Publisher Leaves Newspaper

The Pine Bluff Commercial has announced that it will be making major changes at the beginning of 2019.

The changes were announced in a letter to subscribers that appeared in yesterday’s edition of The Commercial.  The letter came from Teresa “Tee” Hicks, senior group publisher of the Southeast Arkansas Division and publisher of The Commercial, and Mike Valko, regional director of distribution.

Starting January 8, 2019, they will no longer print a separate Sunday edition of newspaper.

“Many of you indicated you miss your Saturday Sports updates, so with the change we will have a combined Saturday and Sunday edition” Hicks and Valco stated in the printed letter.

The change will affect “all subscribers, but especially subscribers on your route,” the letter said.

With all editions falling on postal days, they will start using the United States Postal Service to deliver on these routes.  The newspaper is currently delivered to driveways and doorsteps, however, large rural routes “are becoming unprofitable for carriers who drive for hours a night to make these deliveries. Thus, beginning in January 2019, we will deliver to the post offices in towns across our coverage area for an exceptional dispatch each day we publish. That will allow you to receive your newspaper along with your daily mail,” the letter stated.

Additionally, Hicks who has been publisher for last year and a half  is departing the paper.