Over 40 years ago an invoice that accidently landed on the wrong desk, sparked an initiative to band the newspaper industry together. That invoice was addressed to a large newspaper chain but was received by a publisher at an independent paper. When he saw the difference in pricing from the same supplier, the idea was born to form a purchasing cooperative for newspapers.
The PAGE (Publishers Associated to Gain Economy) Cooperative was established in 1984, and rapidly attracted newspapers as well as key suppliers who understood the advantage of a centralized payment organization that removed credit risk and streamlined accounts payable and receivables.
As retiring PAGE Board Member, Jeff Brown recently put it, “The PAGE model enabled the publisher to maintain the relationship with the supplier while leveraging the best prices through the Cooperative." He added that “the value of the Cooperative has never been more important than it is today and particularly for small and independent publishers, who need leverage for prices and a network of advice from fellow publishers.”
Gary Blakeley, who was appointed CEO in 2019, has taken steps to renew and grow PAGE with initiatives which are timely and beneficial, and all newspapers should visit PAGE to learn how they can save and benefit.
As Gary explained, “For over a decade, newspapers have been undergoing significant transformation, however the fundamental benefit of publishers banding together has not changed.” The support for the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, is an example, where common interests for all local newspapers meet.
“PAGE members also meet with the common objective of controlling costs,” Gary added, “but they also find added benefit of sharing best practices with fellow papers and receiving end of year dividends.” Our suppliers/preferred partners, see this win-win relationship as they gain the efficiency of marketing and selling to PAGE members while receiving guaranteed management of accounts receivable.
Gary added, “In 2022 and beyond, PAGE is focused on savings and growth.” We want our members, to easily check their prices and explore solutions with us. Our mission is to be stronger together and for all members to easily understand how they can maximize their membership for savings. We have placed a link on our site for this very purpose.
We also seek to be faster and more agile. We have moved our communications to digital to accelerate how we can educate and respond. Our newsletter is digital and published quarterly, our website is monitored for member contact, and we send frequent outbound emails with vital updates and scheduled webinars.
Our preferred partners schedule educational webinars which are concise, informative and offer PAGE members special discounts and terms. These webinars are recorded and available for members at any time.
He added, “We are also growing with new members and preferred partners with new diversified solutions which address more of the common pain points beyond the traditional baseline commodities of newsprint, ink and plates. These include digital advertising, Insurance advisory, IT Security and Real Estate brokerage.”
Gary concluded, “As we reach the middle of the 1st Quarter, the right time to look for savings, is all the time. Members and non-members should look to PAGE and see how they can save as well as generate revenue from their purchases.”
For those not familiar, PAGE is a not-for-profit Cooperative founded in 1984 and owned by its publishing and commercial printing members. These companies have equity in the Cooperative and thus receive annual dividends for accumulated purchases and savings.
For more information, visit www.pagecooperative.com
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