ABC to take action against unaudited publications
Published: Dec 10, 2009 12:49 PM | Updated: Dec 11, 2009 4:49 AM
The Audit Bureau of Circulation has asked unaudited publications to consider undergoing audit process before end of February next year.
The Audit Bureau of Circulation has asked unaudited publications to consider undergoing audit process before end of February next year.
Chairman Vincent Lee said unaudited publications could come forward and get their circulation audited based on comparable standard.
"We have decided to start initiating actions in March next year," he told reporters at the ABC Annual Presentation on the latest audited circulation figures of its members.
Lee said the ABC had been in talks with a solicitor to consider a class action on behalf of advertisers and media buyers on selected unaudited publications with high advertising expenditure revenues to substantiate their claimed circulation figures.
"If the claimed figures did not have the reach as claimed, the publishers are making a misrepresentation to the advertisers.
"Other than an award for damages, the value of such action will lie in the adverse publicity created against the publication making the representations.
"There could also be an avenue under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972 to take action against fraudulent claims," he said.
Many magazine titles not audited
Earlier, Lee pointed out that more than 300 magazine titles in the media market place did not undergo the ABC independent audit process to verify their circulation figures.
"Although there are about 30 women's fashion and beauty magazines in the market, only nine have gone through audit process.
"The audit is important to ensure advertisers and media buyers can have complete trust in circulation claims by publishers," he said.
Lee said public-listed companies placing advertisements in unaudited publications could be violating their accountability standard to their shareholders.
He said ABC was currently in talks with partners in the US to establish a method to measure Internet reading circulation in the country.
ABC was incorporated in 1975 to secure audited circulation figures of print publications on a standard and uniform basis.
The ABC Annual presentation to the industry revealed 27 percent of the people in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory bought a newspaper daily, with 1.8 million copies sold between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009.
- Bernama
Chairman Vincent Lee said unaudited publications could come forward and get their circulation audited based on comparable standard.
"We have decided to start initiating actions in March next year," he told reporters at the ABC Annual Presentation on the latest audited circulation figures of its members.
Lee said the ABC had been in talks with a solicitor to consider a class action on behalf of advertisers and media buyers on selected unaudited publications with high advertising expenditure revenues to substantiate their claimed circulation figures.
"If the claimed figures did not have the reach as claimed, the publishers are making a misrepresentation to the advertisers.
"Other than an award for damages, the value of such action will lie in the adverse publicity created against the publication making the representations.
"There could also be an avenue under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972 to take action against fraudulent claims," he said.
Many magazine titles not audited
Earlier, Lee pointed out that more than 300 magazine titles in the media market place did not undergo the ABC independent audit process to verify their circulation figures.
"Although there are about 30 women's fashion and beauty magazines in the market, only nine have gone through audit process.
"The audit is important to ensure advertisers and media buyers can have complete trust in circulation claims by publishers," he said.
Lee said public-listed companies placing advertisements in unaudited publications could be violating their accountability standard to their shareholders.
He said ABC was currently in talks with partners in the US to establish a method to measure Internet reading circulation in the country.
ABC was incorporated in 1975 to secure audited circulation figures of print publications on a standard and uniform basis.
The ABC Annual presentation to the industry revealed 27 percent of the people in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory bought a newspaper daily, with 1.8 million copies sold between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009.
- Bernama
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