Rules & Resources
Newspaper Support Center

U.S. Newspaper Qualification and Reporting Support Center

Rule Modifications Summary - July 2008

At its July 2008 meeting, the ABC board modified the following rules related to the U.S. newspaper qualification and reporting initiative.

Rule Modifications Aimed at Newspapers with Average Paid Circulation Less Than 50,000 and Newspapers with Average Paid Circulation of 50,000 to 75,000

The board approved several rule changes to ease auditing and reporting requirements for two categories of newspapers: those with average paid circulation less than 50,000 and those with average paid circulation of 50,000 to 75,000.

Unanimous Consent – Effective Oct. 1, 2008
Modify rules C 2.1 Circulation Averages, C 2.5 Circulation Above or Below average for Other Days, C 4.1 Timing of Audit and C 2.12 Audit Report Maps to ease auditing and reporting requirements for newspapers with total average paid circulation of less than 50,000. These newspapers will have the option of undergoing every-other-year audits instead of annual audits. These newspapers will also no longer be required to report circulation averages for each day of the week. Newspapers not reporting by day of week may choose to report a five-day (Mon-Fri) or a six-day (Mon-Sat) combined daily average.

Also, newspapers with average paid circulation less than 50,000 will no longer be required to include a map displaying current ABC zone boundaries and designated distribution areas.

Previously, these options were only available to newspapers with total average paid circulation of less than 25,000.

This ruling advances the original timeline approved by the board at its March 2008 meeting by six months allowing December 2008 audits to take advantage of this rule.

First Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board also gave initial approval to allow newspapers with total average paid circulation between 50,000 and 75,000 to be eligible for every-other-year audits provided the following conditions are met:

  • Less than five percent of the newspaper’s total average paid circulation may be generated from third-party sales.
  • The most recently released audit does not have an adjustment that exceeded two percent.
  • The newspaper must participate monthly in the Preprint Projection Center.

Rule Changes for All U.S. Newspapers Effective April 1, 2009

The first set of newspaper qualification and reporting rule changes will take effect April 1, 2009.

Final Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board of directors voted to modify Rule C 1.1 Paid Circulation Defined to change the qualification of paid circulation to one cent or more per subscription or single copy, net of all considerations.

The board also amended the following rules to reflect the redefinition of paid circulation: Rule C 5.7 Subscriptions Involving Charitable Donations, Rule C 5.9 Subscriptions Purchased with Award Points, Rule C 5.10 Vacation Paks, and Rule C 5.20 In-House Credits. Copies generated through these programs will qualify as paid circulation if the reader pays at least one cent, net of all considerations, for the newspaper.

First Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board modified Rule C 1.2 Prices to align the rule with changes made to the rules governing geographical or zone reporting. Under the new rules, geographical reporting becomes optional so publishers are no longer required to establish separate basic prices for each geographic area. If a publisher chooses to continue reporting by zone, they may optionally report a different set of basic prices for each zone.

Newspapers will continue to establish an annual basic price and single-copy basic price for each frequency of delivery available to consumers. The prices must be published at least quarterly within the publication and the newspaper must be able to demonstrate current and ongoing sales at those prices.

This rule was further amended from the April 28 interim board meeting to require reporting of single-copy basic prices.

Final Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board also voted to eliminate the reciprocity element of Rule C 2.7 Days Omitted from Averages. Same-city newspapers or newspapers in overlapping markets will no longer have the option of eliminating a day solely because another newspaper in their market eliminated that day. Newspapers are still allowed a maximum of 10 omitted days in a 12-month period.

First Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board voted to modify Rule C 2.9 Analysis of Individually Paid Home-Delivery Circulation by Price Category to require newspapers to report their total average print individually paid home delivery circulation by two price categories: equal to or greater than 25 percent of basic price, and less than 25 percent of basic price. This break-out reporting is only required if more than five percent of the home-delivered circulation is sold at prices below 25 percent of the basic price.

This requirement will expire following the September 2012 reporting period.

Additionally, beginning April 1, 2009, newspaper will be required to report an average price in Paragraph 5 of ABC reports.

Final Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board also voted to modify Rule C 2.11 Intermittent Subscriptions to phase out all intermittent subscriptions by 2011. The current rule will remain in effect until 2011, with the following stipulations:

  • Publishers are required to post all intermittent subscription details on an ABC-hosted Web site no less than 120 days prior to delivery.
    • The posting must include the date of delivery and the number of copies that will be served as part of the program.
    • Failure to post the information may disqualify the intermittent subscription copies from paid circulation.

