BPA AND CCAB MERGER TAKES EFFECT
By Adnews Staff
BPA International of New York and the Canadian Circulations Audit Board finalized their merger earlier this month. CCAB will now operate in Canada as a division of BPA, but will retain its name. It will audit over 225 business and agricultural publications, 115 consumer magazines and 65 daily and community newspaper. As of mid-January, the two organizations will audit 1,756 business and agricultural publications, 408 consumer magazines, 34 interactive firms comprising 78 Web sites, 67 daily and community newspapers, eight direct marketing databases and 2,690 advertisers and advertising agencies. BPA board member Peter Little says in a release that the merger will allow Canadian magazine and newspaper members to pursue more opportunities in the international marketplace with the adoption of BPA's brand recognition in global markets. Richard Murphy has been named president of CCAB. Formerly he was general manager of BPA's midwestern region. Murphy replaces Patrick Sweeney, who has retired. BPA and CCAB have had a 20-year relationship prior to the merger. The two formed an alliance in 1991, then strengthened it by common auditing standards and formats for reporting circulation data. Last May, the duo began offering joint Web site audits in Canada.