A new development in Romanian print media will take the guesswork out of advertisers' buying decisions as it supplies audited data on the circulation of many of the country's publications.

The newly established Romanian Audit Bureau of Circulations will audit the number of copies sold by the bureau's member publications. Advertisers require circulation data to budget their resources most effectively. Freedom House, manager of the USAID-funded ProMedia program in Romania, is the sponsor of this effort launched in June 1997.

"The era of publications exaggerating their circulations has come to an end," said Kathryn Koegel, senior media adviser at Freedom House. "The formation of a Romanian Audit Bureau of Circulations signals an acceptance of transparency and the adoption of international professional standards of the print media here."

The bureau's founding members are 33 companies representing 60 publications, six advertising agencies and one large client. The founding members approved the bureau's statute and elected seven directors.

Liviu Burlacu, a Romanian who is the managing director of the Hungarian Audit Bureau of Circulations, Matesz, has worked as an adviser to the project.

"We are excited about the level of interest," Burlacu said. "In Hungary, 15 companies were founding members in 1993. In Romania, 33 companies have joined, which represent many of the most significant national and local publications, advertising agencies and clients."

Fully audited circulation data is expected to be released by the end of 1998. The Romanian bureau has counterparts in 32 Western countries, Poland and the Czech Republic as well as Hungary.

This information was compiled from a report by Gabriela Gruia, Romania project coordinator for ProMedia Romania, a project of the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX).