BPA Makes Rule Changes

In a letter to its membership this afternoon, BPA announced a number of rule amendments. Here's the letter:

Dear BPA Worldwide Member:

Below, we have summarized new rule amendments passed by BPA’s Board of Directors at their May 2009 meeting.

Unless otherwise specified, all changes are effective immediately.

The Rule Amendments/New Rules may be accessed through the “Rules” link on the BPA home page, or by clicking here.

We will also post this summary to the BPA blog shortly for your comments and questions.

Or, if you prefer, please contact your BPA Member Relations Manager, or any of our audit staff, if you have questions. MRM contacts can be found on the BPA website.

Board Actions Applying to Business Publications and Consumer Magazines

Print to electronic conversion. In a nod toward media owners’ continued migration to digital platforms, the board voted to allow media owners the option of converting request subscriptions from print to electronic format if proper advance notification and an opt-out are provided to the subscriber. 

Non-requested electronic editions. Following months of discussion and debate among publishers, advertisers and media buyers, the board reaffirmed that to be considered “qualified” circulation an electronic edition must be requested; however, the board also voted to allow the reporting of non-request electronic editions as “non-qualified” circulation on circulation statements and audit reports provided the recipients meet the publication’s stated Field Served and Definition of Recipient Qualifications parameters. These demographics must be reported in the Additional Data paragraph of the statement. (Without the demographic information, the electronic edition may not be claimed on the statement.)
 
Interactive rules. The board approved new rules for BPA’s Interactive Audit product line, which provides audited web traffic data to its print and events members at no additional cost. The rules were developed in concert with IAB Audience Reach Measurement Guidelines. Effective with the December 2009 cycle, media owners reporting “live” data in BPA’s Interactive tool will now have the traffic data on circulation statements and audit reports.

Personal Direct Request. Recognizing a request to receive a subscription may come from a subscriber’s spouse or authorized personal assistant, the board voted to rename the “Personal direct request from the recipient” source to “Direct Request” within paragraphs B*3b and C*5 on circulation statements and audit reports.