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'Planet' says rumors will be addressed

Claims include talk of inflated circulation figures at the newspaper.

By LOUIS HAU
Published November 12, 2005

Coming soon in Weekly Planet - a possible story looking into questionable dealings at ... Weekly Planet.

In an e-mail sent Friday to the St. Petersburg Times, Weekly Planet publisher Amber Abram confirmed what sharp-eyed observers of the Tampa Bay area alternative newspaper's masthead had already noticed: longtime circulation assistant Ted Bailey was promoted in September to circulation director.

Abram didn't specify what had prompted the departure of Bailey's predecessor, Zarko Bajsanski. But she did respond to a query by the Times about allegations of inflated circulation figures at the Planet. Responded Abram in her e-mail: "Please be assured that we have been investigating any allegations and rumors of impropriety and will publish our findings at www.weeklyplanet.com."

Those rumors have included intimations of phantom delivery routes and thousands of undelivered copies of the free weekly newspaper being dumped in recycling bins.

Last month, the publisher of Laptop, a New York computer magazine, and a circulation consultant were charged with fraudulently conspiring to inflate the magazine's circulation. That case grew out of a federal investigation into circulation practices in the magazine industry. Some newspapers, including Newsday and the Dallas Morning News, have also been cited for similar circulation problems.

Larger circulation figures allow publications to charge higher rates to advertisers.

According to the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, the Tampa edition of Weekly Planet had a circulation of 93,781 in December 2004, while the newspaper's Sarasota edition had a circulation of 24,366.

Ben Eason, president of Creative Loafing, the corporate parent of Weekly Planet, did not respond Friday to a phone call and e-mail seeking comment. Circulation head Bailey didn't return a phone call seeking comment. Bajsanski couldn't be reached at his home in Tampa.

Stated Abram in her e-mail: "At Weekly Planet, integrity is paramount to our relationships with readers and advertisers."

Louis Hau can be reached at 813 226-3404 or hau@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 12, 2005, 00:54:17]