Brainchild of Philadelphia Inquirer publisher Walter Annenberg, TV Guide was created in 1953 as the ephemeral bible of the television generation. It was sold to Rupert Murdoch in 1988. Its multiple local program guides, meshed with national features on stars, programming and even investigative work, have allowed it to vie with Reader’s Digest as the most popular American magazine (13 million plus circulation). Still, like television, it remains absent from scholarly settings like libraries, even though the magazine may figure as a collectible in its own right. Annenberg, ambassador to Britain under Reagan, used his media wealth to fund communication studies and civic and educational projects.