ABC to consider slimmed down "pink sheet" for magazine circulation statements

If recommendations to the board of the Audit Bureau of Circulations is accepted, the "pink sheet" will be a shadow of its former self. ABC is recommending the size of the publisher's statement -- the hard copy description of the a magazine member's circulation -- could be cut from four pages to two, according to a story in MediaWeek.

The idea is to remove information that is of little perceived use to media buyers or not current enough.

If the changes go through in the U.S., it seems inevitable that they will be adopted by ABC in Canada and, if ABC adopts them, there is a good chance that BPA, the other main circulation audit firm in this country, will follow suit.

Being eyed for change:

• the state-by-state breakdown of magazine sales in the twice annual sheets could be replaced by data on sales from the top 10 markets;
• it could become optional whether a publisher would detail length of term, premiums and sales channels on paid subs;
  
• publishers would estimate their average gross price during the same six-month period covered by the pink sheet rather than reporting on six-month-old data.