Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Well, more accurately, 2021 ended in smoke, at least here at the newspaper. That smoke came from the meltdown of our labeling system. And as a result, your newspaper was likely late.
And for that we apologize.
I want to assure you we are already in the process of resolving the issue. Hopefully, this edition of the newspaper reaches you on time, a sign that the labeling system problem has been resolved.
Who would have thought that just getting your name and address on the newspaper would be such a chore?
But in this day and age of coronavirus shutdowns, mandates, freebies, and supply-chain shortages, we couldn’t find the help we needed to repair our system. No parts, no technicians – nada.
So, we looked for a company that would be able to take care of getting your name, address, and the requisite barcode on our publication for delivery to your mailbox. Like other businesses, those companies lacked the staff they needed to undertake the labeling of nearly 30,000 newspapers and shoppers for more than five counties in Eastern Washington.
The problem was compounded by timing. It’s difficult under normal circumstances to find extra employees and services between Christmas and New Year’s. Try finding the same supplies or services when so many Americans have chosen to take government handouts rather than be gainfully employed.
We did find some help in Airway Heights, where a company stepped up to help us get the paper in the mail, albeit late. That didn’t go as smoothly as hoped, as our systems were not exactly compatible.
Let’s just say the labeling data was lost in translation, resulting in newspapers ending up bundled in the wrong carrier routes.
That meant we spent much of last Thursday and Friday trying to re-sort newspapers by hand into the correct routes, which further delayed delivery of your newspaper.
Now that you know why your newspaper may have been late, I’m sure you’re wondering what we are doing to prevent such a catastrophe in the future.
For starters, we’ve purchased a new labeling system. Installation began Monday. We’ve also found some programming help from a Spokane company, who will be training our staff on developing an in-house backup system using sticky labels.
Needless to say, we’re happy to hopefully have the labeling issue behind us and we’re happy to be entering a new year.
From our staff to you and your family, here’s to a successful and prosperous 2022, and to a year when your newspaper arrives without major issues.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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