazines, and profile at least 10 magazines of a specific sector.
“The students seem to appreciate having an understanding of how the magazine business works,” Sumner said.
Syllabus
Research Paper
Powerpoint Presentation
For More Information
More information about academic associate membership is available on ABC’s website. Applications for library resource center or academic department membership are also available. If you are interested in academic membership, please contact at 224-366-6484.
David E. Sumner, Ph.D., is a professor of journalism at
Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where he has
taught magazine journalism since 1990. He was named
the “Magazine Educator of the Year” by the Association
for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in
2007. He has authored or co-authored five books.
For more information, visit www.professormagazine.com.
