Selecting Newspapers for Government of Canada Advertising

• Instructions
• Eligibility Criteria
• Evaluation Questionnaire
• Publisher's Sworn Statement of Circulation

INSTRUCTIONS

Before completing this application form, please note the following:

The Government of Canada (GC) media planning cost guides are tools used for planning GC advertising campaigns. They are designed to address the most common needs of GC institutions and therefore, do not include every type of publication. Notably, specialized publications whose editorial content is mainly devoted to specific topics such as agriculture, arts and culture, entertainment, sports and finance, as well as magazines, directories and newsletters, are not required to complete this application form. These publications are selected as necessary based on specific needs of GC institutions and media availability. It is therefore strongly recommended that you read these instructions and the eligibility criteria below carefully before submitting an application.

Please note that publications must meet all criteria to be eligible. The evaluation questionnaire must also be fully completed in a clear and legible manner in order to be accepted. Incomplete applications are returned to the publishers.

It is also important to note that a listing in the media planning cost guides is not a guarantee that the publication will receive GC advertising placements. Being listed guarantees that the publication will be considered for GC advertising campaigns, but media selection is strictly the prerogative of GC institutions. This selection is based on a number of factors, including campaign objectives, target audiences and markets and budgets.

The GC's Agency of Record (AOR), Cossette Media, is responsible for maintaining the media planning cost guides and for evaluating publications in accordance with the criteria established by the GC. Evaluation results are communicated in writing to the publishers by the AOR. Please remember that the AOR has no influence on media selection for GC advertising campaigns; this responsibility is strictly the prerogative of GC institutions. To submit an application or if you have any questions on the eligibility criteria and the evaluation questionnaire, please contact Annie Dubois, AOR National Supervisor, at:

Annie Dubois
National Supervisor
Agency of Record for the Government of Canada
Cossette Media
200-801 Grande Allée West
Quebec City, Quebec  G1S 1C1
Tel.: 418-521-3728   Fax: 418-647-2647
E-mail: Annie.Dubois@cossette.com

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

General Criteria

1. Be published and printed in Canada.
2. Be a general-interest newspaper geared to the general public or one or more specific ethnic or Aboriginal groups, at the national, regional, provincial or municipal level.
3. Be published on a regular, pre-determined basis for a period of at least one year.
4. Be published in a format consistent with general industry practices. In accordance with these practices, the format must meet the following requirements:
   1. Page layout must be handled electronically.
   2. The newspaper must be published in tabloid or broadsheet format.
   3. The newspaper must contain a minimum of 8 pages, and these must be numbered.
   4. The name of the newspaper and the issue date must appear on each page.
5. Contain no more than 70% advertising throughout the newspaper and on the cover page.
6. Ensure that editorial content be of a nature and intent not to:
   1. Incite racial hatred.
   2. Incite discrimination of any kind.
   3. Incite the subversion of Canada's democratic system of government.

Mandatory Documents

1. Provide current advertising rate card.
2. Provide the complete last three consecutive issues of the newspaper.
3. Provide printers' invoices for the last three consecutive issues of the newspaper.
4. Provide a circulation report certified by a third party auditor (e.g. Canadian Circulations Audit Board (CCAB), Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)) or the original copy of the Publisher's Sworn Statement of Circulation duly completed and signed by the publisher and sworn before a commissioner for oaths, a lawyer, a notary or another authorized official.

Note: Circulation reports are shared with GC institutions and contribute to decision making during the media planning process. To be accepted, these reports must contain no less than the information requested on the Publisher's Sworn Statement of Circulation.

Additional Requirements

1. Provide additional copies of the newspaper upon request.
2. Provide a written notice of increases in advertising rates at least 90 days prior to these changes taking effect.
3. Provide a written notice of any other changes affecting the newspaper's application (e.g. format, date of publication, vacations).
4. Provide a new Publisher's Sworn Statement of Circulation for any changes affecting the statement provided earlier.

The GC reserves the right to verify at any time and without notice whether newspapers listed on its media planning cost guides remain compliant with the eligibility criteria and the information submitted, and whether advertising rates remain aligned with those effective for each type of newspaper. Newspapers found to be non-compliant will be notified and their listing will be reviewed as necessary.

EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Please read instructions and eligibility criteria carefully on pages 1 and 2 prior to completing this form.
2. Complete all sections and obtain authorized signatures as required.
3. Send the completed and signed original application form, including the application checklist and all required documents to: Annie Dubois, National Supervisor, Agency of Record for the Government of Canada, Cossette Media, 200-801 Grande Allée West, Quebec City, Quebec, G1S 1C1.

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1a) Title of newspaper in English and/or French (as it appears on cover page)

Address (street, city, province, postal code):

Postal address (if different from previous)

Tel:

Fax:

E-mail:

Web site (if available):

1b) Publishing company

Name of publisher

Address (street, city, province, postal code):

Tel:

Fax:

E-mail:

2. INFORMATION ON THE NEWSPAPER

2a) Date newspaper was founded (mm/yyyy)

2b) Category of newspaper (select one category only)

Daily (must be published at least five days a week): [ ]

Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or bimonthly: [ ]

Ethnic: [ ]  Aboriginal: [ ]

2c) If the newspaper is a member of an industry association, please indicate the association's name

2d) Language of newspaper

English only: [ ]   French only: [ ]   Bilingual (English and French): [ ]

Other(s) (please specify): [ ]