Intermittent subscriptions will be phased out according to the follow timeline:

  • 2009 – A maximum of 50 intermittent days may be claimed as paid for the 12-month period covering the September 2009 and March 2010 Publisher’s Statements.
  • 2010 – A maximum of 25 intermittent days may be claimed as paid for the 12-month period covering the September 2010 and March 2011 Publisher’s Statements.
  • 2011 – All intermittent days must be reported as verified circulation beginning with the September 2011 Publisher’s Statement period.

First Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
As part of ABC’s rule review process, the board voted to eliminate the following rules because they were deemed no longer relevant or material to the current newspaper market: Rule C 2.14 Renewals, Rule C 3.5 Association Subscriptions and Rule C 5.19 Installment Subscriptions.

First Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board modified Rule 3.7 Gift Subscriptions Not Recognized as Paid Circulation to allow gift subscriptions that have been paid for by someone who has been offered a premium and the amount received is less than the full value of the premium plus one cent.

Final Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board also voted to amend Rule C 5.12 Subscription Offer Based on Acceptance Unless Declined to allow publishers to “upgrade” current home subscriber to a greater frequency without prior consent provided the following requirements are met:

  • Subscriber is notified of the upgrade on the first day of delivery.
  • The notification advises the subscriber of the delivery and term changes and provides clear and conspicuous instructions to opt out of the upgrade.
  • The upgraded delivery term is at least 12 consecutive weeks.
  • If a subscriber opts out within the first 12 weeks of the delivery term, all previously served circulation must be removed from the paid circulation category.
  • Advertisers must be notified at least 120 days in advance of all upgrade programs through ABC’s Web site.
  • Publishers must provide full disclosure of the upgraded subscriber programs in the explanatory paragraph of ABC reports.

The board also approved the following standards to govern “forced” frequency conversions:

A publisher may eliminate an existing frequency and convert all of those subscribers to a new delivery schedule that is available to the public. The additional service is known as a “forced” conversion and can qualify as paid circulation provided the following criteria are met:

  • The frequency change must be incorporated in all promotional and sales materials no later than 30 days prior to the first delivery date of the new frequency.
  • All frequency changes must be applied to a defined geographic area.
  • The discontinued frequency cannot be reinstated within the affected geography for six months after its discontinuance.
  • All affected households must receive clear and conspicuous notice of the change.
  • No inference should be made that the change in frequency is temporary.
  • Advertisers must be notified of all frequency conversion programs, both “opt out” and “forced,” at least 120 days in advance via an ABC-hosted Web site.

Final Passage – Effective April 1, 2009
The board altered Rule C 5.3 Combination Sales to allow two or more subscriptions to be sold in combination, provided each subscription is sold for at least one cent.

The board also modified Rule C 5.3 with respect to Joint Distribution Agreements (JDAs). The board agreed to “grandfather in” current JDAs so that circulation generated from those programs will continue to qualify as paid circulation under the new rules. New joint distribution agreements will be required to provide subscribers the opportunity to opt out of the program.

Rule Changes for All U.S. Newspapers Effective Oct. 1, 2010

The second set of rules modifications approved by the ABC board of directors will take effect Oct. 1, 2010.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board modified Bylaw 2.11 Paid Circulation Defined to clarify that verified circulation is excluded from paid circulation for membership eligibility purposes but is included in the calculation of total distribution.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
Rule A 1.2 Permissions and Prohibitions was modified to include the new business/traveler and verified categories and stipulate that when comparing circulation between one or more newspapers, the comparisons must clearly identify the categories of circulations.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
Rule B 2.1 Member Obligations was modified to include the verified circulation category.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
Rule B 2.2 Audit Report Contents and Differences was modified to reflect “total average” circulation as opposed to just “total paid” circulation.

Final Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board amended Rule C 2.1 Circulation Averages to incorporate changes to ABC’s report formats. Circulation averages will be presented in three categories: “Paid for by Individual Recipient,” “Paid Business/Traveler Circulation,” and “Verified Circulation.” Averages will also be presented by distribution channel, including home-delivery, single-copy and other distribution.

Final Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
Modify Rule C 3.1 Employee, Correspondent and Agent Copies to eliminate payment requirement for this form of circulation. The copies generated from these programs will be reported as “verified” distribution.

Final Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board also voted to modify Rule C 3.2 School Subscriptions to eliminate the payment requirement for this form of circulation. The copies generated from school programs will be reported as “verified” distribution.

Final Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board also created Rule C 3.3 Verified Distribution. The verified circulation category is comprised of subscription copies delivered to public places or individual readers. With the exception of reoccurring delivery within a retail outlet, single-copy distribution is not eligible to be included in verified circulation.

The circulation is reported in three subcategories: home delivery—requested, home delivery—targeted, and other verified distribution. Copies classified as verified circulation are not subject to the paid circulation qualification standards.

