2013 FEBRUARY.Indd
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The Oklahoma Publisher Official Publication of the Oklahoma Press Association www.OkPress.com Vol. 84, No. 2 www.Facebook.com/okpress 16 Pages • February 2013 STATE NEWSPAPERS PREPARE FOR Postal Service INSIDE outlines new delivery schedule OPA LEGISLATIVE END OF SATURDAY MAIL DELIVERY The United States Postal SUMMIT: OPA members “Without the ability to deliv- Service announced its plan meet with legislators at the er a newspaper on Saturday for a new delivery schedule State Capitol. through the post office, news of upcoming funerals, meet- on Feb. 6, 2013. PAGE 9 ings, school activities and sale The postal service said opportunities could be delayed it will stop delivering first DONATE TO ONF – by just a Monday through Fri- class mail – including news- day delivery schedule,” Reid papers – on Saturdays, but said. continue to disburse pack- “Fortunately, newspapers ages six days a week. still have many options. Not First class mail will con- only could this newspaper offer tinue to be delivered to post a traditional carrier delivered office boxes on Saturdays. Sunday morning paper, this Post offices currently open newspaper is available 24/7 on Saturdays would remain When the United States get an opportunity to try both with online editions, Facebook open on Saturdays. Postal Service announced its the printed version as well and Twitter.” The mail delivery cut- RECEIVE THIS PRINT: plan to end Saturday delivery as the complete newspaper Reid said subscribers have back is expected to start Donate $500 or more to on Aug. 1, Rod Serfoss was online at no additional cost,” been calling the office asking if the week of Aug. 5. the Oklahoma Newspaper ready with his own plan. said Serfoss. they are still going to get their Postmaster General and Foundation and receive a Serfoss, publisher of The The Clinton Daily News weekend paper. CEO Patrick R. Donahoe framed, matted print of this Clinton Daily News, has been considered using the Postal “The answer is resound- said the move to end Sat- Will Rogers painting. More preparing for the demise of Service Tuesday through ingly YES,” he said. “Through urday delivery is part of a information available at Saturday delivery for several Friday and hiring carriers to rain or shine, snow or sleet, long-term plan to return the okpress.com/will-rogers. years. The day after the Postal deliver the paper on Saturdays, we deliver your newspaper to agency to profitability. Service’s announcement, The said Cindy Gagne, CDN circu- you one way or another. And, “Our financial condition Clinton Daily News ran a story lation director. you can mark that up as a is urgent,” Donahoe said. discussing its new plan. “After looking at it, it would success of non-bureaucratic, “Before we decided to go be very expensive to have two independent, family-run busi- FEDERAL HOLIDAYS all-mail delivery five years ago, different delivery methods,” nesses who still cares about its we had contingency plans in she said. customers!” • Jan. 1 – New Year’s Day place that deal with things like Gagne said the newspaper Some state newspapers will • Third Monday of January – the Postal Service going on plans to use fewer carriers and have to consider their pub- Martin Luther King Jr. Day strike or what to do if they dis- pay them more. lishing schedule, said Mark • Third Monday of February – continued Saturday delivery,” “While we do not like their Thomas, executive vice presi- Washington’s Birthday dent of the Oklahoma Press said Serfoss. decision to drop Saturday • Final Monday of May – Association. Beginning June 1, The Clin- delivery, we understand that Memorial Day ton Daily News will return when you are losing more than “We think that the Postal to carrier delivery Tuesday $300 million each week some- Service has other options to • July 4 – Independence Day through Saturday within the thing had to be done,” said bring their expenses in line, • First Monday in September – Clinton city limits. Subscrib- Serfoss. “We will adapt and other than cutting service to Labor Day ers living outside of Clinton make the best of it.” some of its most loyal custom- • Second Monday in October – will receive their print edition Phillip Reid, publisher of the ers,” Thomas said. Columbus Day the morning after it hits the Weatherford Daily News, said Many federal holidays • Nov. 11 – Veterans Day street – or read their newspa- the Postal Service’s announce- without mail service fall on a • Fourth Thursday per online. ment is forcing newspapers Monday meaning there will be of November – Thanksgiving “All of our print subscribers to look at alternative delivery weeks during the year where • Dec. 25 – Christmas Day who live outside of Clinton will