The adage, “The proof is in the numbers,” is very much alive across Port Arthur, Mid County, Sabine Pass, Taylors Landing, Hamshire/Fannett and Bridge City.

I knew there would be some pushback from current subscribers in regards to our recent changes this past week to mail distribution with the U.S. Postal Service.

Change is never easy. Some people become very frustrated as it changes their long-lived habits. We are creatures of habit and any change to our normal routine can be seen as a burden.

The staff of The Port Arthur News has been fielding calls from concerned subscribers on this all week. We enjoy hearing from readers, discussing their concerns and sharing our thoughts.

Through those conversations, subscribers that have actually stopped their subscriptions have been minimal. But as always, when we leave a customer call with a “we will miss you” and “when you want to be informed about local issues again, we will be here waiting for you,” it’s never pleasant.

But I want to throw out a HUGE thank you to all the subscribers that understand the change and are willing to give it a shot. They say that it takes three weeks to create a habit. Those that have taken us up on our 30-to-45 day trial are well under way to changing that habit and continuing to read the news about our community — news that no other media outlet handles at the level we do.

I also want to thank those that have told me that, “It’s not the time of day that matters, but the content that they like.” Things change, but the content is getting better every day.

And I want to welcome all the new subscribers we have signed up over the past couple weeks. They included many former customers who had poor delivery service and ultimately were frustrated enough to cancel their subscriptions. But with this new delivery service, all will receive better, more consistent service than they have seen in the past.

To the new subscribers in Sabine Pass, Taylor Landing, Hamshire/Fannett and Bridge City who lost their same-day delivery a few years back, welcome back!

All in all, this change has been a positive. Increased readership without increasing subscriber rates is nothing less than a win-win for us and for you. The Port Arthur News will continue to reach farther, report on the local news that is important to you and always be the watchdog over government entities for citizens of the communities we serve.

Rich Macke is publisher of The Port Arthur News.