Magazines Ready Offensive as Possible Exigent Rates Near

Advocacy groups warning of a potential 10 percent increase.

BY ARTI PATEL

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/magazines-ready-offensive-possible-exigent-rates-near#.UifY7sasiM4

Direct mailers are up in arms and banding together as the United States Postal Service (USPS) circles a potential exigent rate increase for 2014. With the USPS Postal Board of Governors set to convene on Sept. 5 and expected to discuss a possible path toward solvency, periodical publishers are preparing to argue against what they believe is an additional financial burden.

"This is not a bluff on behalf of the postal service," says James Cregan, executive vice president, government affairs, for the MPA-The Association of Magazine Media, in a phone interview. "Among knowledgeable people working within the mailing industry, it's commonly known that this exigent rate increase is very much on the table."  According to Cregan, Washington, D.C. insiders are expecting the USPS to pursue an exigent rate increase of up to 10 percent across the board for magazines, effective Jan. 2014. READ THE FULL ARTICLE