It appears the United States Postal Service (USPS) is jumping on the bandwagon, adding one more financial and operational burden to newspapers nationwide.
For as long as I can remember, newspaper publishers have relied on the USPS for reliable and timely mail delivery. From first-class mail out of the front office to periodicals, marketing mail (Total Market Coverage, or TCM products), bulk mail — the list goes on. The USPS has been our true partnership.
That partnership now seems to be more challenged than ever.
Effective Aug. 29, the Postal Regulatory Commission approved raising rates for newspapers to 9%. The National Newspaper Association (NNA) and News Media Alliance pushed back on these increases.
Unfortunately, their initial efforts failed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia declined to cancel the increase.