• March 12, 2003

The Audit Bureau of Circulations says its initiative to reduce the lengthy process of completing an audit is beginning to pay off. ABC says in the “foreseeable future” it will be able to meet the goal of completing a review of a member newspaper or magazine’s circulation in 7 to 10 months. During the ABC Board of Directors’ meeting in Washington, DC last week, board members were told nearly 85% of December 2001 audits were completed by December 2002, and ABC’s auditing staff is “on track” to complete between 90 and 95% of June 2002 audits by June 2003. ABC says it is working with members to standardize reporting materials, which will eventually be required every six months. ABC is also looking at ways to tabulate single-copy sales electronically. Buyers and publishers alike have complained about the long delay in getting final ABC numbers. On the newspaper front, the ABC Board is considering changing the way newspapers report their circulation. Instead of simply stating daily and Sunday, a member would be required to give circulation averages by day of the week. Many advertisers are seeking the more specific reports to better coordinate buys. The ABC Board held off on making the change, but it may do so at its July meeting.