An Overview Rita Cohen Mailers Technical Advisory Committee February 22, 2007

2 What is MPA? THE PREMIER INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION FOR THE CONSUMER MAGAZINE BUSINESS 240 Domestic Members 100 Associate Members 60 International Members 1,400 Magazine Titles

3 Our Mission Support and promote the editorial and economic vitality and integrity of MPA member publications. To be the marketing force to increase the share that magazines capture of advertising dollars and the reader’s time and money To defend the freedom to write and publish under the First Amendment To be the primary source of information and expertise about the publishing industry for both its members and the community at large

4 Advocating for the Magazine Industry for Over Eighty Years Protecting our members’ interest on Capitol Hill, at the USPS, PRC, FCC, FDA, and FTC, among others.

5 What’s in Your Mailbox?  Promotions  Invoices  Renewals  Confirmations

6 Magazines…Magazines…Magazines In 2005, 350 New Magazines were Introduced to Satisfy Consumers’ Growing Need to be Informed and Entertained 6,325 Consumer Magazines

7 MPA Board Postal Task Force Ann Moore Steve LacyJohn Sullivan Rick Smith Cathie Black

8 Working as an Integral Part of the Mailing Community  Coalition for a 21 st Century Postal Service  Mail Moves America

9 Mailers Technical Advisory Committee Howard Schwartz Rita Cohen Participate in Most Workgroups and Attend MTAC Meetings (if they are not too early in the morning) Scott Lorenz

10 Periodicals Operational Advisory Committee Joyce McGarvy Sample Projects: Get Out of Sacks Initiative Planning for Flats Sequencing System

11 Periodicals Advisory Group Howard Schwartz Sample Projects: Change in Definition of “Nominal Rate” New Launch Project Ride-Alongs

12 Our Secret Weapon Carrying the Weight of the Postal Rate Case on his Shoulders….

13 Representing Members’ Interests at the PRC Participate in Every Rate and Classification Case, Including Most Recently: Docket No. R Periodicals Nominal Rate Co-Palletization Experiments Periodicals Ride-Along

14 Representing Members’ Interests at the USPS Docket No. R Mailing Standards 24-Piece Sack Minimum 250-Pound Minimum for “Last Pallets” Bundle Integrity Address Visibility on Bundles Eligibility Requirements for Standard Mail

15 Postal Reform Enacted MPA was an Integral Part of the Mailing Industry’s Support for this Legislation for Over a Decade

16 Action Now Moves to the PRC PRC Deadline: June 2008 MPA WILL COMMENT AT EVERY STAGE OF THE PROCESS

17 Other Industry Issues… Advertising Restrictions –Alcohol –Direct to Consumer (Pharmaceuticals) –Food Consumer Protection Copyright Editorial Freedom Environment Tax

18 MPA Member Benefits Government Affairs Advertising Marketing & Research Consumer Marketing Research & Best Practices International Affairs Professional Development Information Center Public Relations Surveys Councils and Committees

19 Providing Up-to-Date Information

20 MPA Events…

21 Congressional Briefings Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) Senator John McCain (R-AZ) Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

22 Magazine Marketing Coalition Ideas that Live Beyond the Page

23 Beyond Postal…

24 Affiliate Organizations American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) Independent Magazine Group (MPA-IMAG) Publishers Information Bureau (PIB)

25 MPA Membership Domestic Membership Open to publishers of magazines that are primarily intended for distribution in the U.S. and issued at least four times per year. MPA membership is corporate, so all magazines of a company enjoy the same privileges. International Membership Open to publishers based outside the U.S. Associate Membership Open to non-publishers affiliated with the magazine industry (i.e. deriving 20 percent or more of their annual revenue from the magazine industry; or, deriving at least $1 million in annual revenue from the magazine industry). For more information on membership, visit our website at