James Webster

  • Professor, Communication Studies, School of Communication

James Webster is a Professor in Communication Studies. He got his PhD from Indiana University. He’s been at Northwestern for 28 years, including 15 as an Associate Dean in the School of Communication. During that time, he helped create the School’s doctoral program in Media, Technology and Society. He has recently published two books; The Marketplace of Attention: How Audiences Take Shape in a Digital Age (2014 MIT Press) and the fourth edition of Ratings Analysis: Audience Measurement and Analytics (2014 Routledge). In addition to his research and teaching, he works from time to time as a consultant for audience measurement and media companies. In 2012 he won the University of Amsterdam’s Denis McQuail award for writing the article that best advanced communication theory. For more information and copies of his work see his personal website.