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Consumer Magazine Support Center

Channel of Sales - Production Paragraph 8C (Effective June 2006 Publisher's Statements)

The new Publisher’s Statement format effective with the June 2006 reporting period has moved production from Paragraph 3 to Paragraph 8. The ABC board has modified the reporting categories for channel of sales.

The new channel of sales production paragraph reporting is as follows:

8 C. Channels

(a). Ordered by subscriber action via direct mail, direct mail agents, inserts, online, renewals, catalogs or other outlets available to subscribers.
(b). Ordered by subscribers in response to unsolicited telemarketing and door-to-door selling.
(c). Ordered by subscribers in response to fund-raising programs of schools, churches and other similar organizations.
(d) Subscriptions as part of a membership in an organization.

Definition of what is contained in each paragraph

8C (a) includes:

  1. All renewal subscriptions, except those included in 8C (d)
  2. All new subscriptions that are not included in 8C (b), (c), and (d), including (list is only examples, not all inclusive):
    1. Partnership deductible & non-deductible sales
    2. Combination sales
    3. Frequent flyer point sales
    4. Loyalty point program sales
    5. Retail upsell
    6. Gift sales
    7. Inbound phone sales

8C (b) includes:

  1. All new subscriptions that are the result of outbound cold-call telemarketing or door-to-door sales, except those included in 8C (c) or (d).
  2. Renewals to the above-noted sources are not in this paragraph; they are in 8C (a).

8C (c) includes:

  1. All new subscriptions that are a result of fundraising efforts.
  2. Includes fundraising subscriptions that were sold via outbound telemarketing or door-to-door sales.
  3. Renewals to the above-noted sources are not in this paragraph; they are in 8C (a).

8C (d) includes:

  1. All new and renewal subscriptions defined as association (Rule F2.4) and club/membership (Rule F2.7).
  2. All association and club/membership subscriptions that were sold via outbound telemarketing, door-to-door sale or had a fundraising component.

Items to note when categorizing your production in the appropriate channel of sales category are as follows:

  • Renewals are defined in Rule F6.1 (b) as subscriptions received within six months after expiration date.
  • Subscriptions are reported on a gross basis. Cancels are not removed.
  • Sponsored, verified, transfers, analyzed non-paid and non-analyzed subscriptions are excluded from Paragraph 8.
  • Paragraph 8C Channel of Subscriptions Sales total has to balance to 8A Duration & 8B Use of Premiums.
For the June 2006 Publisher’s Statement period, in situations where a publisher may not have made adjustments in maintaining records to make this new reporting, the following conversion chart should be used for reporting purposes for this immediate statement:

Conversion reporting from prior Paragraph 3C to new Paragraph 8C for the June 2006 reporting period, can be made as follows:

3C (c)=8C (d)
3C (b)3=8C (c)
3C (b)2=8C (b)
3C (b)1=8C (a)
3C (a)=8C (a)


Posted May 4, 2006