Stamped out

Media: Large and sudden postal rate hikes threaten the viability of independent magazines | Mark Bergin

The respective staffs of The Nation, a leftist weekly, and National Review, a conservative biweekly, share few political agreements. But leaders from both magazines, along with dozens of other independent media publishers, are standing together against a dire threat to the future of their publications. Their common enemy: postage.

Rate hikes slated to take effect July 15 would cripple many small and medium-sized periodicals, diminishing the competition for print media powerhouses and furthering the traditional news industry's trend toward corporate consolidation. According to an analysis by The McGraw-Hill Companies, the complex plan would raise the cost of postage at least 20 percent for 5,700 publications and at least 30 percent for hundreds more. Meanwhile, large magazines would benefit from much smaller increases, some even receiving rate reductions.