Madison Publishing has signed three of its five British Columbia papers up to ComBase.
The company signed the Sechelt/Gibsons Coast Reporter, the Squamish Chief and the Powell River Peak to the national readership research program.
The addition of the Madison papers will see membership in ComBase jump from 32 to 35 in B.C. Recent activity has seen CanWest Global and Black Press both sign 12 papers each to ComBase.
When CanWest signed 12 of its papers up to ComBase last week, Madison Publisher Peter Kvarnstrom said at the time that the move was extremely important to Madison, as VanNet represents MadisonÔÇÖs community newspapers for national advertising. He said Madison would reconsider putting some of its community newspapers into ComBase.
ÔÇ£This is one of the pieces that nicely fell into place once CanWestÔÇÖs Lower Mainland Publishing came aboard,ÔÇØ said ComBase President Elena Dunn. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs hard to say, but in the long run, I think this is going to have a positive impact in other provinces across the country.ÔÇØ
Powell River Peak Publisher Joyce Carlson said she is ÔÇÿvery excitedÔÇÖ that ComBase is coming to British ColumbiaÔÇÖs Lower Mainland. ÔÇ£I am happy to see ComBase because I feel it puts the association on track,ÔÇØ said Carlson. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs important for papers to be measured, especially in British Columbia. Now that the decision has been made by all of the major players in the Lower Mainland, the benefits will spill down to everyone.
ÔÇ£It certainly is an indication of the growing credibility of ComBase and the hard work a lot of people have put in across the country to make it work,ÔÇØ she said.