BPA Business Publication statement reporting amendments proposed

Here are the issues making the b-to-b circulation circuit these days. A few interesting proposals are on circulators’ minds—including consolidating data within paragraph 3b; eliminating additions and removals; and digital site licenses. BPA will be forming a tripartite task force of media owners, buyers and advertisers to study the points further. If you would like to participate in the task force initiative, please let me know. I also invite your feedback on any or all of these points.

Here are the amendments to be considered by the b-to-b task force:

·        In an effort to ease industry burden, BPA has been asked to consider consolidating “qualified within one year” and the “qualified with in two year” categories within Paragraph 3b (Qualification Source and Age). The change has been proposed to ease the workload on circulators who have seen their responsibilities increase with expanded portfolios, and to improve economics.

Questions that come to mind: Will publishers be comfortable competing with the new consolidated category? Will media buyers accept a new, consolidated 3b? Should 3-year be eliminated, limiting all circulation to within 24 months and simply report sources only?

·        We received a request from a member to eliminate the reporting of additions and removals on BPA’s business circulation statements and audit reports. (Additions and removals are not required for consumer magazines or newspapers.)

The member pointed out a number of challenges, including:

1. Additions and removals require complicated programming for fulfillment systems;

2. Advertisers do not fully understand the nature of additions and removals;

3. Publishers reporting print and digital subscribers often do not have the ability to report additions and removals correctly; issue to issue variances in paragraph 2 provide adequate disclosure of variances;

4. Additions and removals are not required to be reported for paid subscribers;

5. Medical journals do not report additions and removals;

6. Continuous service is becoming less important to the market, but it can be checked through record history in fulfillment systems rather than through additions and removals;

7. BPA staff reviews hundreds of circulation promotions from publishers each year and very few of the promotions focus on addition and removal activity.

            

·        BPA’s Board of Directors recently voted to not allow the number of people who have access to a digital site license copy to be reported as qualified circulation. Site licenses and the copies the license represent may be reported in the explanatory paragraph.

We have been asked to revisit the discussion, specifically as it relates to “paid” site license agreements.

Should people who have access to digital copy on their company’s server be counted as qualified circulation, or only those who access the copy? Is “paid” digital site license distribution more credible than non-paid digital site license distribution?

·        A rule amendment to make optional the reporting of paid circulation data (price, length of sub, incentives, how ordered) for business publications was presented and will be reviewed by the task force.

Here’s the background: Paragraphs 5 – 8 report total new and renewed qualified paid subscription orders/sold for the period. Currently, publishers are required to report these paragraphs if their average paid circulation exceeds 50%. They may also elect to report these paragraphs if their paid circulation is below 50%.

Only 134 or 7% of BPA Worldwide business publishers have over 50% average qualified paid circulation. Over half (67) of these publications are association publications that pay for the magazine through non-deductible dues and therefore exempt from the rule.

There is precedent to such a move. Several years back BPA Worldwide eliminated the mandatory reporting of renewal percentage for paid publications.

I look forward to reading your comments.  To Comment, click on the COMMENT link below, read what others have said and at the end of the comments string you will find where you can add your comments.  They will be sent to me, I will read them, answer if I can and then post them.