2e) Frequency (please specify days published)

2f) Format

Tabloid: [ ]   Broadsheet: [ ]

Number of agate lines per page:

Number of columns per page:

Width of columns:

2g) Breakdown of content (based on average published in the year prior to application, excluding inserts and outserts)

% of advertising:

MUST TOTAL 100%
% of articles covering local issues:
% of articles covering Canadian issues:
% of articles covering international issues:
% of articles covering other issues (please specify):

3. INFORMATION ON ADVERTISING

3a) Name of sales representative for booking advertising space (if you do business through a representation house, skip this question and go to question 3b)

Tel:

Fax:

E-mail:

3b) Name of representation house (if applicable)

Address (street, city, province, postal code)

Name of sales representative for booking advertising space

Tel:

Fax:

E-mail:

3c) Advertising deadlines (if there are several issues, please indicate deadline dates for each)

Issue date:

Booking deadline:

Material deadline:

E-mail or FTP (File Transfer Protocol) address to submit avertising material:

3d) Language of advertisements (please specify all acceptable languages)

English only: [ ]

French only: [ ]

Bilingual (English and French): [ ]

Other (please specify): 

3e) Rate information

Net¹ advertising rate (please specify agate line or modular format)

Agate line [ ]    Modular [ ]

Expiry date of current advertising rate card (mm/yyyy):

Do you offer discounts for prompt payments (if so, please specify terms):

Do you offer additional discounts (if so, please specify terms):

¹ The common practice of adding commission fees to the net advertising rate to obtain the gross advertising rate does not apply to the Government of Canada (GC) who pays no commission fees to advertising agencies and/or representation houses. The GC pays the net advertising rate.

4. INFORMATION ON READERSHIP

4a) Target audience(s) (if the newspaper is geared to one or more ethnic or Aboriginal groups, please specify the groups)

4b) Description of readers (please provide a brief description of the specific characteristics of the readers):

4c) Have you ever done a readership study? Yes [ ]    No [ ]

If so, please include a copy of the study if you would like to make the information available to GC institutions. Studies are shared with GC institutions and contribute to decision making during the media planning process.

A copy of the study is attached. Yes [ ]    No [ ]

5. SIGNATURE

I hereby declare that the information provided on this application form is true, accurate and complete.

PUBLISHER'S SIGNATURE

_____________________________________

PRINT NAME

_____________________________________

DATE

(MM/DD/YYYY)

_____________________________________

Information provided on this application form will be used strictly for media planning purposes of Government of Canada advertising campaigns. The GC reserves the right to verify at any time and without notice whether newspapers listed on its media planning cost guides remain compliant with the eligibility criteria and the information submitted, and whether the advertising rates remain consistent with those effective for each type of newspaper. Newspapers found to be non compliant will be notified and their listing will be reviewed as necessary.

6. APPLICATION CHECK LIST

ATTACHED

1. [ ] Fully completed and signed original application form
2. [ ] Current advertising rate card
3. [ ] Complete last three consecutive issues of the newspaper
4. [ ] Printers' invoices for the complete last three consecutive issues of the newspaper
5. [ ] Audited circulation report or fully completed and signed original Publisher's Sworn Statement of Circulation
6. [ ] Readership study (if available)

PUBLISHER'S SWORN STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION

1. Please read instructions and eligibility criteria carefully on pages 1 and 2 prior to completing this form.

2. Complete all sections and obtain authorized signatures.

3. This statement must be signed by a commissioner for oaths, a lawyer, a notary or any other authorized official in order to be accepted.

4. Send the completed and signed original statement and application form, including the application checklist, and all required documents to: Annie Dubois, National Supervisor, Agency of Record for the Government of Canada, Cossette Media, 200-801 Grande Allée West, Quebec City, Quebec, G1S 1C1.

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1a) Title of newspaper in English and/or French (as it appears on cover page):

1b) Date newspaper was founded (mm/yyyy)

1c) Publishing company

Name of publisher:

Address (street, city, province, postal code):

Tel:

Fax:

E-mail:

2. CIRCULATION

2a) Average circulation per issue for the six-month period beginning (mm/yyyy)² and ending (mm/yyyy)

² The six-month period must be during the year prior to the application.

2b) Average circulation per issue (Canada only):

Average paid [A]:

Average non-paid [B]:

Average circulation per issue [A + B]:

3. BREAKDOWN OF DISTRIBUTION

3a) Breakdown of distribution based on issue (mm/dd/yyyy)

PROVINCE	MARKET(S)	NUMBER OF COPIES
Yukon
Northwest Territory
Nunavut
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland

4. SIGNATURE

I hereby make oath and declare that the above statement is true and agree to provide, upon request, records from which the above figures were prepared.

Declared before me at (city):

in the province of:

This (date):

day of (month):

20_ _(Year)

SIGNATURE OF COMMISSIONER FOR OATHS, LAWYER, NOTARY OR OTHER AUTHORIZED OFFICIAL

_____________________________________

PUBLISHER'S SIGNATURE

_____________________________________

PRINT NAME

_____________________________________

Information provided on this statement will be used strictly for media planning purposes of Government of Canada advertising campaigns. The GC reserves the right to verify at any time and without notice whether newspapers listed on its media planning cost guides remain compliant with the eligibility criteria and the information submitted, and whether the advertising rates remain consistent with those effective for each type of newspaper. Newspapers found to be non compliant will be notified and their listing will be reviewed as necessary.