The board of the Audit Bureau of Circulations has approved on Tuesday development of the new measurement tool Audience-FAX, which will combine newspaper readership and online audience estimates into ABC circulation reports.

“Beginning this autumn, newspapers using the tool will be able to report in-market print, online and net combined readership as measured by Scarborough Research. Monthly Web site unique visitors also will be reported from sources such as Nielsen // NetRatings, comScore Inc. or server-based analytic tools,” according to an ABC statement.

Stephen Hills, president and general manager of the Washington Post stated in the release the tool “combines the most trusted names in audience measurement to allow advertisers and agencies to understand more easily the wide range of products that newspapers offer in print and online” and that it will showcase “the expanding range of product offerings coming from daily newspapers.”

The audited information will also be available in a new industry database that Scarborough will create and host, and will be available to ABC members.