SAN ANGELO, Texas — As the news media world changes, so do ways we receive, subscribe to and consume news daily. With many news products moving to digital platforms and subscriptions for print editions decreasing, some newspapers have moved to United States Postal Service delivery for their print products.
Starting Oct. 16, San Angelo Standard-Times print edition subscribers will begin receiving their daily papers in their mailboxes, rather than their driveways.
In a Sept. 13, 2023, note to print subscribers, the newspaper said the move has been made "as part of an effort to improve delivery consistency and optimize resources amid ongoing labor challenges, fluctuating fuel prices, competition for workers from door-to-door delivery services and increasing digital demand."
The note says the transition will allow for improved customer service and reduce "challenges of inconsistent delivery some subscribers have experienced."
"We are committed to providing the San Angelo community with a quality print product and believe this move will alleviate some of the challenges of inconsistent delivery," San Angelo Standard-Times Editor Claire Kowalick said in the note on gosanangelo.com.
The Standard-Times is one of the more than 200 daily papers operated by Gannett Co. Inc., which also operates the Abilene Reporter-News and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Gannett said it has already successfully introduced the USPS approach in multiple markets and is now expanding mail delivery as its digital subscriptions continue to increase.
Subscribers are expected to get letters with this message in the mail before the delivery change begins, including instructions on how to access the newspaper's digital product.
The San Angelo Standard-Times was founded in 1884. Its ownership has changed over the years from Houston Harte (Harte-Hanks), E.W. Scripps, Journal Media Group to its current owner Gannett.
The paper was printed in San Angelo at 34 W. Harris Ave. from the 1950s to 2009, when production was moved to the Abilene Reporter-News press and then to Lubbock.
