ABC Auditing Changes

From 1 January 1996, the Audit Bureau of Circulations is to make what it says is the most fundamental of all the changes in recent years to the system for auditing the circulation figures of consumer magazines and paid-for regional newspapers. All ABC audits will be conducted by ABC’s full-time audit staff only; this means that member publishers will no longer be permitted to employ the services of an independent auditor, but will instead be directly responsible for preparing their unaudited circulations returns to the ABC who will then audit them at a later date.

The main reason behind the proposal is to achieve a truly comparable and cost effective audit. ‘Our two year investigation under the Random Inspection Programme has highlighted significant weaknesses in using independent auditors of a publishers choice’ said John Beadell, Chief Executive of ABC. ‘The comparability in audit standards sought by both the publishing and advertising industries is now being achieved for our Business to Business members, where ABC staff auditors were introduced in December 1993.’

ABC: 01442 870800