The National Readership Survey, 1997 (NRS) has stirred a hornet's nest with some of the leading publication houses openly questioning the methodology of the survey, compelling the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), to put on hold the release of the report regarded as the Bible for the industry and media planners. The report was to be released in January.
As many as four publications, the Outlook, The Statesman, Competition Success Review (CSR) and Chitralekha have lodged a formal protest asking the surveying agencies involved to "look into the matter."
Outlook's president and publisher, Deepak Shourie, has written to C S Karnik, secretary ABC, stating that care has not been taken to "avoid the `halo effect' and multiple counting." Similarly, The Statesman has questioned the readership ascribed to it vis-a-vis Ananda Bazar Patrika
Questioning the very premises of the methodology used by surveyors, Shourie points out that the `halo effect' gives unfair advantage to Living Media publications like India Today, G K Today and even IT Plus. "Is there any way in which it has been ensured that, for example, in Tamil Nadu, the India Today in English does not benefit from readers of IT Tamil ?" Shourie asked the ABC.
Shourie's contention is that where multiple languages are involved, the English masthead has been shown first, followed by the masthead of the language of the state.
"This means that though a Tamilian may not be reading the IT English but only IT Tamil, he has heard of IT English and the surveyors may have put him as one of the readers of the IT English,'' Shourie told Business Standard, adding, "Moreover, when they say the `halo effect' has not been removed anywhere in the world, I say it does not exist anywhere. For example, in England, there is one language, English."
Outlook, which had an ABC-certified circulation for January-June, 1997 of 105,534 and by the end of June was 122,290, has been ascribed a readership of 334,000 in the NRS '97, a readership per copy (RPC) of 3.16.
In contrast Sunday's RPC has been put at 12.77, with a circulation of 40,649. "Can this be explained," Shourie questioned.
Contacted by Business Standard yesterday, ABC, Karnik, denied that the "methodology is faulty".
He explained, " It is done by established agencies taking into account all aspects. We have received some representation from publications like Outlook, but how can we take what is being said by Outlook vis-a-vis circulation and readership proportion is correct? Anyway we are looking into the matter."
CSR and Living Media's GK Today's (GKT) case is another example of the "anomaly", point out disgruntled publication houses. CSR, with a circulation of 242,000 has a readership of 24.38 lakh, while GKT with a circulation of 109,000 has been ascribed a readership of 19.75 lakh inspite of 102 per cent more circulation.
Living Media's executive director N P Singh, however, was not available for comment, but sources in ABC said that some publications have been touting figures which are yet to be officially released and are attempting to get unnecessary media attention.
The survey covered 397 publications and was conducted by a consortium of industry bodies and market research agencies like the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), Advertisers Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the Audit Bureau of Circulation, A C Nielsen, Mode and IMRB.
