Circ Scandals Hit Sixth Ave.?
The newspaper business has been reeling from exposes of circulation fraud for more than a year — drastic overstatements of copies sold everywhere from Long Island's Newsday to The Dallas Morning News to the Chicago Sun-Times. Now a new round of subpoenas have gone out, this time targeting magazines. Even worse, they're targeting what was formerly the staid, Presbyterian stalwart of magazine publishing, Time Inc. Ad Age breaks the news:
Time Inc. has been subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of the Court of New York for information about the company's sponsored sales programs. Such programs have come under new scrutiny after the Audit Bureau of Circulations disqualified a sponsor earlier this year.
Sponsored-sales scams are what did in many of the newspapers nabbed last year. And none of Time Inc's competitors — from Conde Nast to Ziff Davis — have received subpoenas. All of which must have rectitudinous ol' Henry Luce spinning in his grave.
