Post Office to squeeze small publications out of business

Post Office to squeeze small publicationsThe postal regulators have quietly agreed to hike postage for small publications:

A big THANK YOU to Lindsay Beyerstein at MajikThise (couldn't live without our progressive ...)

The Post Office is in the process of implementing a radical reformulation of its mailing rates for magazines. Under the plan, smaller periodicals will be hit with a much larger increase than the big magazines, as much as 30 percent. Some of the largest circulation magazines will face hikes of less than 10 percent.

The new rates, which go into effect on July 15, were developed with no public involvement or congressional oversight, and the increased costs could damage hundreds, even thousands, of smaller publications, possibly putting many out of business. This includes nearly every political journal in the nation. These are the magazines that often provide the most original journalism and analysis. These are the magazines that provide much of the content on Common Dreams. We desperately need them.

What the Post Office is planning to do now, in the dark of night, is implement a rate structure that gives the best prices to the biggest publishers, hence letting them lock in their market position and lessen the threat of any new competition. The new rates could make it almost impossible to launch a new magazine, unless it is spawned by a huge conglomerate.

Not surprisingly, the new scheme was drafted by Time Warner, the largest magazine publisher in the nation. All evidence available suggests the bureaucrats responsible have never considered the implications of their draconian reforms for small and independent publishers, or for citizens who depend upon a free press. [Common Dreams]

Sign the petition to stamp out the rate hikes. It only takes a second !
[HT: One Good Move]

Technorati Tags: periodical, Post Office, postage, rate, Time Warner

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Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein at 10:37 AM in Media , Politics | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)