• by Erik Sass , April 14, 2008

MediaSpace, a newspaper ad clearinghouse that has partnered with over 1,900 American newspapers, is working to speed up the invoicing and verification process for print newspaper ads with a new e-invoice system that delivers electronic tearsheets, the company announced today at the Newspaper Association of America conference.

Beth Cohen, MediaSpace's vice president of finance, said the new electronic system delivers invoices and tearsheets to advertisers in half the time--sometimes on the same day the ad appeared.

MediaSpace already offers advertisers the ability to place network-style buys covering many newspapers via online orders.

According to Scott Kerr, the company's president, "this kind of technology and implementation actually puts the print product on par with online" in terms of speed of delivery and verification.

Other major newspaper networks have also embraced electronic delivery, billing and verification for print ads. For example, the Newspaper National Network--long the industry leader--has been offering these types of digital services for several years, according to president and CEO Jason Klein, who said that can include same-day or next-day confirmation.