The Magazine Publishers’ Association of SA (Mpasa) has sided with the
industry’s circulation authority in its recommendations that misstated
figures for certain Media24 magazines be invalidated or reclassified
with the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), writes Thom Maclachlan in Business Day.


The publishers’ association said yesterday that it fully supported the further findings of the ABC and its recommendations regarding irregularities with other Media24 titles. This follows news that the Advertising Media Forum had added its voice to those endorsing the ABC’s decision to disregard a portion of Finweek’s subscriber circulation figures for January to March 2006.

This applied to the same period last year after it was found that the magazine may have incorrectly counted copies used in an innovative marketing campaign as being paid for by subscribers. Finweek, owned by Media24, has appealed the ABC’s findings, saying the bureau had not “applied its mind” sufficiently to the matter.

Board members at the ABC believe that the industry body was “very lenient” with Media24’s other titles in which irregularities were found and that Media24 should not complain too bitterly.

Click here to read the full report, posted on Business Day's website.