Sino Publication Audit Center (SPAC) released its first
circulation figures report on December 20, according to that day's
People's Daily, in an attempt to provide more accurate
data.
It was an audit of the distribution of Driver's News
from May to October this year, and said its average weekly
circulation was 619,281. The report gave breakdowns by methods of
circulation such as retail sales, subscriptions and free
distribution by publishers.
SPAC was established in Beijing on April 25, appointed to audit
and publicize circulation figures for Chinese publications and
aiming to counter a tendency for publishers to inflate them.
People's Daily said there have been more than 100
applications made to the SPAC for audits since then.
Such institutions already exist in more than 170 countries, but
until now Chinese publishers have produced their own figures.
(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua, December 25, 2005)