EDITORIAL: Paper supply issues cutting print pages for few weeks

We wanted to let our readers in on something that will be happening for the next few weeks and the reasons behind it.

We’re going to cut the number of pages in the print edition of The Post for the next couple of months, but fortunately, it has nothing to do with our own business.

It’s more of a situation where we have to be wise with our resources to continue providing a product for you.

The paper mill where we get our newsprint for the physical paper is behind on orders, and apparently, this is an industry-wide phenomenon as we’re looking for other options to fill any unforeseen needs we may have.

Our paper is delivered in large 700-pound rolls every few weeks - more like every couple of months - and is stored in our warehouse at our print operation in Huntingdon.

And Richardson Media Group, the parent company for The Jackson Post, has enough paper reserves in house to print all 16 of its papers each week for at least seven weeks.

Eight weeks is concernably questionable, so the leadership of The Post and RMG has made the decision to decrease the number of pages each week in the print edition for the rest of February and into March.

We’ve got our next delivery for paper scheduled in late March or early April, and the mill assures us that we’ll get our rolls of paper then.

But to ensure there’s no break in a print edition for our readers, we’re cutting back on the number of pages to not take so much out of our reserves so that if we do need them, there are reserves to take from if needed.

But we’re committed to keeping the product as consistent as possible and providing the coverage our readers have come to look for since The Post’s inception.

We’ll continue to keep the puzzles page in because when something happens with that page, our editor says that’s typically the subject of the most calls he gets.

We’ll continue to cover sports, particularly during this important time as basketball tournaments are coming up, but we may pull back to one sports page or 1.5 as opposed to two. 

We’ll continue to run faith and opinion content, but on weeks where our columnists aren’t writing as much, we may decide to temporarily combine those pages.

Other submitted content may be chosen more discriminantly or more of that content may be used in our local briefs and announcements, which may be cut back on space-wise as well.

And it may be something that looks differently from week to week as we move through this time.

But we’ll continue with our coverage of government, sports, election campaigns and local events.

And hopefully we’ll get the paper shipment on time.

But of course, there’s always the option to read our coverage online at jacksonpost.news. 

Our website typically has a few new stories up on it each day with shares to links going out on The Post’s social media pages at different times each day.

And if you subscribe in print, you have access to a digital subscription. You just have to sign up for it and log in to read.

And for anyone having difficulty getting logged in and seeing content online, call our circulation director, Kelcee McMillan at 731-358-6935, and she can help you out.

Thank you for reading and subscribing to The Post.

The Jackson Post welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns as a venue for readers to voice their opinions on local matters or the occasional state or national matter. Letters can be e-mailed to brandon@jacksonpost.news.