methods. Continued on Page 3 2 The Oklahoma Publisher // February 2013 UP, UP AND OPUBCO plans to move downtown The Oklahoma Publishing Com- Center continues the renaissance of pany is in negotiations to move their downtown OKC into a first-class place AWAY! headquarters from its current loca- to work and live.” 23$35(6,'(17·6&2/801 tion at 9000 N. Broadway in northern OPUBCO plans to modernize the &HOHEUDWLQJ1HZVSDSHU+HURHV3DVW 3UHVHQW Oklahoma City to the Century Center building, installing a new glass façade By Jeff Shultz, Garvin County News Star Mall in downtown Oklahoma City. and large outdoor digital display The new location, at 100 W. Main, screen. The Legislative Summit on Feb. 7 When the announcement came I has sat vacant for 20 years. OPUBCO estimates that around was a big success with several newspa- immediately thought of two publisher OPUBCO would be moving $2.9 million in tenant improvements pers represented at the State Capitol. I friends who anticipated such a move by approximately 350 employees to the and around $4.1 million in other was proud of the showing we had and the Postal Service. new downtown office space. expenditures will be needed to com- The Century Center is owned by plete the move. thank everyone who was there. First, there was Rod Serfoss at The 100 W. Main LLC., an investment In May 2012, OPUBCO sold its Mark does a fantastic job in keep- Clinton Daily News. group that purchased the property for current campus to American Fidelity ing us informed on various legisla- “Before we decided to go all mail $2 million in May 2011. Insurance. tive issues and fighting for newspaper delivery five years ago, we had con- “We are very excited to have The The Downtown Tax Increment causes at the Capitol, but it’s always tingency plans in place that deal with Oklahoma Publishing Company move Review Committee has approved nice to have other newspaper publish- things like the Postal Service going on home to downtown and anchor such OPUBCO’s request for $1.5 million ers and editors show up in support of strike or what to do if they discontinued what he does. an important location,” Hurst said. in economic development funds from the Saturday delivery,” Rod told his “This repositioning of the Century TIF 8 economic development fund. To show you how important those readers. personal visits are, one publisher who “During the past two years the real attended the Legislative Summit visited possibility of the Postal Service drop- some of his legislators but didn’t drop ping Saturday delivery kept coming Garber-Billings News under new ownership by one state rep’s office because he up, so we continually reviewed and Lacey Deeds has purchased the compelled to step up and continue the was going to see him the next day at a updated all options in our contingency Garber-Billings News from the Hogan tradition Vicki chose to continue 20 different meeting. plan to make sure we were ready if and family after the untimely passing of years ago,” said Deeds. The next day the state rep shows up when the decision was made.” Vicki Hogan, the former owner and Deeds grew up in Garber and grad- for the meeting and says to the pub- Rod announced his paper would go publisher. uated from Garber High School in lisher, “So, I understand you were at back to carrier delivery within the city “As a loyal subscribers for many 1994. the Capitol yesterday and didn’t come limits beginning June 1. years I recognized the importance All contact information has by to see me.” Jeff Mayo of the Sequoyah County of a small town newspaper so I was remained the same for the paper. Even though he was going to see Times in Sallisaw told me last month that publisher the very next day, it was during our visit with him that the pos- still a big deal to him for that publisher sibility of the Postal Service stopping to pay him a visit during the Legislative Saturday delivery was one factor in his Summit. OPA CALENDAR OF EVENTS Throughout the course of this ses- decision to move his Saturday edition sion there will be more opportunities back one day to Friday. Complete Listing of Events at www.OkPress.com to make contact with your state senator “It was more of a proactive move or representative on different issues on our part,” he said. “We figured that MON., FEB. 25 – NOMINATION DEADLINE announcement would be coming soon, Send in your nominations for the OPA Half Century or Quarter Century Clubs and the ONF Beachy affecting the OPA. Musselman Award. For more info, visit www.OkPress.com/awards. Phone calls and emails are good but so we went ahead and made the move.” they aren’t as effective as a personal Jeff cited other reasons for the move, visit. If such an occasion arises, and but such a change by the Postal Service MON., FEB.