In my latest for The Guardian, I try to compress four days’ worth of blogging and tweeting on the fate of the Boston Globe into one 900-word summary.
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13 thoughts on “What we know about the Globe thus far”
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DK – this just in!!! The Globe is taking (some) of your advice, and raising the price. Not as high as you suggeted, but a price hike to ‘remain viable’.I learned this from the Herald web site…nothing on the Globe web site as of now……which is why the hike may not succeed, for a paper that can’t seem to get out of its own way.
The success of raising prices to meet economic demands often seems easier said than done. If raising prices were that simple General Motors would be able to more easily move out of its situation but, of course, the Globe is simply producing a newspaper, not Chevrolets and it may prove out that DK is correct. Time may tell. If the Globe is at the brink of collapsing anyway, there isn’t much to lose in attempting alternative and even radical changes.
Dan, guess I’m one of the great unwashed masses now. Will be canceling my subscription of over 25 years; $50 month down in Duxbury for the early bird edition just isn’t worth it. From $31 to $50 in 2 1/2 years is too much.
Mike: No question the price hike is going to hurt circulation. As part of a larger strategy, though, it’s a good idea.
In the end, which is most likely near, the only valuable asset of a newspaper is its circulation. When there is no circulation there is no newspaper, no dissemination of news and advertising, just real estate and a useless press. Best Buy, CVS, Staples and all the others in the Sunday inserts want to reach everybody, if they can, not just a few unidentified Globe subscribers. This is like denying nutrition to the chronically ill.
Hi Dan,Why is a lower circulation is a good idea as part of a larger strategy. Does a higher price mean it’s more attractive to a potential buyer?
I’ll confess that I’ll continue to subscribe to the Globe despite the price hike because I would miss it if were no longer available. But if, as someone in another post suggests, GateHouse or a similar entity should acquire the paper, that will be enough for me to cash in my chips.
Hey… with the price hike and the usual attrition associated with such moves, the New York Times Company and King Arthur can blame pulling the plug on The Globe on the declining circulation. Shades of blaming the patient for dying because the medical team gave him the wrong medications.But what else would you expect?
I won’t be stopping reading the Globe due to the price increase, but I will be shifting how (or how often) I purchase the paper. As a commuter, it’s not like I’m a shut-in or living far from civilization. The price premium for home delivery is ridiculous as it is and will be made even sillier; at this point we’re talking 25 cents a day and $1 on the weekend. If only I could have made that type of money as a kid delivering the Globe on my bike!Couple of problems though in their business model from my actions: one, I shift from a known subscriber for circulation purposes (and I don’t think I’ll be an isolated case), and two: they’re charging more and more for less and less. I can get through the entire Globe in 15 minutes as it is; I don’t bother anymore with the A Section for the most part as it is all wire service stuff to begin with – I can and do get that on the Internet from multiple sources, and in a lot more depth.There was a comment over on BMG about someone actually reading the Globe for their national and international coverage. Couldn’t quite get that one since the Globe doesn’t employ anyone anymore outside of MA and DC. AP is AP, after all.
Didn’t the MBTA try to raise prices a couple of years ago to make up for a shortfall in revenue? IIRC, ridership dropped. What saved their bacon was the skyrocketing gasoline prices last summer which enabled the ‘T’ to tap into a new segment of the population which previously did not ride public transportation. I believe the increase in ridership touted by the MBTA is a result of that market.As for the Globe, it remains to be seen what the increase will turn out to be, but my guess is that many of those who have been loyal print edition readers will stop reading it, read it online, or go to the library. As for me, I’ll wait and see, but even as an experienced computer user, and a long time Web surfer, I don’t see the online version as an acceptable alternative to the print edition. It’s fine for reading an article, but to expect to read the contents of the current print edition but online is an unacceptable drudgery. I read the paper at the kitchen table, in the living room, sometimes on the deck when the weather is nice, or occasionally at the coffee shop (OK, Dunkin Donuts), most of which don’t lend themselves to using my computer. What’s the solution?
acf – the solution is a laptop.The Globe is trying to save salaries, not the Globe. I wouldn’t be surprised if you won’t need that laptop within a few months or so.
Well, an Emily Latela moment here as the Globe clarified that they won’t be raising home delivery prices (for now). So scratch that call to cancel delivery off the list. Maybe they’ve actually done something sensible to encourage more people to subscribe. Would have to think that subscriber counts are more valuable than newsstand sales for advertisers (those that are left, that is).As an aside though, went through the A Section of the Globe this morning. The only articles written by Globe Staff totaled 6, all on the front page. From there on, every article was syndicated (AP, WaPo, NYT, Reuters, or Bloomberg). I can get that off of Google news myself.
Amazing.All those people for six articles. Mike, the Globe needs to sell more papers at the same or fire sale prices, not fewer papers.