Magazines Under Threat From Royal Mail Plan

As many as 300 magazine titles could be under threat if Royal Mail goes ahead with plans to introduce size-based pricing, according to the Periodical Publishers Association. The Association has warned the chairman of Consignia that the possible loss of the titles would have financial implications for the postal service.

The genre under threat- weekly A3 tabloid magazines- represents nearly half of all Presstream 1 volume and around a third by advertising revenue of business to business publishing. The PPA points out that in seeking to impose a “one size fits all” solution, Royal Mail ignores the fact that Presstream traffic is pre-sorted and therefore does not raise issues of machinability.

PPA says that its research shows that magazines as a sector would lose out if such a pricing system were to go ahead, despite insistence by Royal Mail that changes would be revenue neutral. The PPA says that the terms of Royal Mail’s licence do not permit increases on the scale which would be incurred under size-based pricing, and has said that it will be taking the issue up with the regulator.

PPA: 020 7404 4166 www.ppa.co.uk

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