The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, which drew national attention last year when they cut back home delivery to three day a week, will return some areas to home delivery for all seven days, the Free Press announced.
The papers, which print under a joint operating agreement, went to home delivery only on Thursday, Friday and Sunday in early 2009. The printed paper has remained available at newsstands, but not for week-long subscriptions.
In a note to readers on Sunday, the papers announced seven-day delivery would resume in some areas.
“The Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News soon will be available for premium home-delivery in some areas by independent newspaper carriers on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, making home delivery available all seven days. The service is expected to start in about a month in limited locations in metro Detroit and will expand over time,” Free Press Editor and Publisher Paul Anger and Detroit Media Partnership CEO Susie Elwood said in the note. “We're taking this step for two reasons: First, the U.S. Postal Service is seeking to stop mail delivery on Saturdays. We have 4,500 same-day mail subscribers in the metro area who pay a premium rate to receive the newspaper, and we've been looking for a way to continue to meet those subscribers' needs. And most important, we want to respond to all of our customers who have told us they want seven-day home delivery -- and value it enough to pay for it.”
Perhaps another sign that print is not dead yet.