Newspaper & Mailroom

ABC Responds to Canadian Newspaper Resignations

Thursday 17. April 2008 - Three Canadian newspaper publishers -- Star Media Group, Sun Media and Transcontinental Inc. --submitted their resignations to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) today. Several industry leaders offered the following comments in response:

Hugh Dow, President, M2 Universal; COO, Universal McCann:

“I can’t begin to express how shocked and disappointed I am at this shortsighted move,” Dow said. “In an environment in which newspapers are struggling to retain readers and advertising revenue, this will only make media buyers more apprehensive and wary. ABC has been the gold standard of auditing since its founding nearly a century ago, and those standards are needed more today than ever. We are now supposed to accept two different standards in Canada? I cannot imagine a worse time to make the newspaper buying decision problematic.”

Sunni Boot, President and CEO, ZenithOptimedia Canada Inc.:

“This is completely unacceptable, as far as we are concerned,” Boot said. “We are a global media agency representing global clients. We expect the newspapers in which we advertise to adhere to the rigorous and broadly accepted audit standards provided by ABC. This is exactly the wrong time for a ‘made in Canada’ approach. It’s appalling, frankly.”

Robert Troutbeck, President, Troutbeck-Chernoff:

“Clearly, the audit standards of ABC are too high for these newspapers and they have settled for a less rigorous, less acceptable alternative at a time when accountability is needed more than ever,” Troutbeck said. “I will recommend to my clients that they invest their advertising dollars only in newspapers that are audited by ABC, and I urge my fellow Canadian media buyers to do likewise.”

Dennis Skulsky, President and CEO, Canwest:

“I fully support the mission and standards of ABC for all Canwest newspapers,” Skulsky said. “It has served our industry well for nearly 100 years, providing a forum for advertisers and publishers based on mutual trust, transparency and accountability. I appreciate and recognize that the U.S. and Canadian marketplaces are different. That’s precisely why ABC has addressed this over the years with unique rules and guidelines specific to Canada. I’m disappointed my colleagues have decided a lesser audit is the way to go, given the challenges we already face in our industry.”