Will Press & Sun-Bulletin Shift Delivery to the Postal Service?

Morning home delivery of the Press & Sun-Bulletin newspaper remains available for Binghamton-area residents but that could change in the not-too-distant future.

Gannett, the newspaper chain which owns the Press & Sun-Bulletin, has fired its delivery teams in several cities over the past couple of years.

In places like Ithaca and Elmira, Gannett chose to save money by relying on the United States Postal Service to deliver its papers.

The shift to mail delivery for the Elmira Star-Gazette started July 10. The Ithaca Journal ended its own home delivery service in December 2021.

Because there's no regular mail delivery on Sundays, the weekend edition of the Star-Gazette now is scheduled to be delivered by postal carriers on Saturday.

Part of a custom-built German printing press outside the former Johnson City Gannett plant on March 21, 2019. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin and other New York Gannett papers now are printed in Rockaway, New Jersey.

Newspaper subscribers in Ithaca and elsewhere have complained about inconsistent mail delivery since Gannett made the switch.

The postal service has experienced the same problems Gannett has encountered in recruiting workers.

News reports indicate Gannett has moved to mail delivery for dozens of its newspapers in smaller markets across the United States.

The company won't say how many papers now are being delivered by the postal service and it won't say when such a change could occur with the Binghamton paper.

A Press & Sun-Bulletin vending box at the downtown Binghamton bus station in 2012. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

In response to questions from WNBF News, Gannett corporate communications said: "While we have not implemented this strategy in Binghamton, we have made the strategic decision to shift our distribution model in select markets (where necessary) from carrier delivery to delivery via the U.S. Postal Service to ensure more consistent delivery to our subscribers."

The statement said the company is "confident this transition will allow us to best serve our subscribers and advertising partners, as we embrace our more digital future."

The Gannett response added: "We will continue to evolve our business model, evaluating our delivery frequencies as demand for digital news increases and readers’ habits shift."

But the company clearly does not want to discuss the future of newspaper delivery by mail: "We will not be commenting further."

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.