ABC edges closer to rule change on paid sales

Tim Burrowes

May 9, 2011 11:00

The Audit Bureau of Circulation is set to unveil its new rules on what constitutes a paid sale, seven months behind its original schedule.

The review was triggered by growing concerns that audited numbers lacked transparency, with it almost impossible to tell how many copies had been sold at full, or near full, price.

In October, the ABC said it was setting up a committee to look at the issue. The committee was going to meet on a weekly basis with the hope of instituting a rule change before Christmas.

After that deadline slipped, the ABC said further delays had occurred because of flooding in Queensland affecting some members of the committee.

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.