ABC's Monthly Online Member Newsletter

A Look Ahead: June 2006 Publisher's Statements

At its March 2006 meeting, ABC’s board of directors unanimously voted to approve the final format changes to the new consumer magazine Publisher’s Statement and related reports. These changes include:

• A new FAS-FAX format that reflects the new “verified” category.
• Adjusting the new verified circulation category to include analyzed non-paid categories of direct request and lists/directory source where the consumer has been given an “opt-out” option.
• For the June 2006 and Dec. 2006 reporting periods, allowing publishers to report Paragraph 6A - Additional Analysis of Verified Public Place and 6B - Additional Analysis of Verified Individual Use Data on a single representative issue for the period covered by the Publisher’s Statement.
• Adopting formal rules regarding the recently created verified circulation category, Rule F 15.1 Verified Circulation.

A Look at the New FAS-FAX Report Format

With the new consumer magazine Publisher’s Statement being released in June, ABC's FAS-FAX format will be undergoing transitory changes. To give you a better idea of what lies ahead, here is a glimpse at a future FAS-FAX.

About Rule 15.1 Verified Circulation
(Go to ABC's Web site to review the new rule.)

Some key things to note about the new rule:

• It is effective for issues served on January 1, 2006 and forward
• It is applicable to subscriptions only
• Verified circulation includes copies designated by publishers for:
  • Public place (where copies are to be read in public places)
  • Individual use (describing individual users who may have an affinity for the publication)
  • Individual use may not include:
    • Copies originally intended as ‘paid’ but payment not obtained (i.e., credit cancels)
    • Copies claimed as ‘paid’, then disqualified during the audit process
• All recipients must:
  • Be presented with ‘opt-out’ opportunity on an annual basis and within 90 days of the start of service. 'Opt-out' must be presented in a clear, reasonable and conspicuous language.
  • Receive at least two consecutive issues
• No back copies are permitted

Paragraph 6A and 6B Reporting

At the March 2006 meeting, the ABC board also finalized the reporting format and related rules for Paragraph 6A Additional Analysis of Verified Public Place and 6B Additional Analysis of Verified Individual Use. These changes reflect the new verified category:

(Note:The full June 2006 Publisher’s Statement prototype is available online.)

6A: Public place will identify distribution locations and list them by the top five locations (by volume) required, then list an aggregate ‘Other’ category.

6B: Individual use will identify the source used to obtain names of recipients. Sources must be editorially consistent with magazine (e.g., individuals with affinity for the title). 6B will also report a list of the top five name sources (by volume) required, then list an aggregate ‘Other’ category.

6A and 6B reflect a publication’s choice to report from a standardized list of possible locations (aligned with SIC codes) and a list of possible name sources. These standardized selections will be made available on ABC’s Web site.

The board also recognized that reporting a six-month average in Paragraphs 6A and 6B for the June 2006 and Dec. 2006 audit period would represent a transition period for members to implement the necessary changes to their record-keeping systems. To accommodate this transition, the board voted to allow publishers to report paragraph 6A and 6B data using a single representative issue for 2006 reporting periods. In 2007, all publishers will report six-month averages.

Three Report Formats Available:

As the result of the recent changes to ABC consumer magazine reporting, three format types are available to members for the June 2006 period:

• Paid and Verified
• Analyzed Non-Paid
• Paid, Verified and Analyzed Non-Paid

Related Links
Summary of March 2006 Board Actions
Consumer Magazine Bylaws and Rules
Rule 15.1 Verified Circulation
June 2006 Publisher’s Statement Prototype
ABC Professional Circulator Series- 2006 Consumer Magazine Training Sessions

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