ABC rolls out self-serve, "Rapid Reporting"

The Audit Bureau of Circulations is rolling out "Rapid Reporting". An article in Folio: says that consumer magazine members in good standing will be allowed voluntarily to report their top-line circulation data on an issue-by-issue basis, usually within weeks of circulation to subscribers and on newsstands. Information on the system is available here, including samples and a tutorial. Starting July 1, the system will be live to all members with online access.

Members submit information through the ABC web site about subs (paid and verified); single-copy sales; rate base; and analyzed non-paid circulation. Publishers can make changes to their figures as they receive updated sales and return figures, but not after the Publisher's Statement covering those months is released.

"The data entered into the Rapid Report system is obviously not audited initially," says the Folio: but reports are available for dowloading directly into Microsoft Excel.

"With ABC serving as an independent third-party administrator of the program, advertisers and advertising agencies know that the data will be credible," says Mark A. Wachowicz, ABC's senior vice president of marketing and sales. "Increasing their reporting frequency will also allow publishers to be more competitive with other media platforms."