Hispanic Print Launches Circulation Research.

The National Association of Hispanic Publications Foundation announced that Western Publication Research Publishing, Inc. has been selected to conduct a study on the use of circulation audits by Hispanic-owned publications and ad agencies.

WPR was one of three finalists. The other two research companies were LMS Communications in Chicago and Eureka Facts in Washington D.C.

“WPR’s proposal won for its focus on identifying the values ad agencies and corporations currently place on circulation audits; showcasing how audits can be more effectively used by publications; as well as finding benefits to circulation management, sales and the needs of readers,” said Eddie Escobedo, Chairman of the NAHP Foundation.

These research findings will complement the Foundation’s “Audit Means Money” program in operation since 2002. The program is open to all Hispanic owned publications that have not been audited in the previous two years.

“We feel that increasing the usefulness of circulation audits is one of the most crucial issues facing Hispanic print today. We hope that at the end of this research our results will help increase ROI for advertisers, grow circulation and attract new readers. It’s a timely step forward for Hispanic publishing and we are proud to have been selected,” said Kirk Whisler, President of Western Publication Research, which has a long history of research for NAHP including readership studies and Census analysis.

Recent inflated circulation scandals involving Hoy, Newsday and the Chicago Sun-times shook print industry’s credibility among advertisers, but it has also raised the level of interest in circulation audits among minority publishers.

On July 26, 2004, Meximerica, a recent entry into the Hispanic market, launched its daily Rumbo de San Antonio. In February, La Palma, a Spanish-language weekly owned by the Palm Beach Post, debuted in West Palm Beach, Fl.

In a recent statement to the circulation scandal, Hernan Guaracao, NAHP, Inc. President said, “The stage is now set for the Spanish-language newspapers to fully reap the fruits of the Hispanic market across the nation. Our newspapers have finally shown that they are a formidable force to reach Hispanic consumers, much more so when adopting the standards of the general newspaper industry.”

Tim Bingaman, President of Circulation Verification Council (CVC), said that a circulation audit is crucial to show publishers the use of standard industry terminology, record-keeping procedures and presentation of methods to increase revenue.

He also said that the NAHP Foundation’s programs removed the final obstacle for Hispanic publications to have an audit and readership study. “By using a preferred audit provider, a publisher can receive thousands of dollars in benefits for absolutely no out-of-pocket expense,” said Bingaman, a participating member of the “Audit Means Money” program.

“This research is another initiative of the NAHP Foundation to provide Hispanic publishers the tools and business practices needed to reach success. Hispanic print is an explosive market full of opportunities, and we want all Hispanic publishers to prosper by improving their business credibility and increasing their ad dollars,” said Thomas Oliver, NAHP Foundation CEO and Executive Director.