ANPL Decline distribution increase

Its public now to all SA ANF members so I can now let everyone else know.

In short ANPL has said it will not consider any distribution increase at all until the end of the financial year 08/09. From Adam Everett:

In light of the recent economic downturn and the negative impact this is
already having on reader and consumer discretionary spend and newspaper
sales it is our view that the market cannot currently sustain any further
increase to the cost of newspaper subscriptions without significant loss of
business.

National Enquiries Business Directory

Agents may have received a fax recently asking for details for the National Enquiries Business Directory. Above the area to fill in your details it says the only charge for the listing is the cost of returning the fax. When I went to actually fill it out I looked a little closer, the fax number is a 1900 number and faxing the form will actually cost $19.95.

Just a warning.

ANF: Nominations For Position of Director

Nominations are now called for the position of Director in Western Australia, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory for a term of 2 years.

Nominations shall be closed by COB 13 October 2008.

There has been a lot of criticism this year about the ANF. The Bill Express debacle, The McAskill 'resignation' and percieved inaction and irrelevance have lead to dropping membership numbers and much anger and complaining.

Here is now the chance for all the people that have been vocal to step up and make a difference. The ANF can only be as good as its members. Nominate yourself and put your proposals up to the Newsagents in your state and let everyone decide what new vision (if any) they want in their federal representation.

Do not let apathy or resignation keep things in their current state. As long as people only sling comments from the sidelines Newsagents nationally will lack the representation and strength we deserve, and suffer for it. Newsagents will need unity and strong bargaining powers to face increasing challenges in the future with changes in the traditional distribution of media.

Once nominations are finalised, votes will need to be cast before the ANF AGM on Friday, November 28, 2008.

Reconciliations

In a stop press posted on connect today we are informed by The Advertiser that the deadline for all subscription customer reconciliations asked for back in December 2007 will need to be finalised by the end of October. Agents failing to submit the report will not be able to claim credits for errors past one month.

The point of the reconciliation was to credit agents for errors carried over from the disastrous NSS software upgrade in March 07. Agents at the time for a period where told even to ignore off notices. ANPL stood to owe Agents thousands for papers thrown away for up to nine months which we received no payment for, as the off notice either came through at a time when we told to ignore them, or the off notice did not come at all.

That we where unable to perform our own regular reconciles for many months exasperated the problem.

Most of us know the results. Credits where calculated then a whole heap of 'payments' discovered that where made to Agents for subscription customers who where off, which cancelled the credits out leaving many Agents with a supposed debt. The debt was magnanimously waived by ANPL.

As there are no actual credits to recoup I doubt that any Agent that hasn't submitted their reconcile by now is too worried about all the credits they may stand to lose.

Reminder: Daylight Savings

A stop press posted on connect today reminds everyone that daylight savings starts this Sunday (5/10) to put forward all clocks one hour at 2am. Press times will not be altered.

As such all Agents will have to make up that lost hour themselves.

Go You Reds reminder

For all Agents with BP On the Runs remember to look out for the charging of the Go You Reds T-shirts on this weeks Advertiser accounts.

We had one site that sold out based on the supply allocations given to us in the stop press. The other three sites where lucky to sell 60% it looks like with one being under 50%.

Again I was disappointed by the way the promotion was handled. I know better results could have been achieved with Agent participation.