The value of the Australian newsagency channel is clear when you read this piece by Bill Moyers about the plight of small independent magazine publishers in the US in the face of a rate hike from the US Postal Service – most independent small magazines are distributed direct to subscribers in the US by post.
While in the US the publishers face the problem alone – given almost no retail footprint for independent titles – in Australia newsagents are part of the equation. We have actively supported independent titles for over 100 years but now that the major publishers are driving traffic to other magazine retailers, the cost of carrying independent titles is under the spotlight.
As Moyers points out, this is a social issue. Unfortunately, the social value of newsagencies is lost on the federal Government.
Are you saying that independent titles should make up for newsagents’ loss of business to supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol stations?
C Stephens, CEO and magazineophile