It’s October, and for newspapers all across the country, that means publishing their official circulation numbers.
(See page 5-B in this week print edition.)
The ‘Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation’ (PS Form 3526) is filed with the U.S. Postal Service every year by newspapers, as part of their requirements in maintaining a second-class postal matter in the county they are published.
Second-Class, or Periodical Class Mail, consists of magazines, newspapers or other publications that has the primary purpose of transmitting information.
Additional requirements include:
–issued regularly on a stated frequency (see #4 & #5 of PS Form 3526)
–continuity must show from issue to issue (this week’s print edition is denoted as Volume 23, Number 41 – as found on the front page, below the name of our publication)
–must contain less than 75% advertising (calculated by weight each week by the U.S. Postal Service prior to mailing),
–be issued from a known office of publication (#7 of PS Form 3526)
–must have an established list of subscribers or requestors (#15.b.1 & 2)
–must maintain at least 50% of copies be paid above a nominal price (#15.i)
Maintaining a second-class postal matter is important to newspapers, as it meets the definition of the type of newspaper required for publication of public legal notices.
Did you know?
Not only was Freedom of the Press spelled out in our Constitution’s First Amendment, but the country’s founders considered the dissemination of news to be a contribution to the public good, such that newspapers were accorded special mailing rates as early as 1792.
Second-class used by newspapers and magazines has one of the most favorable rates for mailing, making it easier to get important news into the hands of interested readers like you.
Something worth celebrating during National Newspaper Week, October 6-12, 2024.
