Forbes claims biz magazine supremacy

Forbes magazine issues a release Wednesday where it claimed to be the business magazine leader, according to Mediamark Research & Intelligence’s MRI Fall 2009 report.

Forbes’ audience is now larger than at any time in the company’s 92-year history, representing the largest audience reach for any business title in the last 15 years.

Forbes’ total audience has increased 11.6 percent during the past year, and now reaches more than 6 million readers, outpacing its next closest competitor by more than 32 percent. Forbes also reported that its audience of women grew 20 percent during the past year, and now includes nearly 2 million female readers.

“As this new data indicates, never before have people been more hungry for business insight and information,” said Timothy Forbes, president and chief operating officer, in a statement. “As the most trusted source, Forbes is gaining readers, and advertisers who choose to pull back right now are missing a true opportunity to reach not only the largest audience for business coverage, but also the greatest number of senior business decision makers, including 2 million women.”

Forbes grew its 18- to 24-year-old readership during the past year by 26 percent to nearly three quarters of a million readers. Among affluent readers, Forbes retains its position as the category leader among readers with household income of $150,000 and higher.