As the Journal Star transitions to mail delivery, here are answers to common questions

As many of you know, the Journal Star is transitioning to mail delivery on Nov. 13.

We’ve received plenty of questions, so I am addressing some of them here.

First, subscribers will still receive newspapers six days a week. Even though the paper is going through the Post Office, you will receive the paper the same day as with traditional delivery.

Right now, for example, the Tuesday newspaper is printed Monday night and delivered Tuesday morning. When we move to mail delivery, the Tuesday newspaper will be printed Monday night and delivered Tuesday with the mail.

How does the delivery work?

The Journal Star will haul the newspaper to local post offices six days a week, and USPS will deliver the paper on those days. If you are accustomed to buying the Journal Star at a gas station or convenience store, those will be available at those locations first thing in the morning.

What happens to Sunday delivery?

Unfortunately, there will be no Sunday delivery. The Sunday newspaper will be delivered on Saturdays and contain comics and the same quality news stories you are accustomed to on Sundays.

What impact will this have on the Sunday paper?

Traditionally, for the Sunday newspaper to have a lot of local news stories, they are written well in advance. That’s how our Sunday newspaper works now and will have to be even more so in the future. 

Why is this happening?

A lot of customers enjoy consistent delivery from their carriers. These days, there aren’t enough carriers to service all of our subscribers consistently. So while some readers get the paper consistently, others go days and even weeks without service.

What about the eNewspaper?

Many people enjoy the eNewspaper, which is a digital replica of the Journal Star newspaper. It's available first thing in the morning at pjstar.com and delivered to your inbox six days a week. It offers the same stories that appear in the physical newspaper, plus digital extras, crossword puzzles and coupons.

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The Journal Star is more than a newspaper

The hard truth here is that the newspaper is not the best platform for breaking news. If something happens today, it appears in the paper the next day — a day old many would say. People who love the paper understand that. That dynamic won’t change with mail delivery, especially because we print the newspaper here in Peoria.

People who want the news the same day it happens can go to pjstar.com for breaking news and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Readers can also download the Journal Star phone app for breaking news alerts, and we also offer breaking news emails.

Overall, we provide several ways to get local news from local journalists. We understand that some people only want the newspaper, or some people only want a digital subscription.

To our print subscribers, we truly value your support of local journalism. The Journal Star newspaper will be around for decades to come, and we appreciate your patience through our next evolution.

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Romando Dixson is the executive editor of the Journal Star. He can be reached at rdixson@gannett.com. Check out our staff page to connect with other local journalists.