SBC named 'most admired? by Fortune magazine

Fortune magazine recently named SBC Communications the country's most admired telecommunications company.

According to an SBC press release, this is the sixth time SBC has made it to the top of Fortune's telecommunications industry ranking.

SBC finished first in every performance category, with its highest individual score, 7.70, in the financial soundness category.

The other seven evaluation categories are quality of management, quality of products or services, innovativeness, in-vestment value, ability to attract and re-tain talented people, social responsibility and use of assets.

The survey for the list is conducted among financial analysts, senior executives and members of the boards of directors of leading companies.

SBC's overall composite score of 7.30 is more than one percentage point higher than the score of the second-ranked Verizon Communications. SBC joins companies such as General Electric, Johnson & Johnson and Southwest Air-lines as national leaders in their respective industries.

"SBC's spot on the most admired' list is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our more than 190,000 employees," said Edward E. Whitacre Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of SBC communications.

"During what has been a challenging year for American business, we are particularly pleased to receive this distinguished recognition from our peers and others who follow us closely."

"This distinction is an honor for our family at SBC Southwestern Bell-Mis-souri," added Jan Newton, president of SBC Southwestern Bell-Missouri.

Fortune's list of America's most ad-mired corporations will run in the March 4 issue of that publication.