♪ ANNOUNCER: THIS IS "CHRONICLE" ON WCVB NEWSCENTER 5.
ANTHONY: THE GLOBE LOSES MONEY.
THE HERALD IS IN THE HANDS OF NEW OWNERS.
>> THEIR RECORD HAS BEEN TO CUT EVERYTHING ANTHONY:.
BOTH PAY FIRST FACE SPEED COMPETITION FROM THE INTERNET.
>> MANY WAYS.
ANTHONY: CAN BOSTON REMAIN A TWO NEWSPAPER TOWN?
>> IS THERE ANY RECOMMENDATION FOR SELLING THE BOSTON GLOBE?
WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS.
ANTHONY: THEY HAVE TO CHANGE WHERE THEY LIVE AND PUTTING AWAY THE PAPER.
>> IT IS A POSSIBILITY.
ANTHONY: A MATTER OF URGENCY.
>> JOURNALISM MATTERS.
ANTHONY: BREAKING NEWS, NEXT ON CHRONICLE.
GOOD EVENING, THE INTERNET GIVETH AND THE INTERNET TAKETH AWAY.
IT HAS IMPROVED OUR WORLD BUT THE CHOICES ARE DAMAGING CERTAIN LONG-ESTABLISHED INJURED -- INDUSTRIES ESPECIALLY NEWSPAPERS.
>> I DO NOT READ THE NEWSPAPER.
>> WHAT WOULD MAKE ME READ A NEWSPAPER?
I DON’T KNOW.
MAYBE RETIRING.
>> I DON’T READ THE BOSTON HERALD, NOR DO I READ THE BOSTON GLOBE.
ANTHONY: STOP THE PRESSES?
THE NEWSPAPER BUSINESS IS AT A CROSSROADS, THE BOSTON HERALD’S BANKRUPTCY AND SELL RAISES QUESTIONS.
>> THEY WILL LOOK AT EFFICIENCIES, AREAS THAT CAN BE PUSHED TO THE WAYSIDE.
ANTHONY: THE BOSTON GLOBE IS FACING CHALLENGING TIMES OF ITS OWN.
>> OUR REVENUES ARE PROBABLY FAR LESS THAN HALF OF WHAT THEY WERE AT THEIR PEAK.
ANTHONY: SO WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
TECHNOLOGY HAS REVOLUTIONIZED THE WAY WE ACCESS NEWS AND INFORMATION.
>> RIGHT HERE.
>> MOSTLY THROUGH MY SOCIAL MEDIA.
PODCASTS.
>> I DON’T THINK I WOULD BUY A NEWSPAPER BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER TYPES.
ANTHONY: SO IS PRINT IN PERIL?
THE FUTURE IS UNCLEAR.
EVEN THE CEO OF THE NEW YORK TIMES IS SEEING A TIME WHEN THE PAPER IS NO LONGER A PAPER.
>> SURVIVORS AND THRIVE AS LONG AS IT CAN.
I BELIEVE AT LEAST 10 YEARS WE CAN SEE IN THE U.S.
ANTHONY: LINDA THE CITY HENRY IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR AND IS MARRIED TO JOHN HENRY, THE BOSTON GLOBE’S PRINCIPAL OWNER AND PUBLISHER.
THE CEO OF THE NEW YORK TIMES SAID IN A DECADE HE DOESN’T THINK THEY WILL HAVE A PRINT EDITION.
I AM WONDERING WHAT YOU THINK THE FUTURE OF THE PRINT EDITION OF THE GLOBE MIGHT BE OR THE FUTURE IN GENERAL?
>> IT IS A POSSIBILITY.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE VERY LOYAL SUBSCRIBERS WHO PREFER THE PRINT EDITION, AND WE ARE SERVING AN INCREASING NUMBER WITH THE DIGITAL EDITION -- IN ADDITION.
WE ARE PREPARING FOR BOTH POSSIBILITIES.
ANTHONY: THE GLOBE DID NOT SHARE IT CURRENT PRINT CIRCULATION WITH US BUT SOURCES TELL CHRONICLE THAT AT THE PAPER’S PEAK, DAILY CIRCULATION WAS 560,000.
TODAY IT IS 155,000.
HOWEVER DIGITAL READERSHIP IS GROWING.
>> IN TOTAL WE HAVE MORE SUBSCRIBERS THAN WE DID FOUR YEARS AGO.
ANTHONY: THEY GLOW’ CHIEF CONSERVATIVES REVENUE OFFICER WORKED WITH LINDA HENRY TO DRIVE READERS TO THE PLATFORMS.
>> LIKE OTHER NEWSPAPERS WE HAVE SEEN OUR PRINT VOLUMES DECLINE, BUT THE FLIPSIDE OF THAT IS MORE PEOPLE ARE DISCOVERING THE GLOBE ON THEIR IPHONE, ON THEIR DESKTOP EVERY DAY, AND WE ARE
GROWING OUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIBERS AT A GREATER RATE.
ANTHONY: EVEN THOUGH THE DEMAND FOR PRINT IS DECLINING, THE DEMAND FOR THE JOURNALISM IS RISING, SAYS HENRY.
>> WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE READING THE GLOBE THAN EVER BEFORE.
WE HAVE 13 MILLION UNIQUE VISITORS COME TO OUR WEBSITES EVERY MONTH.
OUR JOURNALISM MATTERS.
OUR VOICE IS BEING HEARD.
ANTHONY: BUT THAT DEMAND IS NOT TRANSLATING TO PROFITS.
>> THE GLOBE IS NOT PROFITABLE.
WE KNEW GOING IN IT WOULD TAKE A HIT.
WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE WANT THE GLOBE TO BECOME THE FIRST INTERVAL -- SUSTAINABLE FOR THE LONG-TERM.
>> THE BOSTON HERALD HAS JUST SERVED HERE LOCALLY.
IS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION FOR SELLING THE BOSTON GLOBE?
>> THE GLOBE IS NOT FOR SALE.
WE ARE TRYING TO GET TO A PATH OF SUSTAINABILITY AND HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO GET THERE.
ANTHONY: DAN KENNEDY IS A PROFESSOR AT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY AND RETURN -- AUTHOR OF RETURN OF THE MOGULS, LOOKING AT JOHN FASO’S AND JEFF HENRY REBUILDING THEIR NEWSPAPERS.
KENNEDY SAYS DON’T DISCOUNT A SALE OF THE GLOBE.
>> I DON’T THINK IT WILL HAPPEN SOON.
DO I THINK IT COULD HAPPEN AT SOME POINT, I DO IF HE IS UNABLE TO TURN THE GLOBE INTO A BREAKING THE PROPOSITION.
YOU MAY AT SOME POINT DECIDED IS TIME TO SELL.
BUT I CAN’T READ HIS MIND.
ANTHONY: DON SEIFER IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL AND THE BOSTON GLOBE IS HIS BEAT.
>> I HAVE HEARD RUMORS HE HAS GOTTEN APPROACHED I PEOPLE TO BUY THE PAPER OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF -- BY PEOPLE TO BUY THE PAPER OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
HE DOESN’T WANT TO DO THAT YET.
HE WANTS THE GLOBE TO TURN HIM AROUND.
ANTHONY: THE GLOBE MOVED FROM MORRISSEY BOULEVARD TO DOWNTOWN BOSTON THIS SUMMER.
THE PAPERS ARE NOW PRINTED IN A FACILITY IN TAUNTON OWNED BY THE GLOBE.
>> THE THOUGHT IS TO USE THE PROFITS THEY CAN MAKE OFF THAT PRINTING FACILITY TO SUPPLEMENT THE NEWSROOM OPERATIONS OF THE GLOBE.
THAT COULD BE GREAT.
THAT WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO MAKE THE GLOBE PROFITABLE.
IT DOES NOT SELL MY KID HAS WORKED OUT, BUT HE IS WILLING TO GIVE A CHANCE, ANOTHER YEAR OR TWO.
ANTHONY: THE NEW FACILITY, PLAGUED WITH THIS TRADITION AND PRINTING PROBLEMS, HAS FRUSTRATED -- WITH VISIBILITY AND PRINTING PROBLEMS HAS FRUSTRATED READERS.
>> IT HAS AN INCREDIBLY COLLOCATED PROCESS.
SOME WE ANTICIPATED AND SOME WERE HARDER THAN WE ANTICIPATED IN TERMS OF GETTING IT TO WORK.
IT IS INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING WHEN IT DOESN’T WORK.
ANTHONY: SO ARE THE PROBLEMS AT THE TAUNTON PLAN OVER?
>> THE PAPER IS IMPROVING.
THE QUALITY OF IMAGES, PRINT, WE ARE ON-TIME DELIVERY.
ANTHONY: HENRY AND DUCET SAY READERS ARE NOT SHY LETTING THEM KNOW WHEN THERE IS AN ISSUE.
>> IT IS A BIGGER ISSUE WHEN THEY DON’T CARE OR DON’T CALL.
WE FEEL FORTUNATE WE HAVE READERS THAT ARE STILL WITH US.
THEY HAVE HELD US ACCOUNTABLE, AND WE WANT TO LIVE UP TO THAT.
>> IT IS PAINFUL AND WE CAN’T DELIVER, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING AS HARD AS WE CAN TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE ARE CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT AND THE WAY THAT OUR READERS HAVE COME
TO ACCEPT FROM US.
-- EXPECT FROM US.
ANTHONY: WHILE THE GLOBE DID NOT GETS SPECIFIC, THEY SAY WHEN THEY LAUNCHED THEIR WEBSITE, THEIR PAID SUBSCRIPTION NUMBERS HAVE REMAINED RELATIVELY CONSISTENT.
IN 2011 THEY WERE 95% PRINT, 5% DIGITAL.
TODAY THAT HAS SHIFTED TO 65% PRINT, 35% DIGITAL HERE WE ARE TOLD THE BOSTON HERALD’S NEW OWNERS LIKE TO SHRINK THE SIZE OF THEIR STAFFS.
BAD NEWS ON THE NEW OWNERS.
>> TO CUT EVERYTHING TO THE BONE AND BEYOND.