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Starting last week 1,477 rural readers began receiving letters notifying them that their home delivery of the Star will be discontinued because of rising distribution costs, particularly fuel costs.

"We deeply regret the need to discontinue home delivery service to some low-density rural areas, but rapidly rising operating costs necessitate a change at this time," Jim Rowley, vice president of circulation for Tucson Newspapers, wrote in an e-mail.

"We will stock more papers, particularly on Sundays, in convenience and grocery stores in many affected areas. With fuel prices at an all-time high, we are having great difficulty finding carriers willing to serve these rural areas."

Letters will continue to go out to affected subscribers over the next month, with the delivery of the last papers coming about three weeks later.

While rural home delivery may end in some outskirts of Bisbee, Benson, Douglas and Sierra Vista, delivery inside these cities will not be affected.

Gas prices disproportionately affect these routes because homes are often miles apart.

Newspaper carriers are independent contractors who are paid by the number of papers delivered, not miles driven or time spent on their routes, said Rowley.

"We are very proud of the relationship we have with our delivery contractors, who work very hard to serve our customers no matter what the road or weather conditions are. We understand that the rapid increase in their operating costs has made their relationship with us unsustainable," Rowley e-mailed.

Carriers often live in or near the communities to which they deliver.

When a route becomes open, it is often hard to fill it. For example, two open routes around Dragoon and Sunsites in Cochise County have been without a contracted carrier for two months. Tucson Newspapers employees who work in central Sierra Vista and Bisbee have been assigned to these routes, but deliveries were not always timely due to their other duties, the rural roads and unfamiliar terrain and addresses.

Unfortunately, these rural routes, which had been unprofitable for the newspaper, are now becoming unprofitable for carriers, too. "As the city areas of Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Douglas and Benson grow, we hope to expand our home delivery service in the future," Rowley e-mailed.

Many of these rural readers have been among the Star's most loyal for years. All affected readers will be offered the option of:

● Switching to the electronic edition of the Star for $1 a week.

● Switching to a mail subscription.

● Requesting a refund.

In addition, they will receive eight coupons for free and discounted Sunday Stars at convenience or grocery stores or other retailers.

A special Tucson phone number, 520-573-4278, as well as a dedicated e-mail address, customersupport@tucson.com, has been established for callers with questions about options for customers on affected routes.

This phone number is staffed Mondays through Saturdays during the day. New guidelines

Revised guidelines for submitting letters to the editor and guest opinions are online at azstarnet.com/opinion. Writers are asked to fully disclose their affiliation with candidates or political issues to improve transparency and help readers better understand their points of view.