  • Home Delivery—Requested – requested copies delivered to households.
    • Distribution must occur for at least 12 consecutive weeks.
    • A member of the receiving household must have specifically requested the delivery.
    • Requests must be renewed at least annually if the duration is equal to or greater than one year.
    • Records must be maintained to confirm the request.
  • Home Delivery—Targeted – copies delivered to targeted households.
    • Households included in the targeted delivery must be notified on the first day of delivery.
      • The notification must contain the anticipated dates of delivery.
      • With the exception of one-day delivery programs, the notification must also include the opportunity for the household to opt out of the delivery.
    • Route lists must be maintained for all targeted-delivery programs.
  • Other Verified Distribution – includes NIE and employee copies as well as distribution to public venues for use by patrons of that establishment.
    • Examples of other verified distribution locations: hospitals and nursing homes, restaurants, doctors or dentist offices and personal care salons.
    • Retail outlets may also be eligible, provided the retail location makes a specific request for the number of copies and the copy counts represent reoccurring distribution to patrons. Appropriate records must be maintained for auditor review.

This rule replaces the former Rule C 3.3 Third-Party Sales. The third-party category was eliminated due to the requirement that copies classified as paid circulation be paid for by an individual reader. Third-party sales circulation will be classified in verified circulation.


The board also modified Rule C 3.4 Group Subscriptions to Businesses for Designated Employees to incorporate the new paid business/traveler category. The new rule—C 3.4 Business/Traveler Copies—governs copies purchased by businesses for use by designated employees and hotel copies.

  • Business Copies – copies or subscriptions purchased in quantities of two or more by a company for its employees. The newspaper must maintain records providing the names or titles of the employees.
  • Traveler Copies – copies purchased by hotel guests or by hotels for guests. There are two subcategories of the “traveler” category:
    • Guest Refund-Based – copies where the guest is notified upon check-in that a specified dollar amount for the newspaper is included in the price of the room. The money must be refunded if the guest elects not to receive the newspaper.
    • Purchased by Hotel – copies purchased by the hotel and distributed to guests in their rooms or available for pick-up in public areas of the hotel.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
Rule B 3.5 FAS-FAX Reports was modified to include the verified circulation category.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board approved a change to Rule C 3.6 Gift Subscriptions to require subscriptions given to promote a professional or business interest of the donor to adhere to the rules governing verified circulation.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board amended Rule C 5.1 Premium Defined to eliminate the requirement to report the premium and the number of subscription sales involving premiums.

This rule was updated from the March 2008 version to eliminate the disclosure requirements in the explanatory paragraph of ABC reports.

Final Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board modified C 5.2 Premiums with Subscriptions/Single-Copy Sales to stipulate that regardless of the source of the premium—publisher, agent or solicitor—the program must abide by the qualification set forth in this rule.

Final Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board made several changes to the rules governing ABC reporting requirements to make geographical reporting optional unless the newspaper declares more than one basic price.

To accomplish this, the board eliminated Rule C 7.1 Reporting Options and Rule C 7.2 Circulation in City of Another Member.

The board also merged Rule 7.3 City Zone, Rule C 7.4 Retail Trading Zone, Rule C 7.5 Newspaper Designated Market, Rule C 7.6 MSA/CMA, Rule C 7.7 Other Reporting Areas, Rule C 7.8 All Other. These rules will collapse into a new rule—C 7.1 Optional Geographic Reporting.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
At the July meeting, the board made additional technical edits to the new Rule C 7.1 Optional Geographic Reporting.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board also voted to modify Rule C 7.12 List of Towns Receiving 25 or More Copies to require newspapers to report circulation by ZIP code reporting, but make reporting by town or county optional. National newspapers will not be required to report by ZIP code. The revised rule will be renumbered Rule C 7.2.

At the July meeting, the board made additional technical edits to the new Rule C 7.2.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
Rule C 11.1 Optional Analysis was revised to stipulate that newspapers may release an optional analysis of circulation not included in the paid or verified circulation categories.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board also voted to eliminate C 11.2 Other Analyzed Distribution, C 11.3 Third-Party Sales and C 11.4 Analyzed Non-Paid Distribution and ABC’s policy regarding event sales since they will no longer be relevant once the verified circulation category is adopted.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
Rule C 11.5 List of Towns (and Postal Codes) Receiving 25 or More Copies was modified to eliminate the town-reporting requirement.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
Rule 11.6 National Newspaper Reporting was modified to remove the reference to third-party sales because of the elimination of the third-party sales category and the adoption of the verified category.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board modified the policy governing NIE copies served to college students to stipulate that these copies are classified as verified circulation in a sub-category labeled education copies.

First Passage – Effective Oct. 1, 2010
The board eliminated the policy governing event sales. These types of circulation programs will be governed by the verified circulation rules.