ABC's Monthly Online Member Newsletter

ABC Board Addresses Multimedia Reporting Options for All Publisher Divisions

As today’s media market becomes increasingly focused on integration, ABC members are beginning to consider different methods of reporting cross-platform audience metrics that may better reflect a publication’s entire reach.

At its March 2007 meeting, the ABC board addressed this issue in each of its publisher divisions:

Business Publications
Beginning with the June 2007 reporting period, business publications may report an aggregated figure for qualified circulation, Web site unique users, pass-along recipients, and e-newsletter distribution in a sidebar box highlighted on the front page of ABC Publisher’s Statements and Audit Reports. A prototype of the report is posted on ABC’s Web site. All information reported on ABC statements must be ABC-audited.

For more information about Multimedia Publisher’s Statements or Audit Reports for business publications, members are encouraged to contact ABC’s vice president, audit services, at (847) 879-8296.

Consumer Magazines
The board endorsed the concept of an optional Multimedia Publisher’s Statement that would allow publishers to detail print circulation and ABCi-audited Web site traffic in a single report.

The ABC board asked that its buyer and publisher advisory committees provide detailed recommendations for the board to consider at its next meeting in July.

Newspapers
The ABC board provided preliminary approval to work with the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) and Scarborough Research to begin incorporating audience estimates in ABC U.S. media reports. While still in development, the intent is for ABC to allow newspaper publishers the option to report in-market readership—print and online—in a combined net-audience figure, as well as overall Web site activity. ABC would verify this optional information, in addition to the requisite print circulation figures. The data is expected to be available in an online database, where advertisers could analyze audience and circulation information by market areas.

If given final approval by the ABC board at its next meeting in July, newspaper publishers could begin reporting this optional information as early as the September 2007 six-month reporting period.

Related Links:
Business Publication Multimedia Publisher’s Statement Prototype
ABC Board Addresses Multimedia Reporting
March 2007 Board Actions

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