The Audit Burea of Circulations says it has decided to add back issues to circulation figures because they are still sold or distributed within the reporting period.
ABC general manager Charles Beiles says: ‘Back issues are only allowed if they conform to the requirements of normal circulation, and they must be distributed within the next issue period relevant to the frequency of the publication.”
‘The reasons for including back issues in circulation are: It is still sold or distributed within the reporting period; the advertiser still receives the benefit of the exposure received; subscribers’ requests for back issues are now valid circulation.”
Beiles says back issues are defined as follows: ‘An issue becomes a back issue when the next issue is available for sale or distribution”.
The ABC has in the past months issued far more detailed information on circulation figures in an attempt to make the numbers more transparent.