White pages print edition fades in US

Future is looking black for the white pages in the US with online taking over, while Sensis in Australia has no plans to follow suit.

According to an article published on USA Today, The Associated Press wrote that New York, Florida and Pennsylvania have each approved a request from Verizon Communications to stop distributing white pages. Virginia may follow suit with comments from residents closing within days for a similar request.

“Phone companies note that eliminating residential white pages would reduce environmental impact by using less paper and ink,” the article said. “It also can’t help their bottom lines to cut out the cost of a service that rarely gets used and generates little beyond nostalgia.”

In explaining why there had been a move away from the print edition Link Hoewing, Verizon’s vice president of internet and technology policy, which is after regulatory approval in 12 states around the US, told The Associated Press that: “You probably have a better chance of finding a name quicker if you can just search for it in a database than try to look it up in the white pages.”

The Associated Press pointed out that, according to the Yellow Pages Association, 550 million directories are printed a year, which puts the group in better stead than the white pages.

When contacted by Print21, Sensis, which is responsible for the Yellow and White Pages in Australia, denied that there was any chance of a similar situation set for Australia. “[It’s] safe to say there's no change to our business,” the spokesperson said.

Two months ago, Sensis launched a website allowing users to cancel their phonebooks, or to order more. “With so many different ways to search for information today, Sensis appreciates that some people prefer to use online and digital channels in place of print,” a spokesperson told Print21.

Sensis’ phonebooks are currently printed by Australia’s largest printer, PMP, which is currently in its second year of a seven-year print contract.