'NY Sun' Dropping ABC for Circ Audits

By: E&P Staff The New York Sun has notified ABC that it will withdraw as a member effective immediately. The newspaper said it is retaining a new auditor, Certified Audit of Circulations, to verify its circulation.

?ABC is a fine organization with a long history maintaining a level playing field in the newspaper and magazine industries,? said August Fields, vice president of marketing and circulation at the Sun, in a statement. ?However, ABC rules have the effect of limiting the ability of a newspaper to promote the paper to new customers, while Certified Audit of Circulations, an established non-profit auditing enterprise, has a history of encouraging the kind of competition the Sun expects to offer.?

The Sun said it is preparing a major circulation drive to be launched in January.