This column represents the thoughts and opinions of Jason Hennington. This is NOT the opinion of the Taylor Press.
Anyone who has had to travel recently may have noticed that the price of gas has increased recently. It happened well before the Russian attacks on Ukraine, so if anyone wants to attribute it to that, try again.
Unfortunately, gas isn’t the only thing that has gone up in price. The price of paper has risen recently. This is due to a paper shortage that has swept the country.
A paper shortage is tough for book publishing companies, oh and newspapers. The cost is continuing to increase, which means our product is becoming more expensive to produce.
This can be said for most industries. When the price of materials increases, the cost of production does too.
There are several different ways to handle those changes, the most common is a price increase for the product.
Don’t worry, the Taylor Press will still be $1 an issue. However, there will be some slight increases in other areas of the paper.
Just asking around and talking to people, the Taylor Press is one of the “most reasonably” priced newspapers in Central Texas. Not only the cost of the paper, but the cost of ads and other content in the paper – classifieds, public notices, wedding announcements and so on.
While we still plan to be competitive with our rates, there will be some slight increases coming soon. As soon as April 1, and that’s not April’s Fool joke. There may also be times that there are a few less pages than normal due to the shortage. It’s unfortunate that there is a paper shortage
It’s unfortunate that there is a paper shortage and truckers in Canada are on strike, but we are fortunate to create a product every week that is vital to the community. I understand many people have moved to social media or online news sources, but the newspaper is still the best source of information.
I’ve always said if you see a national news story that has made the rounds on television, to find the truth read the local newspaper where it happened.
In order to keep this staple in the community, the newspaper has to adapt to the times. That does not mean go completely digital because there are people, like myself, who still want to pick up a newspaper and feel the pages in their hands.
We have adapted and offer more digital and online content and advertising, but our core product is still print, even with a paper shortage.
Change is coming, and it’s coming with a price. For the Taylor Press to continue to serve our community, we have to adapt to current climate of the world. With less paper, we have to adjust our approach. That includes covering our costs and managing our internal resources, like page counts.
I’m going to get off my soapbox now and figure out what I’m going to do with my children for spring Break. I still have another week to create an all-day chore list.
“You know you’re getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.”
—Bob Hope
