AV Specialist has applied for membership in BPA Worldwide, the global media auditing organization. The magazine will have 12 months to complete its initial circulation audit that will cover all three regional editions as well as the online edition of the magazine.

According to publisher Kevan Jones, the magazine has been audited by ABC South Africa since inception and remains an active member of the Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa. “During 2005 we were notified by the ABC in South Africa that, due to changes in their audit process, they were no longer able to audit the Middle East edition of the magazine. It made sense for us to standardize the audit process through a single bureau and we immediately entered into discussions with the BPA who are in the process of opening an office in Dubai.” Jones describes the change as a blessing in disguise. “The expansion of our business from South Africa to nearly 60 countries in Africa and the Middle East meant that a growing proportion of advertising revenues are now generated from manufacturers in Europe and North America,” he says. “As a result, we needed an audit certificate that is more globally recognized and which will cater to the multi-media platform in which we now publish. BPA certainly fits the brief.”

AV Specialist’s long-suffering circulation manager, Anne Ebrahim, isn’t phased by the changeover. “Both ABC and BPA maintain similar audit standards so I don’t envisage any dramatic change in our reported circulation figures,” she says. “There are some minor differences but at the end of the day it’s about being open and honest; letting suppliers to the broadcast industry know that they can rely on us to provide accurate and independently verified information about our distribution.” Over the next few months Anne will be working with the BPA to ensure a smooth transition to BPA audit standards.