Posted on 09/23/2005 11:26:29 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
Time Warner Inc.'s Time Inc. unit received a subpoena in connection with a federal investigation into circulation practices of the magazine industry, the company said.
The investigation, by a federal prosecutor in New York, has been looking into the business practices of InFlight Newspapers & Magazines Inc. InFlight, which is no longer in business, bought magazines from publishers at a discount and distributed them free to airlines and other travel-related services.
Magazine companies, including Time Inc., have long included magazines sold to InFlight in its "paid" circulation. Magazine publishers' use of services like InFlight has come under scrutiny, in the wake of circulation scandals in the newspaper industry.
Time Inc., the largest magazine publisher in the U.S., said it was cooperating with the federal investigation into magazine circulation figures, which are used to set advertising rates.
Separately, Time Inc. said yesterday it was changing how it reported its circulation to separate out sales to companies like InFlight from its regular newsstand and subscription sales. Jack Haire, a senior vice president of Time Inc., said in a letter to advertisers that starting in the second half of 2005, the company will call sponsored circulation "qualified."
Time's decision comes as the Audit Bureau of Circulation is revising some 2004 circulation figures of magazines across the industry to exclude sales to InFlight and a similar firm, Ebsco Consumer Magazine Services, which also shut down.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
You can't make this stuff up......
I believe it's Time something was done.
Time having circulation problems? WOOOHOOO!
They are just getting caught...
Ain't it sweet?
Time's circulation drops significantly every time a barber shop goes out of business.
and I'm thinking you're a troll...
As far back as I can remember, Time was what you read only when part of a captive audience (waiting for the doctor, waiting for the dentist, waiting for Godot...) or retired teachers who haunted the public library . If waiting rooms and libraries - whose subscriptions are subsidized by patients and taxpayers - dumped Time, Newsweek, the NYT etc., there would be little left of the base other than a handful of socialists who might as well be drinking undiluted kool-aid from the Daily Worker anyway.
Time Magazine!?!?!?! Lied?!?!?!?! Say it ain't so!!!!!
It's very early in the morning, so I can be first:
This is hugh and series. Very series.
The First Amendment says that "No laws, legal constraints, controlling legal authorities, ethical consideration, or respect for the truth need ever apply to journalists and publications, unless they're conservative."
Nothing to see here. Move on.
This is standard practice in the magazine business. Even mags sent out for free are factored into the circulation numbers. I'm glad they're finally doing something about it.
Hi, Karl! How are you?
Thanks for posting this. I can't tell you how much fun it was to cancel my "Newsweak" subscription after their latest "fake but accurate" reporting episode. Of course, they're still sending them to me to keep their circulation numbers up, though I cancelled it months ago...
So, I don't doubt the truth of this "oversight" with Times, Inc. one little iota. :)
Nothing in the newbies 6 or so posts to give any trolling alert.
Yeah, better late than never
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