Over 31 years, the format of the LVA has actually had surprisingly few changes – fewer than 10 for sure. The changes have been made for various reasons, from wanting to include more information to improving printing and mailing costs. However, this latest change – which has now been in effect for only two issues – was made for the specific purpose of lessening the lapse between when the newsletter goes to the printer and when it’s received in the mail.
For the past few years we’ve had to deal with the choice of getting the mailed issues to customers in a timely manner versus waiting till the last day possible to send copy to the printer in order to include the latest information. Before the Internet was as prominent as it now is, it was an easy decision and we’d submit copy around the 20th of the month. After a four or five day turn and normal mailing time, our customers would get the newsletter before the first of each new month, or at least close to it. The problem was that many late-breaking developments were missed.
In recent years we’ve gradually moved up our timetables, and we’re now sending finished copies to the printer much later. It’s something we’ve had to do, because more of our members now choose the online option than the hard copy, and this bigger sector has to be accommodated. As it now works, the new issue is always posted and viewable by the last day of the month, but that has led to hard copies sometimes not reaching their destination till past the 10th.
The problem was addressed with the use of the new paper, which is the same weight, but is now a coated stock. It has a little bit of a magazine feel and while we all know that magazine print can smudge, this doesn’t. More important, the ink dries a day faster, which speeds up the turn. That’s not all. The printer we used prior couldn’t work with the coated stock, so we moved to Creel in Las Vegas. Creel works weekends, whereas our previous printer didn’t, so this is another significant improvement and even the latest submissions will get through the mail within the first week of the month.
The new format will certainly make things better for those who enjoy the paper copy, but the way to get each month’s information the fastest is still to get into the new age and read your LVA online, just as you’re reading this "Question of the Day" now. A better online solution is also in the works for our coupons and other membership offers. Progress marches on.
The benefits of Las Vegas Advisor membership (which starts at just $37) include: 12 issues of our acclaimed monthly newsletter; an annual Member Rewards Book packed with savings and discounts; access to premium online content; and other exclusive benefits throughout the year.
