ABC's Monthly Online Member Newsletter

Chicago Tribune/Tribune Media Group First Newspaper to Report Expanded Circulation and Audience Data in ABC’s Consolidated Media Report

ABC recently released the first newspaper Consolidated Media Report (CMR) for the Chicago Tribune featuring a variety of print and online products for the Tribune Media Group. ABC’s CMR is a new report that provides newspapers with the opportunity to present advertisers with a comprehensive overview of a newspaper brand’s entire reach across multiple products, channels and platforms.

“The Consolidated Media Report allows publishers to highlight the strengths of their diversified product portfolio,” commented Tony Hunter, president and CEO, Chicago Tribune Media Group. “As we continue to expand our niche and online capabilities, this first-of-its-kind reporting is an important tool in providing advertisers comprehensive information about our products and marketplace reach. Moving forward, this report will be a large part of Chicago Tribune Media Group’s solution based, business-to-business marketing efforts.”

Chicago Tribune Media Group’s Bob Fleck, senior vice president of advertising, continued, “Advertisers have choices. It is our obligation to provide a reliable report on the scope and magnitude of our offerings by emphasizing the opportunities advertisers have for extended, or new, exposure with a variety of products available to reach traditional and new consumers. This is a prime opportunity to show how print media is uniquely positioned to help clients achieve their marketing objectives.”

On the front page of its CMR, the Tribune Media Group features print circulation data for the Chicago Tribune; RedEye, a predominantly free publication available Monday through Saturday; The Mash, a weekly newspaper largely written by teens and serving the teen market; Hoy, a Spanish language newspaper published Monday through Friday; and Fin de Semana, a Spanish language publication available on Sundays. These print products were summed to arrive at a combined weekday average circulation of 779,747 and a weekend average circulation of 1,268,784.

The second page of the report displays print readership and website usage data in an enhanced Audience-FAX display box for the Chicago Tribune, RedEye and Hoy. A copy of the Chicago Tribune’s CMR is posted on ABC’s website and in the e-Data center.

“The Consolidated media Report is yet another example of ABC’s efforts to innovate and evolve with the changing newspaper industry,” said Mike Lavery, ABC’s president and managing director. “It joins other ABC reports and services like Audience-FAX, the Preprint Projection Center and IVS in complementing traditional circulation reports to provide a broader picture of a newspaper’s overall reach in the markets it serves.”

Approved for testing at the July 2008 ABC board of directors meeting, the Chicago Tribune volunteered to participate in the audit program as part of ABC’s initial beta test. All of the products included on the CMR must be owned and operated by an ABC member and ABC auditors must independently verify all of the data.

Each CMR is unique and the layout of the report varies from newspaper to newspaper, as it is designed to fit the needs of each individual paper. However, a sample prototype is available on ABC’s website.

For More Information

ABC's CMR is designed to provide publishers with the utmost flexibility and encourage customization. Newspapers can feature a variety of metrics, including: paid newspaper circulation, free distribution, non-paid newspapers, e-mail newsletters, text alerts, mobile distribution, website traffic, print and online readership and more. ABC auditors can also work with publishers to test the reporting and auditing of any products that do not fit into one of the above categories.

To discuss reporting options and formats, including a customized quote, please contact ABC's at (224) 366-6412 or at (224) 366-6356.

Related Links:
Press Release: ABC Releases First Consolidated Media Report for Newspapers
Newspaper Consolidated Media Report Product Description
Newspaper Consolidated Media Report Sample Prototype
Chicago Tribune’s Consolidated Media Report

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