Consumers Increasingly Upbeat About The Economy

The fast-paced nature of the digital media cycle (and subsequent marginalization of simple fact checking and copy editing) has raised legitimate questions about outlets placing expediency and traffic surges above taking the time to get things right—yesterday’s wave of premature reports about the death of singer Tom Petty was only the latest example. This phenomenon, coupled with rising paranoia among consumers and marketers around fake news and brand-safe environments, respectively, provides a unique opportunity for trusted and established media brands such as national magazines. At least, that’s the central message of the latest marketing campaign undertaken by the MPA—the Association of Magazine Media. Click Read More below for additional information.

To seek important public input, the Commission requires the Postal Service to hold at least one pre-filing conference and make a good faith effort to address the concerns of interested persons. The Postal Service must give at least ten day’s advance notice before the first scheduled pre-filing conference. *The Commission will publish notice of the pre-filing conference in the Federal Register and appoint a Commission employee (Public Representative) to represent the interests of the general public. *Following the conference, the Postal Service must file the formal request for an advisory opinion with the Commission at least 90 days before implementing any of the proposed changes. This formal request must certify that the Postal Service has made good faith efforts to address the concerns raised at the pre-filing conference and meet other content requirements. *After the Postal Service files its request for an advisory opinion with the Commission, the Commission will set forth a procedural schedule and provide further information in a notice and order that will be published in the Federal Register. *The Commission is required by law to consider the Postal Service’s request for an advisory opinion. Before issuing its advisory opinion, the Commission must provide an opportunity for a formal, on-the-record hearing, with the Commissioners sitting en banc. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission is presently operating remotely and any hearing held in the near term would be virtual. *By law, the Commission’s final opinion is advisory in nature. The law does not give the Commission authority to veto service changes. As a result, the Postal Service is not required to implement or take any further action with regard to the Commission’s opinion. *Interested persons who do not want to formally participate in the proceedings may file comments with the Commission sharing their views.

Let's be honest, although many attempt to do so, there is no way to find a positive spin to the data in this industry-wide report showing magazine ads down another 16%. As an industry, we have seen negative numbers every year for a decade. Were you expecting a change? Newsstand sales of magazines have plummeted at least 50%, and periodicals run through the USPS have dropped 55% and diminish each year. Meanwhile ad sales, as seen in this report, continue on their long decline seeking a yet undiscovered plateau. We have seen associations use sleight of hand to try to change the subject and use illusory metrics, like “likes” instead of real data that show magazine growth. Has that helped? We have seen pundits declare that all is well and that print will live and be prosperous forever. Neither of those are helpful as a solution nor a recognition of the situation at hand. Click Read More below for more of the story.