Experts-on-everything McKinsey & Co. issued its official recommendations to the US Postal Service at a conference in Washington this week.  While they are only recommendations and are non-binding (a USPS spokesperson said the consultant was instructed to “investigate all possible options”), Bloomberg News stresses in its report that not only would it be good to eliminate Saturday mail, but also 2 other days as well. (Read on …)

Earlier today, Postmaster General John Potter began to outline a proposed overhaul of the USPS that could include cutting Saturday delivery.

More from Fox News.

We are very pleased to announce the addition of pledge drive consulting to the ever-expanding CBA catalog of services being offered to our public broadcasting co-op members, with the addition of long-time public television pledge drive producer Mary Ann Donahue as our newest associate.

Mary Ann will work alongside CBA staff to professionalize and optimize stations’ on-air fundraising drives, with services that include:
• Scheduling of pledge drives
• Writing and editing of pledge break scripts
• Casting and directing pledge ‘talent’
• Projecting on-air revenue
• Producing on-air spots to support direct mail campaigns

Mary Ann is recognized as one of the leaders in pledge drive production and marketing in the system. She spent 20 years at Thirteen/WNET New York as Director of On-Air Production and is a multiple “On-Air Achievement” Development Award winner.  She is also one of the “Master Teachers” at PBS’ Pledge Academy. Mary Ann is also a four-time Emmy Award-winning producer and writer whose experience covers all aspects of entertainment media from Broadway to daytime television and feature films.

This exciting partnership with Mary Ann is just one way CBA is helping its station-partners by adding much-needed services in these tough economic times.

Ask your CBA account representative how to put Mary Ann’s expertise to work during your next pledge drive or how to plan a fully integrated campaign. Send an email to partnership@carlbloom.com or call us at 914-761-2800.

On February 10, the USPS Board of Governors announced new postal rates for 2009 including a two-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail stamp to 44 cents. The new prices will go into effect Monday, May 11.

The new 44-cent rate covers the first ounce of first-class mail. The price for each additional ounce will remain unchanged at 17 cents.

The USPS also said customers can purchase Forever Stamps at 42 cents between now and May 11. Forever Stamps were developed to help consumers ease the transition during price changes. Forever Stamps do not have a denomination and will be honored whenever they are used with no need for additional postage for a 1-ounce letter mailing.

For more information, click here: http://www.usps.com/prices/pricechanges.htm

The Postmaster General has requested that Congress overturn the 1983 law that requires mail to be delivered 6 days a week, saying “”It is possible that the cost of six-day delivery may simply prove to be unaffordable.”  John E. Potter, the Postmaster General since 2001, who began his career as a New York postal clerk in 1978 said that in addition to the $2.8 billion loss the USPS suffered last year, there would likely be a shortfall of $6 billion this year.  The reason is that total volumn declined by 9 billion pieces last year, the largest drop in history.  USA Today has the rest of the details.  Which day will go?  Saturday seems to be the most obvious choice, although Tuesday has the lowest volume.

A postal worker in Michigan admitted this week to hiding thousands of letters and packages in a storage facility she had planned to keep renting “until the day she died.”  Jill Hull says she was overwhelmed by the job, and instead of asking for help, she took it upon herself to put the 10,000 pieces of mail in storage.

Unfortunately, this is not exactly an isolated incident.  While the vast majority of mail gets delivered eventually, in 2008, there were 333 cases of mail being stolen, delayed or destroyed from North Dakota to North Carolina.

The NY Daily News has a good account on their website.

Delays to deliver mail are ongoing and the USPS is acknowledging the problems. CBA has already shared news about budget cuts resulting in fewer work hours at the USPS but more stories continue to surface illustrating just how bad the situation is.

In this story, postal workers at northeast Albuquerues’s Steve Schiff Post Office are starting to reveal the actual conditions at that facility.

Full story can be found here:
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/business/business_krqe_albuquerque_usps_acknowledges_mail_meltdown_200812130008_rev1

We just received this piece of troubling news from Tony Conway, the Executive Director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers (of which CBA is a member).

Mail service issues have developed at various places across the country.  This is due generally to postal budget cuts that affect the amount of workhours available for local managers.  In one location, Philadelphia, the problems have received substantial press coverage. (Read on …)

There’s an interesting story in this month’s “Working Life” column in Texas Monthly magazine.  Galveston letter carrier Anthony Mack tells his story: how he became a mailman (he “needed a good-paying job with benefits” after serving in the U.S. Army), what his day-to-day job is like (“I really know the neighborhoods. I know the routines. I’m practically a one-man neighborhood-watch program.”) and what it’s been like post-Hurricane Ike (“I’d estimate that half of those on my route are able to live in their homes. The other folks’ houses were either completely or partially destroyed.”)

What stands out is the individual, one-to-one nature of the job: (Read on …)