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ABC Announces Release of 500th Reader Profile Report
Growing Acceptance with Two-Thirds Daily Newspapers 50K Circulation and Over Participating

Schaumburg, Ill. (April 28, 2005) – Today the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) announced the release of its 500th newspaper Reader Profile report, naming the Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) as the 500th recipient of this verified readership report.

Launched in 1999, ABC’s Reader Profile verification service was created to provide standardized readership reporting as a complement to audited circulation. Readership continues to be a subject of growing interest in the newspaper industry as media buyers and sellers demand enhanced metrics to complete their dialogue.

“My department and I rely on Reader Profile for many of the buys we execute,” said Jeff Piper, vice president and general manager, Carat Press. “The standardization offered by Reader Profile allows me to convert newspaper readership to a cost-per-point basis so I can easily compare pricing to spot broadcast and spot television. This simply makes it easier to sell newspapers head-to-head against broadcast. With the demographic information it also makes it easier to sell newspapers to clients that are trying to reach demos that are traditionally viewed as light readers of newspaper--like younger adults and women.”

“It’s important work,” said Scott Whitley, advertising director at The San Diego Union-Tribune. “ABC's Reader Profile provides industry-developed standards, a kind of litmus test, on how readership metrics are acquired and offers a confidence booster for our advertisers. It can give them a clearer picture of media comparisons and helps us better position newspapers as part of the overall media mix. I’m optimistic about the next couple of years as readership metrics become more accepted across all newspapers.”

According to recent ABC statistics, two-thirds of all daily newspapers with a reported average circulation of 50,000 and above and 81 percent of the largest daily newspapers (by largest reported circulation) are participants of Reader Profile.

Also of note, Morris Communications recently enrolled 13 of their publications in the Reader Profile service and Freedom Communications enrolled 11 titles.

According to ABC’s John Payne, senior vice president, strategic planning, “The success of Reader Profile is a tribute to the collaborative hard work and commitment of all our members. From day one, our Reader Profile Advisory Committee (RPAC) has done a terrific job of considering the concerns of today’s newspaper advertisers and publishers. They will continue to put much time and effort into ensuring Reader Profile’s relevancy to those who use it.”

“The positive response to ABC’s Reader Profile verification service demonstrates a growing appetite for credible, comparable readership numbers as a display of advertising currency,” observes ABC’s Mark Wachowicz, senior vice president, marketing and sales. “For both publishers and media planners, Reader Profile facilitates conversations on previously overlooked media opportunities. It is exciting to be able to address the needs of today’s sophisticated media mix. It’s exciting to be a part of this growing dynamic.”

To find out more about ABC’s Reader Profile, visit http://www.accessabc.com/services/research.htm or contact at (847) 879-8321.

With more than 4,000 members, ABC is in its 91st year as the first and largest circulation-auditing organization in the world, maintaining the world’s foremost electronic database of audited-circulation information and a growing array of verified readership, subscriber demographics and online activity data. ABC offers reports and services in a variety of flexible formats, including print, spreadsheet, CD-ROM and online at http://www.accessabc.com.