The Week: ABC announces plans to investigate freesheet dumping

Campaign 18-May-07

The Audit Bureau of Circulations may set up a hotline for the public to report the dumping of free papers, as part of its study into the London freesheet market.

Although the auditor said it was happy with the veracity of April's
figures (which revealed that thelondonpaper handed out 491,387 copies to
London Lite's 400,212), it announced a four-point action plan to solve

the problem of dumping.

As well as introducing a hotline, the regulator aims to increase
spot-checks on distributors and plans to conduct an ongoing review of
distribution methods. It is also demanding the publishers increase
internal controls. The news comes after Associated Newspapers and News
International, publishers of London Lite and thelondonpaper, accused
each other of dumping copies by posting video evidence on YouTube and
through advertising in the trade press.

ABC said:"Having identified the risks with hand distribution, we have
been working on improving the publisher/management controls."