ABC to Start Reader Profile FAS-FAX

By: E&P Staff The Audit Bureau of Circulations announced the launch of a reader profile FAS-FAX to accompany the circulation report starting with the March 2006 period, according to actions decided last week at the organization's board meeting.

Executives with ABC said that 300 newspapers now use the reader profile report.

ABC also is launching a voluntary service to verify free-standing inserts (FSIs) in newspapers effective Jan. 1.

Other actions:

* The board has asked the Newspaper Association of America/ABC liaison committee to draft standards regarding the rules governing barter items as payment for third-party sales programs for the March 2006 board meeting. Instead of a "catalog" model that was approved in July (in which gift cards or certificates were required to be redeemable for an array of goods), the board has opted to revert to previous guidelines, according to an ABC statement.

* The board agreed to establish a Canadian Newspaper Advisory Committee.

Following the cancellation of the ABC annual conference due to Hurricane Wilma, the board is having its annual membership business meeting on Dec. 12 in New York.