Circulation, Allowables and Print Orders Explained

Per your contract with USA WEEKEND, your newspaper can order up to a defined number of copies of the magazine at a discount. This defined number is called your Allowable. Your Allowable is calculated based on your newspaper’s official Circulation on file with USA WEEKEND and the Terms of your contract.

The Terms of your contract indicate what percentage over your Home-Delivered and Single-Copy Circulation is included in your Allowable. Terms can be what we call Uneven, as in 101% of Home-Delivered and 110% of Single-Copy, or Flat, as in 102% of Home-Delivered and Single-Copy.

Each week, USA WEEKEND submits a Print Order for each newspaper. This is the number of copies your newspaper has requested to receive for distribution. Unless your newspaper submits a new Print Order, you will continue to receive the same amount each week.

Copies ordered over your Allowable are called Excess Copies or Overage, which are charged at the regular rate.

It is important that your newspaper’s circulation on file with us is accurate and that you manage your print order regularly to avoid additional charges on your invoice.

Updating your circulation

Each year, USA WEEKEND releases an updated Circulation number for the magazine based on the combined Circulation numbers of the newspapers carrying the magazine. We refer to this as our Annual Circulation Update. Updated Circulation becomes effective with the first issue in July of that same year (Effective Date).

USA WEEKEND uses AAM and preliminary releases from VAC to update every partner newspaper’s Circulation, based on a six-month average ending March 31 of the current year. Electronic editions are not counted toward your allowable.

Newspapers not participating in one of these bureaus’ March audit are contacted by USA WEEKEND to submit a Circulation Statement. This form includes your newspaper’s Circulation numbers for the six-month average ending March 31 of the current year and is signed by someone at the newspaper attesting to its accuracy.

There are cases where even an audited paper will be contacted for more detail regarding the total Circulation listed by one of the bureaus.

  1. If your contract with USA WEEKEND has Uneven terms, as in 101% of Home-Delivered and 110% of Single-Copy, we will ask you to give us a Breakout of your Circulation, so we can accurately calculate your Allowable.
    By example: (101% x Home-Delivered) + (110% x Single-Copy) = Allowable
    We need to know the Home-Delivered and Single-Copy numbers that make up the total released by the bureaus to calculate the Allowable.
  2. To make sure we have the most accurate and specific numbers possible, we will ask newspapers that submit an Average to the bureaus to tell us their circulation for the specific day USA WEEKEND is carried in their newspaper (Day of Distribution).
    By example: A newspaper carries USA WEEKEND on Saturdays, but the AAM only lists a Monday-Saturday Average. We will ask you to give us your Circulation just for Saturday.
  3. Some newspaper groups have begun to submit Combined Circulation numbers for 2 or more papers or editions. Every newspaper carrying USA WEEKEND is kept in our database as a single entry. Newspapers that are grouped together in the audit are contacted to request individual circulation numbers that make up the total in the audit.

This new Allowable becomes effective with the updated Circulation beginning the first issue in July of the same year. We will also alert you if your Print Order is over the allowable and you need to change your order to prevent Excess Copy charges.

Changing your print order

Print Order Changes must be submitted in writing via our Print Order Change Form, which you can download here. Print Order Changes must be received by 5 p.m. ET on the Tuesday, 19 days before the issue date you want to affect. Always count from the Sunday date listed on the issue.

By example: To change your Print Order for the July 3 issue, you’d need to submit your Print Order Change no later than 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 14.

Counting back from July 3 issue:

Leave a Reply