This column represents the thoughts and opinions of Jason Hennington. This is NOT the opinion of the Taylor Press.
Dear Editor,
I noticed that the paper is smaller than usual. Why? Last week, you said price and rate changes were coming April 1, now this.
How dare you increase prices, yet make cut your product. Who do you think you are? The nerve of you.
Have a blessed day,
Konn Phused
Mr. Konn Phused,
Let me try to explain the current situations.
First, inflation is a real thing. Unfortunately, it affects us all. Prices on everything is going up, which means the cost to produce our product — the newspaper — is also going up. Just like grocery stores, gas stations and other industries, we have to increase our revenue to stay in business.
Newspapers are not dying, but the cost of them is rising. Our goal is to keep our rates affordable, but still be able to keep the lights on.
I assure you, we are not the only business making slight increases. We might be one of the only businesses giving you a heads up.
The size of this week’s paper is because of certain economic, we’ll just say situations.
There is a shortage of truckers and blockade bottlenecks that is threatening – no, injuring – the newspaper industry. This is a severe situation for newspapers, especially in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
The blockade is caused by Canadian truckers who have protested during the pandemic. That, in turn, has caused a shortage in truck drivers, which has caused a paper shortage.
Because of the paper shortage, the cost to get paper has increased significantly. That’s part of the reason we have to increase our rates in April. It’s an effort to keep the lights on.
It’s an unfortunate situation for everyone involved – newspapers, printers, truckers and our readers.
Fortunately, there is a way to maintain our presence until the situation is resolved.
The paper will be a little smaller for the near future – but not permanent. We will have more online and on social media.
My goal is NOT to become an online publication. If that happened, many of our readers (possibly you reading a physical newspaper) would likely cancel their subscriptions.
We have to do everything we can to continue to do our job, even under the current circumstances. One way to do that is to continue expanding our avenues to provide content to our community. So, look online for some of the things that would normally be in the printed edition, at least for the time being.
I hope this has cleared up any confusion you may have.
I’m going to get off of my soapbox now and close this fictional letter, which may be real thoughts that some people have.
“A shortage is a sign that somebody is keeping the price artificially lower than it would be if supply and demand were allowed to operate freely.”
— Thomas Sowell
