Tag: North America

Newspaper online ads up

Posted by | Nov 20, 2007 | |

Online advertising spending at U.S. newspapers rose 21 percent in the third quarter but failed to offset a print ad spending decline.

While ad spending on newspaper Web sites rose to USD 773 million in the third quarter from the same period a year earlier, print ad spending fell 9 percent to USD 10.1 billion, a Newspaper Association of America study showed.

Online ad spending now accounts for 7.1 percent of total ad spending at newspapers, up from 5.4 percent a year earlier.

The third quarter’s online ad growth marked the 14th consecutive quarter of double-digit percentage growth for newspapers.

Total ad spending at newspapers fell 7.4 percent to USD 10.9 billion in the quarter.

Newspaper companies including New York Times Co, McClatchy Co, and Gannett Co Inc are grappling with profit declines from advertising shortfalls even as they increase Internet investments to offset those loses.

Last week, Gannett’s USA Today said it would cut 45 positions or 8.8 percent of its editorial staff.

But online ads remain a small percentage of overall ad spending at the papers.

The hardest-hit advertising sectors were classified ads, down 17 percent to USD 3.4 billion; retail ads, down 4.9 percent to USD 5.1 billion; and national ads, down 2.5 percent to USD 1.7 billion, in the third quarter.

Read More

AT&T delivers 5,400 BlackBerrys to USPS

Posted by | Nov 20, 2007 | |

The Postal Service hopes that the updated smartphones will help make it more competitive with private shippers.

In one of the largest government mobile-device rollouts ever, AT&T is deploying 5,400 BlackBerry devices, equipped with specialized mobile applications, to United States Postal Service employees. The BlackBerry 8800 and 8820 models will go out to executives, IT staff, and high-level managers in the 800,000-person organization, replacing older devices that the USPS first purchased in 2001.

The 8800 models are being delivered now and the Wi-Fi enabled 8820s will go out in a second-phase deployment later this year, said George Wright, VP and acting CTO at the USPS.

The first is BMC Software’s Remedy help desk application, which allows IT staff to wirelessly respond to and close troubleshooting tickets. The second is an in-house “e-approver” application that enables managers to view and approve purchase orders and the like while on the go. Once the more advanced 8820 models are in the field, the USPS will field trial the delivery over Wi-Fi of brief training videos that are already being pushed out to desktops, Hill said.

The BlackBerrys are going out to 750 USPS executives plus around 5,300 operations managers and IT staff. Total cost of the deployment, including the engraving, will be around USD 200,000, says Wright. The Postal Service will likely eventually push mobile e-mail devices out to additional employees, he added, but “so far we have not identified the rationale.”

Read More

USPS financial results for 2007

Posted by | Nov 19, 2007 | |

The Postal Service announced its financial results for Fiscal Year 2007, which ended Sept. 30. The Postal Service concluded the fiscal year with a USD 5.1 billion net loss, attributable to mandatory funding requirements in the Postal Act of 2006 (see chart). The year-end loss is about USD 300 million less than projected earlier in the year.

“It’s important to note that we not only achieved our plan, which had to be adjusted to reflect the new law, but we overcame a slow start and did better than our mid-year projection,” said Potter. Without the financial impacts of the law, the Postal Service would have ended the year with net income of USD 1.6 billion.

Total revenue in FY 2007 was USD 74.9 billion and expenses totaled approximately USD 80 billion. Mail volume was 212 billion pieces.

The Postal Service recorded an eighth consecutive year of productivity growth in fiscal 2007. Total Factor Productivity, which measures the relationship between workload and resource usage, was up 1.7 percent over FY 2006. Productivity was aided by a reduction of 36 million work hours, which is equivalent to USD 1.2 billion.

Record On-Time Performance

National on-time performance scores for the delivery of First-Class Mail hit all-time highs in the fourth quarter of FY 2007 for all three categories the Postal Service tracks. National overnight performance was 96 percent on-time in the final quarter —a first for the last quarter and for two consecutive quarters.

National two-day and three-day performance also hit all-time highs of 94 percent and 93 percent respectively.

First-Class Mail performance is measured independently by IBM Global Business Services. The process measures First-Class Mail from the time it is deposited into a collection box until it is delivered to a home or business.

Read More

Western Union extends Multi-Year Agreement with Kroger

Posted by | Nov 19, 2007 | |

The Western Union Company announced it has renewed its agreement with The Kroger Co., one of the nation’s largest grocery chains, to offer Western Union(R) services.

The multi-year agreement will ensure that Western Union Money Orders, Money Transfer and bill-payment services continue to be available to consumers at stores nationwide, including Kroger, King Soopers, Ralphs, Fry’s, Fred Meyer, Smith’s, City Market, Gerbes, Dillons and Loaf n’ Jug.

The Kroger Co., which has offered Western Union services for 22 years, has more than 2,400 locations in over 30 states nationwide. The company operates supermarkets and price-impact, warehouse, multi-department, convenience and jewelry stores under nearly two dozen banners. The company’s longstanding relationship with Western Union has led to a number of successful ventures and pilots at Kroger stores.

“Western Union owes much of our success to our outstanding agents,” said Royal Cole, Executive Vice President, Western Union Payment Services. “Our longstanding agreement with Kroger is just one example of how teaming with trusted local businesses provides our diverse consumer base with the greater convenience and higher service levels they desire.”

Western Union is a leader in global financial services, enabling millions of individuals and businesses worldwide to transfer money quickly, easily and securely. Western Union services are offered through trusted local businesses that are an integral part of the communities they serve. By continuing to expand and diversify its range of services and its unparalleled agent network, Western Union’s vision is to become the financial services provider of choice to people across the world.

Read More

Post Office (UK) named 2007 favourite for foreign exchange and travel insurance

Posted by | Nov 18, 2007 | |

The Post Office has been named Britain’s Favourite Foreign Exchange Company at this year’s British Travel Awards after securing a quarter of all votes in this category.

The Post Office was also voted Favourite Travel Insurance Company for the second year running.

Voted for by over 100,000 consumers and industry professionals, the British Travel Awards are the largest of its kind in the UK.

The Post Office is the largest bureau de change provider in the UK and customers can buy euros over the counter at over 7,000 “on demand” branches plus a selection of other currencies at 2,400 branches. All 14,000 Post Offices offer a next-day currency collection service. The Post Office is the UK’s largest independent provider of travel insurance.

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

What's the future of the postal USO?

Thank you for voting
You have already voted on this poll!
Please select an option!



View ResultsHide Results

Post & Parcel Magazine


Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.

Subscribe to the Magazine

 

Pin It on Pinterest