Tribune-Review mail delivery subscriptions now available

The United States Postal Service has a proud and lengthy history of supporting newspapers, going back to before our nation was born. Even in the current era, the USPS is an advantageous mode of delivery for newspapers and periodicals.

Now, Trib Total Media is excited to partner with USPS to provide mail delivery subscriptions of the Tribune-Review to subscribers in the region and beyond, building on the long American tradition of the Post Office delivering newspapers and periodicals.

“Newspapers were really the first pieces in the mail,” said Tonda Rush, director of public policy for the National Newspaper Association. She adds that, in the Colonies, postmasters and publishers were often one and the same; they would receive periodicals from Europe and write up newspapers that they would circulate themselves in the mail. Here in Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin himself did this work.

In 1775, before the United States was formed, the Constitutional Post was born, and Franklin was made postmaster general. After the Revolutionary War, and as the Founding Fathers were grappling with the creation and governance of a new, free country, the topic of newspapers and the fledgling Postal Service were at the forefront.

They wanted an electorate that was informed and politically active, and they believed that an uncensored and widely available press was vital to achieving that goal. George Washington wrote, “I entertain a high idea of the utility of periodical Publications: insomuch that I could heartily desire, copies of … Magazines, as well as common Gazettes, might spread through every city, town and village in America.” That is why they implemented a system that would subsidize cheaper postage costs for newspapers with more expensive private or business correspondence postage.

This partnership between the USPS and newspapers continues to this day, even in the time of online subscriptions. The Post Office still provides a stable option for newspaper subscribers. As Tonda Rush said, “It’s historic and tried and true.”

The USPS also makes delivery easier and more consistent for newspapers, which in turn makes delivery better for customers. “The advantage is that they’re delivering every day regardless; they have a very efficient network,” said Dave Fellabaum, executive director of information systems at Trib Total Media. He noted that the USPS is not subject to shortages of newspaper carriers the way that newspapers may be when providing their own deliveries. In addition, higher prices for fuel are spread throughout a larger system.

Tonda Rush has another perspective on the pluses of USPS delivery. “The paper arrives in the mailbox and that is a place people trust,” she said, adding that having a newspaper in your mailbox means that it is protected from the elements and easily picked up with the rest of the mail.

Both Rush and Fellabaum extol the virtues of USPS’s organizational efficiency. While same-day delivery of newspapers through the mail is not guaranteed, and Sunday papers will be delivered on Monday, the Post Office is working hard to get papers to their readers on their day of publication.

“We have a great relationship with the USPS. … They want to ensure same-day delivery in the immediate area. Unfortunately there can’t be a guarantee, but we continue to work with USPS as a partner to get our customers the best service possible,” Fellabaum said.

The new USPS subscriptions also provide service for Trib readers in local areas who were previously unable to get deliveries. “We’re happy to be able to provide delivery to areas we were unable to go,” Fellabaum said.

This was true of Sandy and Jim Jones, of Harmony. They have a Sunday mail delivery subscription, and Sandy Jones says that it’s definitely worth it. “My husband loves it because we haven’t really gotten the paper for a long time, and he loves to just sit down with the paper and scour it front to back,” she said.

Mail delivery subscriptions of the Tribune-Review can be purchased now at tribliveoffers.com or by calling 1-800-909-8742.