ABC's Circ For Tomorrow

Magazine publishers and media buyers last week roundly applauded the March 10 vote by the Audit Bureau of Circulations board to radically alter the rules governing how paid circ is measured and reported in publishers’ biannual statements. Still, some lingering concerns remain.

While a major hurdle–the amount of disclosure required for discounted subscriptions–was finally addressed, the ABC recommendations would add another layer of complexity to publishers’ “pink sheets.” And as publishers cheer the move to eliminate the 50-percent-of-basic requirement (which qualified only those subs sold for at least half the basic price), advertisers will be scrutinizing statements to see if publishers have pumped up their circ with cheap subs.

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