Where Are the Answers?

20. May 2009 by pat desmond.

My business, a weekly newspaper, depends on the post office for delivery.

I have to begin to look into other options.

We’ve been telling people who spend the winter in Florida that they should put their subscription on hold for the past few years. Delivery between Massachusetts and Florida is difficult and no one can tell us why.

It is clear the postal service is in crisis. Our first class mail delivery has been problematical this year. But that’s a separate story. We depend on Periodical delivery for the newspaper to get out. People don’t want old news. We need a swift and reliable delivery system. We price our newspaper subscription based on the cost of postal delivery.

The USPS is expected to lose about $8 billion this fiscal year. There is a bill in Congress, HR 22, that would change the way the postal service funds healthcare for its retirees. The change would put it on equal footing with other federal agencies. It would save the post office $2 billion this year.

I’ve been trying to work with people from the National Newspaper Association to develop solutions to this issue.

 But I’m not getting the feeling that Congress cares.

And there is still a $6 billion problem with no apparent solution.

So I am trying to create alternatives. Hawkers, carriers, vendor boxes, more newsstand options . . .  Hmmm.

Of course the web is one option.

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