Frequently Asked Questions

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section contains answers to common questions. If you have questions that are not answered here, please call our toll-free number, 1-866-669-2262, to speak to a regional representative.

1. What is a community newspaper?
2. What is Community Media Canada?
3. What is ComBase?
4. What is StatHebdo?
5. What does Paid/Controlled (P/C) mean?

What is a community newspaper?

A community newspaper, in the most traditional definition, is a newspaper that publishes one or twice a week, and serves a specific geographic community, such as a town, region, or suburb. In addition to this traditional concept, community newspapers can also publish more or less frequently, or serve an ethocultural or other specific-interest community.

Community newspapers listed on this website are all members of one or more of the following associations: Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA), Atlantic Community Newspapers Association (ACNA), Quebec Community Newspapers Association (QCNA), Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA), Manitoba Community Newspapers Association (MCNA), Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association (SWNA), Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association (AWNA), British Columbia & Yukon Community Newspapers Association (BCYCNA), or Les Hebdos du Quebec. A publication must meet the membership requirements of its regional association, which vary among associations. The most common membership criteria are listed below:

• Audited Circulation - Member newspapers must obtain circulation audits twice a year from any of the following: Verified Circulation (VC), the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), BPA Worldwide (formerly Canadian Circulation Audit Board, CCAB), or the Office de la distribution certifiée (ODC). The most current audited circulations are used.

• Ad-to-Editorial Ratios - Advertising must not exceed 70% in any one issue.

• Editorial Content - The majority of associations specify that local editorial staff or correspondents must produce at least 50% the content of member newspaper, and that a least 50% of the content is local and relevant to the newspaper's circulation area.

• Publishing Frequency - Depending on the association, member newspapers may publish from one to five times weekly and distribute a minimum of 48 times per year. However, some publications are are biweekly, and some are once a month.

What is Community Media Canada?

Community Media Canada is the advertising and promotion arm of the Canadian community newspaper industry, the one voice for Canada's community newspaper industry and one easy way to reach Canadians. Canada's community newspaper associations have come together to make the industry more accessible to national advertisers.

What is ComBase?

ComBase (Community Newspaper Database) is North America's largest media study, measuring newspapers of all types, as well as radio-listening habits, in nearly 400 Canadian markets and sub-markets. An initiative of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association, ComBase provides title- and market-specific audience information to assist in the buying and selling of community newspaper advertising space.

ComBase is governed by an autonomous Tri-Partite Board of Directors consisting of equal representation from publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers. The data is available through the IMS and Telmar-Harris media planning software.

To learn more about ComBase, visit www.combase.ca.

What is StatHebdo?

StatHebdo is the major survey commissioned by the Bureau de commercialisation des Hebdos du Québec (Marketing office for Quebec weeklies), which was conducted by the research firm CROP (Centre de recherche sur l’opinion publique) in the fall of 2003. The StatHebdo survey concerned 142 weekly newspapers, all members of the Bureau, to find out their readership level, the socio-demographic profile of their readers as well as the readership level of the daily newspapers. The Quebec-wide study describes the behaviour of weekly readers by market (primary zone), by region and for Quebec as a whole.

To learn more about StatHebdo, visit www.hebdos.com.

What does Paid/Controlled (P/C) mean?

Some newspapers have a stand or subscription price (paid circulation), whereas others are distributed for free (controlled circulation). A newspaper's circulation must comprise of at least 70% paid circulation for it to be deemed a "paid" product. ComBase and StatHebdo have shown that price is not a factor in readership.