The following are common print media terms and definitions.
Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)
organization of publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers for verifying the circulation statements of member publications.
Advertising Checking Bureau (ACB)
a company which provides advertisers and agencies with newspaper tear sheets of ads which have run.
Agate Line
a unit of measurement for newspaper advertising which measures one column wide with 14 agate lines per inch.
Bleed
a term used for print advertising that extends all the way to the edge of the page with no margin. Many magazines charge a premium for the bleed, usually 15%.
Business Publication Audit of Circulation (BPA)
an organization for auditing the circulation of business (trade) publications.
Checkerboard
magazine advertising that uses diagonal quarter or half page ads alternating with editorial.
Checking Copy
a copy of a publication sent to the advertiser and the agency as proof the ad ran as ordered.
Circulation
the total number of distributed copies of a publication at a specified time. Also, in broadcast, the total number of households within the station's coverage area. In outdoor, the number of people passing the billboards who have an opportunity to see the advertising.
Closing Date
the date by which all advertising must be ordered from the specific media vehicle in order to secure the dates/times/positions requested.
Column Inch
a unit of newspaper space one column wide and one inch deep (14 agate lines).
Direct Mail Advertising
any printed material sent through the mail directly to prospective customers.
Double Truck
a newspaper ad unit that uses two facing full pages, including the gutter or fold.
Gutter
the blank space between margins of facing pages of a publication.
Insertion Order
written instructions from the advertiser or agency authorizing a publication to run a specific advertisement in a specific issue. Also specifies cost per ad and size of ad, as well as any request for special position in the publication.
Island Position
a print advertisement surrounded completely by editorial.
Line Rate
the cost per agate line for newspapers.
Magazine Supplement
the magazine section of a Sunday newspaper produced either locally or nationally.
Net Paid Circulation
a term used by ABC for the circulation of a publication for which at least 50% of the subscription or newsstand price has been paid.
PBW, P4C
abbreviations for Page Black & White and Page Four Color.
Pass-along Audience
readers of magazines or newspapers who did not purchase the publication. Also called Secondary Audience.
Publishers Information Bureau (PIB)
a syndicated source of monthly reports on advertising activity in major consumer magazines, reported by product or service category.
Publisher's Statement
a notarized statement from the publisher of total circulation, geographic distribution, method of getting subscriptions, etc.
Readers Per Copy
average number of readers for one copy of a newspaper or magazine.
Regional Edition
an edition of a national publication's circulation that falls in a certain geographic area for which advertising may be purchased separately, usually at a cost premium.
Remnant Space
magazine space sold at reduced prices at the last minute when another advertiser's materials do not arrive or to fill out regional editions.
Run Of Press or Run Of Paper (ROP)
a newspaper insertion for which an exact position is not requested but left to the newspaper's discretion.
Split Run
scheduling two or more executions of an advertising message in alternate copies of a magazine's circulation in a given issue.
Tabloid
a newspaper measuring about 5-6 columns wide by 200 lines deep, about 2/3 the size of a standard newspaper. |
