Law No. 195 makes announcement and advertisement traffic traceable through three mechanisms: the distinguishing word, the delivery of copies and the annual payroll record.
1. The Distinguishing Word and Number — Art. 46
The Press Advertisement Agency and the brokers and newspapers and magazines are obliged to place, at the very bottom of all the announcements and advertisements they intermediate in publishing, a word showing that they acted as intermediary.
Brokers and newspapers and magazines notify the Agency of the word they choose for that purpose before using it. If the Agency finds that the word chosen has previously been taken by another broker or by a newspaper or a magazine, or that it is of a nature likely to cause confusion, it notifies the person concerned to change the word.
| Intermediary | Word | Number to be written next to it |
|---|---|---|
| The Press Advertisement Agency | (Basın) | The annual announcement and advertisement serial number of the Agency |
| The broker | The word notified to the Agency | The annual serial number of the broker |
| Directly the newspaper/magazine | Its own word | The serial number of the announcements and advertisements received by the newspaper or magazine |
2. The Delivery of Copies — Art. 47
Newspapers and magazines published in places where the Agency has a branch deliver two copies each of the issues containing the announcement or advertisement, on the day the announcement or advertisement is published, against a receipt, to the branch in that place, to be sent to the Directorate General of the Agency.
Those copies are taken by the Directorate General as the basis for the account of the announcements and advertisements given by the Agency and of those not given by the Agency, and for establishing by whom they were given.
Newspapers and magazines published in places where the Agency has no branch likewise deliver two copies each of the issues containing the announcement or advertisement to the local governorship, to be sent to the Directorate General of the Agency.
| Element | Content |
|---|---|
| What is delivered | Two copies each of the issues containing the announcement or advertisement |
| When | On the day the announcement or advertisement is published |
| Where | To the branch in that place if there is one, otherwise to the local governorship |
| How | Against a receipt |
| For what | As the basis for the account of the announcements given and not given by the Agency and for establishing by whom they were given |
3. The Annual Payroll Record — Art. 48
Brokers deliver the announcements and advertisements they have intermediated in publishing, according to the serial number they used, with a record showing the fee, the commission they took and the name of the newspaper or magazine in which it was published together with the serial number of the newspaper or magazine, within the first 15 days of each year, against a receipt, to the branch of the Agency in that place, to be sent to the Directorate General of the Agency.
Newspapers and magazines also deliver, within the period written in the paragraph above, to the branch of the Agency in that place, the annual payroll record they will draw up according to their own serial numbers, showing from whom they received each announcement and advertisement, the serial number of the Agency or of the broker, its price and the commission they gave.
| Who | What is to be shown in the record |
|---|---|
| The broker | The serial number used, the fee, the commission taken, the name of the newspaper/magazine and the serial number of the newspaper |
| The newspaper/magazine | Its own serial number, from whom the announcement was received, the serial number of the Agency or of the broker, the price and the commission given |
Newspapers and magazines published in places where the Agency has no branch deliver the annual payroll records they will draw up under the paragraph above to the governorship of that place; the governorships send those records, together with the records to be prepared in accordance with the first paragraph, to the Directorate General of the Agency.
The Logic of the System
The three mechanisms work together: the distinguishing word and number make visible in the newspaper through whom each announcement was published; the delivery of copies provides the Agency with actual evidence; and the annual payroll record matches the whole year’s announcement traffic with the trio of number, fee and commission.
The Sanction for Non-Compliance — Art. 49
Measures are taken in respect of newspapers, magazines and internet news sites, brokers and public administrations and bodies that do not comply with this Law, or with the regulation to be made on the basis of this Law, or with the duties imposed by the decisions the General Assembly of the Agency takes on the matters written in this Law, or with the press ethics principles.
As regards brokers, the sanction is the closure of the undertaking for a period not exceeding two months (Art. 49/b). We covered the detail in what announcement and advertising brokerage is.
Checklist
- Is there a distinguishing word and serial number at the bottom of the announcements?
- Was the word notified to the Agency before it was used?
- Are 2 copies of the issues carrying announcements delivered on the day of publication against a receipt?
- Was the annual payroll record given between 1 and 15 January?
- Is the price and commission information in the record complete?
Conclusion
The Agency, the brokers and the publications must place at the very bottom of all the announcements and advertisements they intermediate a word showing that they acted as intermediary, together with a serial number; the word of the Agency is (Basın). Two copies each of the issues carrying the announcement or advertisement are delivered on the day of publication, against a receipt, to the branch — or to the governorship where there is no branch. In addition, the brokers and the publications give the Agency, within the first 15 days of each year, the annual payroll record showing the fees, commissions and serial numbers.