Rising Postal Rates Force Subscription Increases

Sooner or later, the day had to come.

The post office has announced an 8.8 percent increase on periodicals postage, effective August 29, 2021. That’s on top of their 1.456 percent increase earlier in 2021, and their nearly 2 percent increase in January of 2020. In fact, since 2017, the postage we pay to mail your newspaper has increased nearly 15 percent.

Everything that we have to pay for as a small business has increased in the past few years. Postage. Printing. Payroll. Health insurance. Utilities. Telephone. Internet. Software. Literally, everything has gone up , and it looks like it will keep going up.

For the most part, we’ve eaten the increases, and avoided raising our rates. We just can’t do that any longer. Effective September 1, 2021, we’re going to raise subscription rates.

Most subscribers are paid several months ahead, so you will not see the increase until your next renewal. We will not shorten your current subscription, but instead wait until your subscription renews. Your new subscription rates will appear on your renewal statement, which you’ll receive a few weeks before your subscription is due.

We’re also raising the price of purchasing a newsstand copy of The Milan Standard to 75 cents. It has been 55 cents since the 1980’s.

If you’re interested in receiving the paper online, that service will continue to be free for print subscribers. Just visit www. themilanstandard.com, and click the red “Subscribe Now” button. Scroll to the bottom of the next page, and enter the promo code news2020. Then set up your account, and you’ll have instant access to the current issue and our online archives, as well as breaking news stories. We encourage you to check it out, especially since the mail is getting slower and slower.

If you only want to receive the newspaper online, the cost is only $25 per year. That’s less than 50 cents a week to stay informed and connected.

We are also going to be increasing our advertising rates September 1. However, we will also begin posting all of our display ads on our website, www.themilanstandard.com, so you will have greater exposure to the growing number of digital readers.

We will be contacting our regular advertisers directly with some package offers to help them maximize their advertising needs.

Local journalism is important for the health and livelihood of a community. Since 2004, the United States has lost one-fourth of all newspapers, over 2100 newspapers, including 70 dailies and more than 2000 weeklies, like us.

Local newspapers chronicle the ebb and flow of daily life, reporting on the actions of the local city council, school board and other local government entities, and seeking out feature stories about interesting people and places in the community. We cover local sports and community events. We are the living, breathing, history of a community, updated weekly. It’s a responsibility we take seriously, and we want to continue to do our jobs for years to come. And if we don’t do it, who will?

Local newspapers employ local people who pay local taxes, shop at local stores, eat at local restaurants, get their oil changed at the local garage, and so on. Everyone, and every business matters in our small communities. Support your community. Support local journalism.

If you’re not a current subscriber, pick up a copy, or subscribe today, in print or online, or both. You’ll be surprised how much you’re missing.

Thank you.

Mike & Sue Scott, Publishers

NEMOnews Media Group