Rules & ResourcesBylaws & Rules
Chapter C: Article 4 - Time of Making Audits
C 4.1 Timing of Audit
(a) All audits for newspapers in the same city shall be for periods ending at the same date. If an audit is made for a shorter period on one of the newspapers in the city, the averages for the shorter period shall be the first of averages shown in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of reports issued for all newspapers in the city.
The regular audit of a daily newspaper shall cover a 12-month period ending with a calendar quarter. A daily newspaper with average paid circulation of 25,000 copies per issue or less may request an audit covering a 2-year period ending with a calendar quarter. Audit Reports and Publisher's Statements for newspapers using the 2-year audit plan will be issued on a simplified reporting form with Paragraph 2 reporting on the basis of either zones, "City of Publication" or Newspaper Designated Market.
(b) If, for any reason, the regular audit has not been made until after three months have elapsed since the end of the audit period, the Bureau may include in its audit such additional three months in order to give the latest information. In cases where the audit period ends with any date other than a regular semi-annual period, the publisher shall file a six-month Publisher's Statement covering the months intervening between the end of said statement period and the three months following the close of the audit period.
(c) In cities near one another or in such geographical relation that it is economical to audit the publications therein for identical periods, the audit periods in those cities shall be made to coincide.
C 4.2 Initial Audit
See also B 2.5.
(a) The initial audit of a newspaper applicant for membership in a city where there is already a newspaper member or members shall cover a period of at least 6 months ending with the same date as the audit of the present member or members, except as provided in Paragraph (c) of this section.
(b) The initial audit of a weekly, semiweekly or triweekly country newspaper applying for membership on the plan of being audited every other year shall cover a period of at least three months ending with any calendar quarter, except, in a city where there is already a newspaper member on the plan of being audited every other year, the initial audit period of three months shall end with same date as audit of member.
Weekly newspapers qualifying for an audit every other year may, at their option, report circulation averages in total or on the standard form for daily newspapers.
The initial audit of a weekly, semiweekly or triweekly newspaper published in a city or city zone of a daily newspaper member or members shall cover a period of at least six months ending with the same date as the audit of a present member or members and subsequent audits may be required on an annual basis and dues paid annually.
The annual audits of weekly, semiweekly or triweekly newspapers will be reported on the standard form.
(c) In the case of a newly established newspaper the initial audit may be made of all issues distributed within a regular period ending any calendar quarter provided there has been regular issuance for not less than three months and provided further said newspaper is not published in a city in which there already is a member or members. If there is a newspaper member in the city the initial audit may be made for all issues distributed within the audit period already established provided there has been regular issuance for not less than three months. If there has not been regular issuance for at least three months, the initial audit of the applicant shall be deferred until the following regular audit period.
C 4.3 Reinstatement Audit
Reinstatement audits of newspapers under suspension of service shall coincide with the audit period of the other newspapers in the same city.