BPA Eases Rules for Qualified Circ, Non-Paid Subs

BPA Eases Rules for Qualified Circ, Non-Paid Subs
Lucia Moses
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003597780
JUNE 12, 2007 -

BPA Worldwide has widened its definition of qualified continuous circulation, requiring that publications serve recipients at least three months in a row, regardless of the number of issues. Previously, publications with 14 or fewer issues per year had to serve recipients at least six months in a row. Along with that change, publications also may serve up to 5 percent of total qualified circ for less than three months without disclosing it.

The revised rule, which applies to both business and consumer publications, was approved recently by the BPA board and took effect in June.

The board also approved a new service, called a Distribution Audit, to verify distribution for non-editorial media products, like product listings and coupon publications.

In other changes, the board broadened the definition of non-paid subscriptions, ruling that a publication no longer has to be the official publication of an association to be a non-paid subscription that’s reported as a benefit of membership in the association. To qualify, the association must state that the publication is a membership benefit, though.

The board also allowed publications to report as nonqualified their digital copies that went to advertisers and ad agencies.