The new ABC rules

CMC/ABC Seminar Attracts Over 25 Magazines

On December 8, 2005, over 25 magazines were represented at a seminar produced by CMC and executed by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) featuring a review of ABC rules for the Canadian magazines industry.

Joe Salomone and Chad Jaennette of ABC's Publisher Relations Department took 30 attendees through most recent developments in ABC's consumer magazine rules.

Highlights included:

1) Introduction of a new subscription circulation category called "verified" which will allow publishers to report non-paid subscriptions distributed to public place waiting rooms, hotels and individuals. (Effective January 2006)
2) Introduction of a new Publisher's Statement format (effective for the reporting period beginning January 2006) which features:
a. new verified category
b. merging of price data into single paragraph
c. elimination of requirement to report subscriptions sold at less than 35% of basic price
d. creation of new paragraph 6 outlining average circulation by category for each classification
e. re-alignment of geographic circulation classification data
f. modification to channels of subscriptions sold
3) Clarification of sponsored sales underlining two basic requirements:
- qualified purchaser
- qualified price
a. Qualified Purchasers are organizations that sell or provide goods or services to consumers
Example: Airlines, Banks, Restaurants, Sports Team etc…
b. Qualified Price - The purchaser must pay a qualifying price of one cent after considering all other items like marketing or distribution fees, ad credits, refunds or rebates paid to publisher by sponsor etc…

ABC strongly encouraged all attendees to make use of ABC's sources of information like the ABC web site www.accessabc.com, the Canadian office (416) 962-5840 and ABC's Publisher Relations department.