Certified Audit of Circulations Becomes Subsidiary of ABC
Members of the Certified Audit of Circulations have voted overwhelmingly for CAC to join the Audit Bureau of Circulations as a subsidiary. With member approval of an acquisition agreement and amended certificate of incorporation, CAC will begin operating as a subsidiary of ABC before the end of the year.
Earlier this year, the ABC and CAC boards unanimously voted in support of the new relationship. Eighty-eight percent of the votes cast at a special CAC member meeting held on Nov. 2 were in favor of the acquisition.
ABC and CAC have a joint mission to provide credible, transparent media data to best serve U.S. newspaper publishers and media buyers. The new relationship will result in a comprehensive new central repository of audited newspaper data and additional service opportunities for CAC members.
“We are happy to see such a positive response from our members,” said Mark Stoecklin, chief operating officer of CAC. “Our core services and mission aren’t changing, but as a separate group within ABC, we will be able to offer members enhanced services, visibility and data. Together, we’re going to help advance our membership and our industry.”
ABC and CAC will now move forward with creating a comprehensive database that will offer unprecedented insight into print and digital circulation for nearly 2,000 daily and weekly U.S. newspapers. This data will be available to more than 1,000 newspaper advertisers and media buying agencies that are members of one or both organizations.
ABC and CAC also plan to establish a set of industry-wide qualification guidelines and labeling standards that will ultimately provide advertisers a more cohesive data set to efficiently evaluate multimedia newspaper brands. CAC members will have access to ABC’s services that extend accountability to other areas of newspapers’ diverse brands, including inserts, readership studies, websites, mobile and tablet apps and social media networks.
“On behalf of ABC, I look forward to welcoming CAC members as part of the overall organization,” said Mike Lavery, president and managing director of ABC. “This is a step forward for the industry, offering more services and visibility to newspapers and more data for their advertisers.”
Both organizations anticipate reducing operational redundancies, streamlining service offerings, and aligning key audit rules for a more efficient auditing organization.
CAC will retain its independent brand through a separate board of directors, bylaws, audit statements and staff. Lavery will continue to serve as president of ABC as well as CEO of CAC. More details about the initiative are available on an ABC/CAC website.
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