Time for the end of a guaranteed ratebase ?

Media Week reports that Time is seriously considering the elimination of its rate base, (the circulation it guarantees to advertisers).

This more could signal a move to a "total brand readership" and reader engagement model that looks at the print and online environments together. The print circulation ratebase model is hopelessly out moded so this is a bold but very welcome move for the whole industry.
   
“The rate base is really just an anachronism,” said Rebecca McPheters, who is president of McPheters & Co., a consulting and research firm. “The value to the advertiser is not the number of copies or how they are paid for or distributed, but rather who reads it and who buys the advertiser’s product. It would be a very brave thing for Time to do and would be an exciting development for the industry.”

Comments

[Scott Quick]

Colin...

check out this post by Don Dodge at Microsoft:

http://dondodge.typepad.com/the_next_big_thing/2006/09/are_newspapers_.html#comments