Audited circulation

Audited circulation provides advertisers with proof that their ad will be seen by the number of subscribers promised by the newspaper. Several audit services are available to a newspaper. QCNA members can choose the method best suited to their needs.

ABC ~ Audit Bureau of Circulation

The Audit Bureau of Circulation is a not-for-profit, tripartite association of advertisers, advertising agencies and publishers. The purpose of ABC is to set standards by which circulation and other data of member publishers may be audited, verify facts and figures through field auditor's examination of all pertinent records, and report these facts and figures through regularly published, standardized reports. To be eligible for ABC membership, a newspaper must have at least 70% paid circulation under ABC standards.

CMCA ~ Canadian Media Circulation Audit

The Canadian Media Circulation Audit program of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) is designed to assist in the administration of the newspapers as well as in the maintenance of circulation information that is credible for advertisers. Week by week records are maintained in a form similar to accounting records. An accountant acts as a neutral party who verifies to advertising buyers that the circulation claims are honest and reliable. The same applies for CMCA auditing. The accountant must have proof that a given number of CMCA papers have been delivered to and paid for by the readers. Circulation is verified annually. Participants in the CMCA program have the option of using their own accountant or the internal auditor of CCNA to sign the report forms. A program of random field audits of internally audited verification is also made.

CCAB ~ Canadian Circulation Audit Board

The CCAB is a not-for-profit tripartite organization of advertisers, advertising agencies and publishers. CCAB audits are for either all controlled circulation or any combination of paid and controlled circulation publications.

ODC ~ Office de la distribution certifiée - Certified Distribution Inc.

The ODC certifies the circulation of many Quebec publications. To be a member of the ODC is to be part of a reliable network, recognized by publishers, advertisers and readers both in Quebec and in the rest of Canada. ODC certification is therefore of paramount importance. To ensure that the information collected is reliable and reflects actual distribution, strict rules are observed. Any publication wishing to join the ODC must have been in existence for at least six months. The aim of this rule is to make certain that the weekly or monthly publication seeking certification has durability.