This week, The Appeal is down to just eight pages, the smallest issue I have put together since I started more than a year ago. Unfortunately, this is not by choice. We are preparing for yet another postage rate increase from the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Yes, you read that right. The USPS is raising its rates for mailing newspapers, even though its delivery standards continue to fall short of expectations.
To be clear, I am not pointing fingers at our local postal workers here in Newton County. They do a tremendous job and are not to blame for the delays. The real issue lies with the USPS sorting facility in Jackson.
For some time now, the Jackson facility has developed a bad habit. They hold onto subscription products like newspapers and magazines, sometimes for weeks. Rather than sending them along promptly, they wait until about a month’s worth has built up and then ship it all at once.
As a result, about once a month, we open our P.O. box to find it stuffed with five or more issues of the same newspaper, all from the past month. If it is happening to us, I can say with certainty it is happening to our subscribers too.
I want to personally apologize for these delays, though sadly, it is largely out of our hands. The only thing the USPS seems prepared to do is increase our mailing costs, an expense that ultimately impacts you, our readers.
Small newspapers like ours are already working within tight margins. Every rate increase forces difficult decisions about page counts, subscription prices, and the way we operate. It is a burden we do not take lightly, because we know how important reliable local news is to our community.
We will continue to advocate for better postal service and look for ways to minimize the impact on our readers. Thank you for your understanding and for standing by us as we face these ongoing challenges together.
