I think the referencce was regarding to wt lieterature in general and not just awake.
now with the internet you can forget about wt "literature" for all practical purposes but
decades ago it was a cheap and convinient source of information reaching disadvantage groups that was not availble to most people, specially in many parts of the world. Magazines 5 cents an issue, books 25 and 50 cents, to the public..
it did provide a rounded knowledge that could eventually set people apart in many ways
college education is directed mainly in one particular norrow field and does not prepare individuals to become "educated" and organized citizenz.
Most people go to college to get a job or start a business eventually. In the work place and businees world attitude and social skill may count more than specilized knowledge which is always being changed or updated, a manager can temporaly hire an 'specialist' anyway to solve difficult task.
one problen with wt magaznies and books, the "information" did not follow a topic or subject fron beginin to end in one issue it, so it took many years for a jw to become "educated".