Mark Pasetsky's Cover Awards

Buyers want numbers from publishers faster, while publishers are hesitant to comply because they fear it will hurt them in the negotiating process, reports Mediaweek.

ABC will now publish guidelines for using Rapid Report data the week of April 21st.  

The new guidelines called for publishers to file initial postings no later than three weeks after the on-sale date for weeklies, five weeks after the on-sale date for bi-weeklies, and seven weeks after the on-sale date for monthlies.

Click here to read the Washington Post’s Tom Shales’ review of last night’s debate.  (It’s getting a ton of buzz on all the networks!) 

He believes ABC’s Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos did a terrible job — especially by focusing on gossipy issues during the first 52 minutes of the debate in an attempt to get Clinton and Obama “clawing at each other.”

Shales also believes CNN and MSNBC did better jobs with earlier candidate debates.

Your thoughts?