The indicator number is the base figure from which your monthly official announcement quota is calculated. How many announcements you receive depends directly on it, which makes it the concept in the official announcement legislation with the most money attached. The Regulation recognises two kinds: the basic indicator and additional indicators.
Basic indicators for newspapers (Art. 46)
For newspapers the basic indicator is determined by assessing place of publication and publication frequency together:
| Newspaper | Publication frequency | Basic indicator |
|---|---|---|
| National | Daily | 180 |
| National | Not published one day a week | 156 |
| Provincial centre | Daily | 150 |
| Provincial centre | Not published one day a week | 130 |
| District | Every day of the week | 150 |
| District | 6 days a week | 130 |
| District | 5 days a week | 100 |
| District | 4 days a week | 80 |
| District | 3 days a week | 60 |
| District | 2 days a week | 40 |
One point in the table stands out: a district newspaper published every day of the week has the same indicator (150) as a daily newspaper published in a provincial centre. Publication frequency is therefore as decisive as place of publication. The indicator of a district newspaper published twice a week falls to 40 — a difference of almost four times.
The basic indicator for online news sites (Art. 64)
Here the arrangement is far simpler. Article 64 is a single sentence: the basic indicator number for the monthly official announcement quota of online news sites is 150.
It is independent of category. A site in the General Category and a site in the 5th Category start from the same basic indicator. The difference emerges in the additional indicators and in the distribution of total indicators in the quota location.
How is the total indicator calculated? (Art. 72)
Article 72(2) gives the formula: the total indicator number to be applied is determined by adding the number found by multiplying the basic indicator number by the additional indicator rates to the basic indicator number.
Additional indicators therefore do not replace the basic indicator; they are added to it:
| Step | Operation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Find your basic indicator (Art. 46 for a newspaper, 150 for a site) |
| 2 | Add up the additional indicator rates you have earned |
| 3 | Multiply the basic indicator by that rate |
| 4 | Add the result to the basic indicator |
An example: an online news site with a basic indicator of 150 benefiting from a staff additional indicator of 1/6 and a visitor traffic additional indicator of 1/2 has a total rate of 2/3. 150 × 2/3 = 100; the total indicator is 150 + 100 = 250.
How the indicator becomes a quota
The total indicator alone does not give the volume of announcements; it is calculated together with the official announcement coefficient in the quota location. The coefficient is the measure formed by dividing the volume of announcements to be distributed in that quota location by the total indicators, and is regulated in Article 73.
The practical meaning is this: even if your indicator stays the same, your share may shrink as new publications join your quota location.
Conclusion
The basic indicator varies between 40 and 180 for newspapers according to place of publication and frequency; for online news sites it is 150 regardless of category. Additional indicators are added proportionally on top, and the total indicator is the basic indicator plus the product of the basic indicator and the additional rate.
How additional indicators are earned is covered in the additional indicator guide and the whole quota calculation in the monthly quota guide.