ABC's Monthly Online Member Newsletter

New Issue-By-Issue Reporting System Approved

At its March 2006 meeting, the ABC board of directors approved the launch of a new consumer magazine circulation-reporting tool called ABC Rapid Report. Rapid Report allows publishers to voluntarily report a reasonable estimation of their top-line circulation data on an issue-by-issue basis within weeks of the “on sale” date. The new service just completed a beta testing phase and will be available at no additional charge to publishers beginning with July-dated issues. Report data will also be free to all ABC members with online access.

The creation of the ABC Rapid Report program was a collaboration of ABC-member publishers and advertisers working together to address an important strategic need.

“This is a monumental leap forward for ABC and the print media industry,” said Donald J. Miceli, vice president of global media services, Kraft Foods. “With online access to timely, per-issue circulation data, media planners and buyers will be better informed and able to gauge traditional print media against other competitive media.”

ABC has issued several business guidelines to ensure the accuracy of data entered into Rapid Report including:

• Publishers are required to assert that the data entered into the ABC Rapid Report program is a reasonable estimation and is in compliance with existing ABC rules and policies.
  
  
• Publishers participating in the ABC Rapid Report program and then electing not to complete the submission of six-months worth of data will have a message posted on their ABC Rapid Report summary page: “Publisher elected not to complete submission for all issues in this period.”
  
  
• At the end of the six-month reporting period, the ABC Rapid Report program will automatically calculate a six-month average for each line item. These averages will be compared to the Publisher’s Statement average from that same period.
  
  
• Audit Reports will include a reconciliation of any differences between the ABC Rapid Report submissions and the final audited numbers.

Publishers will be able to make changes to the entered data at anytime. However, members can view a history-of-changes screen to see when they were made and what those changes were. Once a publication’s Publisher’s Statement is released, the publisher will no longer be able to make changes to the data entered for that reporting period.

“Magazine publishers enthusiastically support this new ABC initiative,” said David W. Leckey, executive vice president of consumer marketing at American Media Inc. “While print remains the most engaging of media, we recognize that advertisers have other choices. ABC’s Rapid Report service will allow us to be more responsive to market demands, provide greater accountability to our advertisers, and demonstrate the superb value of print media.”

For more information, members are encouraged to contact at (847) 879-8406.

Related Links:
ABC Rapid Report Fact Sheet
ABC March 2006 Board Actions
Sample Screens, Policies & Procedures

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