What will happen to the Boston Globe?

Boston Newspaper Guild president Daniel Totten told Editor & Publisher via email that the union will "adapt and change" to keep the Globe going. He welcomed the "unwavering support" the guild had received from readers, advertisers and other unions, and commented that "the NYT has made many misjudgments and mistakes about the strength, character and resolve of the members of the Boston Newspaper Guild throughout the 'negotiations.'"

So what if the paper is closed? Martin Langeveld of Nieman Journalism Lab has some suggestions for whoever a future owner might be. He predicts that the Boston Herald will be left as the only daily paper in Boston, and that the Globe will "evolve into something different." Other US cities such as Denver, Tucson, Albuquerque and Seattle have not managed to sustain two daily newspapers and Langeveld does not think that Boston is any different. The Herald currently seems financially stable, so it is the Globe which is more likely to change.

Langeveld's advice is to go (almost) online-only with Boston.com, and to launch or subsidise a network of hyperlocal sites all over the area, and launch a network of local niche verticals focussed on weather, traffic, jobs, entertainment, education and more. He proposes a tiered, variable pricing model for all, with most of the content free, but paid premium access for a "small but highly-engaged group."  This income could be supplemented with transactional revenue, through selling theatre tickets, for example, or facilitating restaurant reservations.

Keep the Globe as a once-weekly guide to all of those niches and to other media, adding features, opinion and news analysis but skipping breaking news, Langeveld advises. He also suggests starting several other niche print publications, "re-purposing content that's already online," for cross-promotion with Boston.com. A digital savvy team of sales and designers is essential, as is selling the building, the presses and subcontracting printing and delivery, he believes.

Adam Reilly of the Boston Phoenix is extremely concerned, however, about a possible shrinking of the Globe. He worries that State House reporting might suffer significantly if Globe coverage is reduced, as the paper has "a stronger presence under the Golden Dome than any other major Boston media outlet" with a four-person contingent. The Globe's reporting has really made a difference, he feels, and he fears selling the paper to an owner who does not prioritse Beacon Hill, or worse, closing it all together, could be extremely detrimental to watchdog reporting in Boston.

Boston citizens as well as Globe reporters will be eagerly monitoring the fate of the city paper. There are currently a multitude of uncertainties: will it be sold, will the unions manage to negotiate a deal they see as fairer, will the paper remain in its traditional format or change as Langeveld suggests, and arguably most crucially for the people of Boston, will the paper be able to sustain its role as watchdog?

Source: Financial Times, Nieman Journalism Lab, Boston Phoenix, Editor & Publisher