• Editor & Publisher, Wednesday, March 19, 2008 10:45 AM

The Audit Bureau of Circulations is moving to overhaul the way it counts paid newspaper circulation, approving changes that will affect how publishers report starting in April 2009. Among the new changes is that newspapers will now be considered "paid" by ABC regardless of their price. Right now, the group breaks out paid circulation in three categories: copies where 50% or more of the cover price is paid, copies where 25% to 50% of the price is paid, and other, the last including employee, newspapers in education, hotels and third-party copies. Then, all three categories are rolled up into the total average circulation number.

But "other," under higher scrutiny since a handful of big metros admitted to inflating circulation in 2004, will now be called "verified," a magazine industry term. And ABC will create a new category for copies distributed to hotels and the like that buy papers for employees to "business/traveler."

Says Donald Miceli, vice president of global media resources at Kraft Foods and ABC chairman: "Our goal is to clearly define important measurement standards, streamline the audit process and provide advertisers and publishers with the framework required for today's marketplace."

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