A Herald carrier has won first place in the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation 2022 Newspaper Carrier of the Year Award competition, recognizing the exemplary performance of newspaper carriers across Pennsylvania.
Carriers are ambassadors of the newspaper, often the only persons readers and vendors see personally representing their publications.
John Albert of the Bucks County Herald was recognized with first place honors and he will receive $350 as part of his award. He was nominated by Quint Meredith, the Herald’s operations manager.
In acknowledging Albert as the overall winner in 2022, the judges were especially impressed by his reliability and willingness to go above and beyond to deliver quality service.
A recommendation letter mentioned that John “is the Swiss Army Knife of drivers: dependable, multifaceted, and precise” and he’s always willing to help get the newspapers delivered, even in crisis mode or emergency situations, sometimes driving until well into the night. Customers mentioned that their newspapers are delivered “with professionalism and enthusiasm for the job” and mentioned that John “is an enjoyable and very friendly man.”
Judges commented, “There were so many outstanding nominees this year, from teens to seniors, newcomers to longtime carriers. But John stood out for many reasons including his ‘tenacity and positivemental attitude’ which help to bring community journalism to Bucks County. We couldn’t think of better reasons to honor John with this award.”
Albert lives in Jamison, on a farm purchased by his grandfather in 1931. He attended Central Bucks schools, Bucks County Community College and Temple University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts.
Jonathan Dubow Jr., of The Times News, Lehighton, won second place. Dawn Plaisted, Butler Eagle, was honored with third place.
The judges also recognized four carriers – Beverly Aniska, The Times-Tribune, Scranton; Barry Broaddus, Trib Total Media; Levi Johnson, The Times News, Lehighton, and David Urban, LNP, Lancaster – with special honorable mention awards this year. The contest saw more than double the number of entries in 2022 than in 2021, highlighting how carriers are excelling in spite of current challenges. With so many worthy nominees, judges chose to add several Honorable Mention awards.
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