Hi 79waves. Thanks for the great question!
While I did not find a published dollar figure for annual revenue
generated by US News & World Report’s ‘Best Colleges’ issue, I did
find information that yields an answer when applied to newsstand and
subscription issue rates. Based on US News and World Report's
subscription page
( https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/document?ikey=020DAIZA5 ), issues
come to $.48 each as part of an annual subscription. They advertise
that as an 87% savings over the newsstand price. Therefore, newsstand
price is $3.69.
Washington Business Forward provides the following figures in the July
1, 2002 issue, excerpted from an article by Julie Bosman called "The
Most Powerful People in the World of Education in Washington Aren't in
an Ivory Tower: They're in the Fourth Estate. U.S. News & World Report
Has Built a Terrific (and Controversial) Business Ranking Everything
in Higher Education."
( http://www.bizforward.com/wdc/issues/2002-02/education/listmaker.shtml
):
"What began as slightly more than a survey in 1983 has burgeoned into
an unrivaled education franchise, including a spin-off Best Colleges
Guidebook available on newsstands throughout the academic year. The
Best Colleges Issue's popularity is remarkable: In 2000, it sold more
than 2 million issues, with single-copy sales topping 55,000 (average
for the six-month period between July and December was a little more
than 49,000). In 1999, with total sales nearing 2.2 million,
single-copy sales reached 70,000 - a number well above that
six-month-period's average of 57,000. Additionally, the Best Colleges
Guidebook, which costs $7.95, routinely sells more than a million
copies. That's quite a respectable showing for a magazine that media
buffs predicted would be forced out of the market at least a decade
ago."
Using the 2000 numbers:
Newsstand sales of 55,000 @ $3.69/issue = $202,950
The remaining 1.45 million subscription sales @ $.48/issue = $696,000
Total: $898,950
1999 numbers:
Newsstand sales of 70,000 @ $3.69/issue = $258,300
The remaining 2.13 million subscription sales @ $.48/issue =
$1,022,400
Total: $1,280,700
(Of course The Guidebook, selling over a million copies at $7.95 each,
brings in more than $7,950,000 in additional revenue.)
I also found the following in a 1997 article from Oberlin College's
alumni magazine, called "Brace Yourselves: College Rankings Season
Approaches," written by Ross Peacock, Oberlin's then Director of
Institutional Research:
"Every August faculty, staff, and alumni hold their collective breath
when the US News and World Report college rankings are published. And
every August families with college-bound children snap up about 2.4
million copies of that one issue--a phenomenal news-stand-sales rate,
the profit from which is nearly equivalent to three months of
subscription revenue."
( http://www.oberlin.edu/~alummag/oampast/oam_sum97/Around/rankings.html
)
And, last but not least, this from a New York Times' article dated
8/20/2001 called "'Best' List for Colleges by U.S. News Is Under
Fire," by Alex Kuczynski (it covers single issue, not total, sales.):
"The list has indeed spawned a profitable side business for U.S. News
& World Report, at a time when newsstand sales are sinking for all
magazines and advertising revenue for U.S. News is down 20.5 percent
for the year, through July.
Last year's best-colleges issue of U.S. News, dated Sept. 11, sold
56,444 copies on the newsstand, according to the Audit Bureau of
Circulations. That was about 40 percent higher than the magazine's
typical newsstand sales."
( http://www.utep.edu/newspubs/Releases/Aug01/newyorktimes.html )
I hope this answer provides the information you were looking for!
Please feel free to request clarification if I can be of any further
help!
Best,
Rebecca
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