The Alliance filed a Petition to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to Initiate a Proceeding Regarding the Appropriate Analytical Principle for Retiree Health Benefit Normal Costs on December 19. The PRC opened a docket following their December 9 order, rescinding their earlier approval of the USPS accounting treatment for removal of retirement liabilities from the Postal Service Reform Act. Meanwhile, the USPS filed their petition December 12 continuing to push for their proposed changes. Our petition argues that these costs should be treated as accrued in FY 2022 and distributed in the same manner they have been since FY 2008. View the Alliance Petition here.

The post Alliance Files Petition to Postal Regulatory Commission to Initiate Proceeding Regarding Retiree Health Benefit Normal Costs appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Thursday, September 15, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EDT

Through our partnership with the National Newspaper Association Foundation (NNAF), News/Media Alliance members receive free access to extensive postal-related resources, events and materials as well as webinars to train newspaper employees for best uses of the mail in a rapidly changing postal environment.*

Description: As the U.S. Postal Service continues to automate verification of bulk mail, it is increasingly important that mailings are prepared according to the latest sorting rules and precisely match postage statements. At minimum, that requires properly coded and sequenced addresses. In this session, we’ll go deep on addressing, bundling, sacks, trays and more. Join Brad Hill, CEO of Interlink, to learn the right way to handle addressing and mail prep for an optimized newspaper mailing.

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Register *

*When registering, please use your Alliance member newspaper organization name and email address. Your Alliance membership will be verified prior to your registration being confirmed via email and receiving access to the site.

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The post Free Webinar: Understanding Periodicals: Proper Mail Preparation & Addressing appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Thursday, August 25, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EDT

Through our partnership with the National Newspaper Association Foundation (NNAF), News/Media Alliance members receive free access to extensive postal-related resources, events and materials as well as webinars to train newspaper employees for best uses of the mail in a rapidly changing postal environment.*

Description: Making sure your newspaper is sorted in the right bundle and container and has the correct address can make all the difference for your customers. In the highly-automated USPS world, machines see your mistakes and send your mail to the wrong place. Sharpen up your mail prep skills with the nation’s expert on community newspaper mail preparation, Bradley Hill, CEO of Interlink. 

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Register *

*When registering, please use your Alliance member newspaper organization name and email address. Your Alliance membership will be verified prior to your registration being confirmed via email and receiving access to the site.

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The post Free Webinar: Understanding Periodicals: All Things Mail Entry appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Thursday, July 21, 4:00-5:00 p.m. EDT

New sampling rules for Within County newspapers became effective May 27. Congress passed a change in the allowance for nonsubscribers to receive newspapers with the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022. The new rule allows newspapers a wider allowance to send sample copies to nonsubscribers at the within County postage rate. The limit was 10 percent of annual Within County subscriber mail. With the new law, the limit becomes 50 percent. Join us to learn how to use your sampling privileges strategically for advertising ⁠— including information and samples on unmissable promotions like inserts and sticky note ads; how to promote to advertisers; and the important details (i.e., what constitutes an insert vs. a ride-along, etc.); and more.

Through a partnership with the NNA Foundation, Alliance members may participate in this webinar at no charge.*

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The post Free Webinar: Understanding Periodicals: Using Your Permit To Generate Revenue appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Thursday, June 23, 4:00-5:00 p.m. EDT

Save the date for the next Understanding Periodicals webinar from the National Newspaper Association (NNA) Foundation on Thursday, June 23, 2022. This webinar, free to Alliance members, will cover some fundamentals that are baked into most newspapers’ Periodical usage. But why are they there and how do we use them?

Covered in this session:

• The Private Express Statutes and the Mailbox Rule — How They Affect Newspapers
• How to Tell an Edition from an Issue. And an Issue from a Separate Publication
• Why you sometimes need one and not the other Advertising in the Mail
  • Inserts
  • Repositionable Notes
  • Envelopes
  • Ride-Alongs
• And other interesting aspects of being a Periodicals Mailer

Through a partnership with the NNA Foundation, Alliance members may participate in this webinar at no charge.*

Learn more

Register

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The post Free Webinar: Understanding Periodicals: Things You Forgot — Or Maybe Never Knew — About Periodicals appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

The post MPA Opposes Proposed Revisions to USPS Market Dominant Service Performance Measurement Plan appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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The post Postal Training Webinars Available to News Media Alliance Members  appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

On April 6, President Joe Biden signed the Postal Service Reform Act, H.R. 3076, which provides $107 billion in direct and indirect support for the United States Postal Service (USPS). This is the first major piece of reform for the USPS in 15 years, which had wide bipartisan support. View Biden’s remarks and the bill signing ceremony.

Key provisions include:

• expansion of special rates for local newspaper distribution to promote local news organizations,
• service performance transparency including a new public-facing, online dashboard with national and local level service performance data updated each week to help promote compliance with on-time delivery of mail,
• repeal mandatory pre-funding of retiree health benefits to financially stabilize the Postal Service and curb rate increases,
• six-day integrated delivery, and
• study on operational inefficiencies in Postal Service flats and magazine processing

Meanwhile, on April 6, the USPS filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes to take effect July 10. In both Periodicals and Marketing Mail, the USPS is setting price signals to encourage mailers to prepare their mailings in ways that are less costly to handle and deliver. For Periodicals, the overall increase is 8.540%, with Outside County receiving an average increase of 8.581% and Within County 7.751%. In Marketing Mail, the increases (while high) are relatively smaller for saturation flats and tend to get smaller as the mail pieces get heavier. Also in Marketing Mail, the Postal Service is proposing a discount for Saturation and High-Density flats prepared and entered in 5-Digit direct containers (e.g., pallets, sacks, and tubs).

The Alliance will continue to work with the USPS, Congress, and other stakeholders to continue addressing increasing postal rates.

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The post President Signs Postal Reform Bill into Law & USPS Announces Increased Postal Rates   appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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The post Postal Reform Bill Awaits President’s Signature & Regulatory Commission Issues Annual Compliance Determination appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

On March 8, Congress passed the long-awaited Postal Reform bill that will, among other things, reduce costs of the Postal Service to curb rate increases for our members. The Senate passed 79-19 the Postal Service Reform Act, H.R. 3076, originally sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, and James Comer, R-KY, which now goes to President Biden for his signature. The Alliance was part of a stakeholder coalition supporting the bill and signed on to numerous letters. While this vote was a meaningful step towards reduced costs and reliable service to consumers nationwide, more work needs to be done in stabilizing postal rates and The Alliance will continue to be at the forefront of those discussions. The Alliance has created a Postal Group and will advocate for future policy recommendations to the Postal Service and Congressional leaders to find solutions that will help protect news publishers and our communities’ access to high-quality journalism. The Alliance has also partnered with the National Newspaper Association (NNA) in a joint task force to educate and train members in using the Postal Service more effectively with the goal of saving members costs and creating efficiencies.

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The post Postal Reform Bill Passed by Congress, On its Way to President Biden appeared first on News/Media Alliance.