NNA welcomes light shined on newspaper delivery woes

Tonda Rush

Jan 4, 2021

NNA Chair Brett Wesner, president of Wesner Publications in Cordell, Oklahoma, today expressed his thanks to the Washington Post and its postal beat expert Jacob Bogage for a revealing look at the problems local newspapers are experiencing with mail delivery. 

Wesner said he was gratified that the Post touched on the roots of the delivery issues —  workforce illnesses from COVID-19, a glut of package deliveries and systemic financial challenges.  The threat of 7-9%  postage increases in 2021 and 2022 for publishers, as a result of a Postal Regulatory Commission decision in 2020, adds to the anxieties of local publishers. 

“We are a little like USPS, in a way,” Wesner said. “We have very mission-directed workforces that are doing their best in impossible circumstances to make sure our communities are served. Both of our enterprises — one public and one private — are being affected by systemic changes in the economy as well as the public health crises facing rural communities with much greater severity than anyone predicted.”

“I wanted to be clear with Mr. Bogage that both our journalists and the USPS workers are fighting valiantly against enormous odds and he did a great job explaining where we are,” he said. “There are paths to help us all and save our communities from the worst ravages of this era. They all lead to Congress, which must address the need for funding universal mail service as it continues to examine financial backing for small businesses until the nation pulls out of this challenging time.”

The Post article is available here https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/04/usps-delays-newspapers/ and also on NNA’s Facebook page.