Rules & Resources
Newspaper Support Center

Home-Delivery Promotions Guidebook—Canadian Newspapers

For the Audit

For all home-delivery circulation promotion efforts, a newspaper must maintain a file for each audit period that has an example of each promotion solicitation piece that is used. See Rule B 1.1 File Copies, Subscription Promotion Offers.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct mail pieces
  • Order forms
  • Telemarketing scripts
  • Radio scripts (or recording of radio advertisement)
  • Television scripts and storyboards (or recording of television advertisement)
  • Print out of Web site pages
  • Point-of-purchase material (signs, posters, etc.)
  • Advertising campaigns (run of press and free standing insert)

The newspaper should be able to identify the internal promotional code assigned for each specific and unique promotion.

For reporting of many of the various programs, the quantity of copies sold for each program is required. Therefore, the newspaper must also maintain a production report for each of the promotions executed during the audit period.

It is the publishers’ responsibility to ensure their home-delivery promotions are executed in compliance with all ABC rules and guidelines. Upon request, ABC’s Publisher Relations department provides a confidential review of members’ programs. To take advantage of this review or if you are developing an initiative that is not addressed in this guide, please contact your Publisher Relations manager.

In addition to a review of the promotional material, the auditor will evaluate the financial relationship such as wholesale rates, credits and debits issued, and collection procedures between the newspaper and its home-delivery contractors. The auditor will also review a selection of subscriber accounts for detailed testing. Therefore, access to the records of any agents and subscribers will also be required. These records may include, but are not limited to copies of invoices, draw sheets, collection reports, debit and credit memos, payments, and bank deposits.

It is imperative to the efficiency of the audit that the publication responds in a timely manner to all auditor requests for documentation to support circulation claimed as home-delivery.


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