Comments on: Washtenaw News Wins NY Times Contract

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:25:31 +0000

Re: #18/#29 – The New York Times went to a 23 inch web recently, rather than the 24 inch web it was printing on. When they shrank the paper width, it appears they kept the width-height ratio, so there is now extra white space at the bottom of the page. The height is not an adjustable option on presses (generally it is fixed at a certain length), so it really isn’t an option to change that unless they change where it is printed.

Hopefully the NYT will recover that space, but if they are indeed using smaller cutoffs at some places where it is possible, it is likely that they will just leave it as is at those print sites that it is impossible to change, like Ann Arbor.

By: Matt Hampel

Matt Hampel — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:56:21 +0000

We got a freeSaturday paper, yay!

(but no Sunday paper. boy, am I a cheapskate)

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:32:53 +0000

Progress report: I called Delivery Unlimited (668-8388) a second time to complain that my paper was still being delivered to the end of my driveway and today it arrived at my door. Some adjustments take time.

We also noticed an unusually large bottom margin. Must have been something peculiar about that print run.

By: Mary Morgan

Mary Morgan — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:18:28 +0000

Re. comment #18: Washtenaw News is the distributor only, not the printer. The Ann Arbor News has the contract to print the NY Times for this region. It's odd if the size of the printed paper changed – newsprint is the second-highest cost for newspapers, after payroll. If anything, there'd be incentive to print smaller, not larger. Related to the printing issue, as we reported here, when the Ann Arbor News closes in July, its printing facility will be spun off as a separate business – essentially, as a commercial printer.

By: J. Walker

J. Walker — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:17:13 +0000

Boy, not only is the paper no longer being delivered to my door, but instead to the front of my apartment building, but it is also being printed on paper that is way larger than the print itself requires.

It’s hard to believe that the NY Times, struggling to keep subscribers, would go with a company that is obviously so much worse at delivery and printing than the last. I sent an e-mail to the Times, I will cancel if papers are still delivered to the front of the building along with all the other morning papers and without any apartment number.

By: Gerry Clark

Gerry Clark — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:55:10 +0000

After not getting our Sunday Times we called them and were informed they would no longer deliver to our house. The supposed agreement we had for home delivery over the last several years was broken.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:00:40 +0000

My experience has been that the New York Times is very solicitous of its subscribers. I encourage all the rest of you to keep calm and keep on sending calls and emails. I suspect that all of their customer service personnel have learned about Ann Arbor, Michigan by now.

FWIW, my record has been: M: no paper T: called Washtenaw News, got paper at end of driveway late in day W: paper at end of driveway (we’ve always had it delivered to the door) about 8:30 a.m.; Th (today) paper at end of driveway, 7:30 a.m. (supposed to be guaranteed by 6:30 a.m.)

I’m going to keep working on it. Can’t give that one up.

By: Rina Miller

Rina Miller — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:46:55 +0000

And all this time I’d been blaming my depravation on lack of sleep. Now what?

By: ROBERT HAYES

ROBERT HAYES — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:19:09 +0000

The NY Times delivery service went down hill March 30th. Whereas I had received the paper by 6AM it now arrives, if it arrives, by somewhere between 8 to 9AM – rendering it useless for my purposes. My apartment number is no longer marked on the plastic delivery bag which is important as there are several subscribers in my building. I have registered a complaint to the New York Times,and will see if they express any interest before I cancel.

By: Susan Contratto

Susan Contratto — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:03:25 +0000

I called the Washtenaw News this morning, spoke to a person and very shortly received a paper on the porch. He told me that the information about where to leave the paper (driveway…porch…etc)was not forthcoming in the information they had received. So I would urge people to call if you have concerns.