Rural newspaper advocates testify against ending Saturday mail delivery

UPDATE, Sept. 16: Heath testified in person today and Cross did so Tuesday. To listen to a recording of Cross's testimony, preceded by that of Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, click here.

In testimony filed this week with the Postal Regulatory Commission two rural newspaper advocates argued that the proposed end to Saturday mail would hurt both rural newspapers and the communities they serve. "I believe the Postal Service has a special obligation to rural America that is rooted in its constitutional origins," Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues Director Al Cross testified. "Rural America’s needs cannot be assumed to be the same as those of urban America. Information options are more limited, and residents rely heavily upon local newspapers to remain connected to the community."

Max Heath, postal committee chairman of the National Newspaper Association, testified that the group is "aware of the many challenges in achieving real structural and business change in a falling mail volume environment . . . but in the end, we must support our members, who will be damaged by a five-day mail plan. Rather than support this proposal, we look to other options for reform: such as NNA’s long support on Capitol Hill efforts to remove the $5.5 billion in retiree health benefit prepayments, unprecedented in government agencies."

Cross testified that rural Americans rely more heavily on the U.S. Postal Service than their urban counterparts as they are presented with fewer and often more expensive options for private mail carriers. Rural residents tend to be older and more likely to rely on the Postal Service for delivery of maintenance medications. Rural post offices provide services that are often only accessible for rural residents on Saturdays, Cross added. Many rural newspapers depend on the Postal Service for Saturday delivery, but even those that deliver on Thursdays and Fridays could be hurt as subsribers farther away might not receive newspapers until Monday or Tuesday in the event of a holiday.

Heath testified that the USPS has not adequately considered the impact on rural newspapers of ending Saturday delivery. "The Postal Service has represented itself as 'sensitive' to these concerns of NNA member newspapers," Heath testified. "But beyond lip service, I am aware of no genuine effort  to address our concerns." Heath said ending Monday delivery would provide the same benefits as ending Saturday to the Postal Service but would cause less harm to rural businesses and newspapers.

Much of the threat of ending Saturday delivery to rural newspapers lies in the need for their advertisers to publish in time for weekend shopping, Cross testified. "While big-box stores and other major retailers can use mass mailings any day of the week, independent retail merchants must rely on their local newspaper to get printed advertising in the hands of their customers and potential customers," Cross testified. "The lack of a Saturday newspaper would mean the absence of a powerful advertising vehicle for local businesses at an increasingly important time of the week."