I’ve seen this statement, including a citation of a federal statute requiring it, from time to time in magazines and comic books since childhood. What is the rationale for the statement? Certainly readers aren’t likely to care about this information…I’ve found it in publications as different as Superman Comics, Mad, and *Watchtower.
I believe this is for the advertisers. A magazine needs to justify its circulation for ad rate purposes, i.e., they charge ad rates based on the cirulation and distribution of the magazine, and once a year they have to list where all the copies wind up.
I always get a kick out of the fact that they always even out. (Like the printers are gonna count the number of books ruined from being eaten by the presses.) And the ‘returns’ from newsdealers are only the front covers.
It’s not for the advertisers, at least not specifically, though advertisers do use that information. There are independent agencies, such as the Audit Bureau of Circulations, that verify the actual circulation numbers for adverising rate purposes; however, the actual requirement to run those numbers in that form as an integral part of the publication comes by way of the Post Office. Magazine publishers can get a very low postage rate on materials shipped through the U. S. Mail, but in order to do so, they’re required to run that information in their magazine periodically. Since the periodical rate is artificially low, in order to encourage the existence of such material, most publishers are happy to comply.
I have also noticed, right from the start (with the Superman comics I read as a kid), that the statement includes a line about “Known bonholders, mortgagees, or other security holders owning or holding more than 1 percent of all bonds, mortgages, and other securities.” Usually–almost always–the total is given as “None.”
It’s required by the post office to get 2nd class (periodical) postage rates. If you send your magazine out first class, you don’t need it.