April 9th, 2009

Blog rally to help the Boston Globe

[The text below is taken verbatim from Paul Levy’s Running a Hospital blog. Levy started this blog rally, and I’m joining in. I may have worded the call to arms differently, but I’m adhering to protocol this one time.]

We have all read recently about the threat of possible closure faced by the Boston Globe. A number of Boston-based bloggers who care about the continued existence of the Globe have banded together in conducting a blog rally. We are simultaneously posting this paragraph to solicit your ideas of steps the Globe could take to improve its financial picture:

We view the Globe as an important community resource, and we think that lots of people in the region agree and might have creative ideas that might help in this situation. So, here’s your chance. Please don’t write with nasty comments and sarcasm: Use this forum for thoughtful and interesting steps you would recommend to the management that would improve readership, enhance the Globe’s community presence, and make money. Who knows, someone here might come up with an idea that will work, or at least help. Thank you.

(P.S. If you have a blog, please feel free to reprint this item and post it. Likewise, if you have a Twitter or Facebook account, please add this url as an update or to your status bar to help us reach more people.)

Also, here’s the Globe’s story about the rally.

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4 Responses to “Blog rally to help the Boston Globe”

  1. steinpilz

    As someone who has gradually moved from having two papers delivered daily to reading these two, and more, daily on the web I’d suggest that the Globe and other papers could remain viable primarily as web sites, perhaps publishing a weekend edition (or a free smaller daily) for nostalgic readers who like the real papers. I happily paid for access to newspaper web sites until they all became free.

  2. ljclark

    Interesting. I’ve never paid for online news. I pay to get two Sunday papers (including the Globe) delivered, but I read a greater variety of news sites online for free during the week. It seems inevitable that many newspapers, perhaps including the Globe and Herald in Boston, will have to abandon print. That won’t be good for people without ready access to computers.

    There was a radio interview (WBUR) today with Ben Taylor, of the family who used to own the Globe. He actually said that no newspaper owner could have predicted six or seven years ago that newspapers would be in such a position. Really? I think that the average person on the street could’ve predicted that.

    But we’re supposed to be constructive, here, right? Paying good bloggers to contribute some content is one idea.

  3. Todd

    Just a thought… why doesn’t the news papers set up a email paper… meaning… when I wake in the morning my paper has been emailed to my computer and printed out for me waiting there for me with my pre-timed brewed coffee… I would pay for that…. (and you could formate the paper to your own likes…large print…small… legal paper… reg paper….or just get the sections you want)

  4. Jill

    I’ve been reading the papers online for the last couple years, too. But I miss reading the paper paper, and the Globe is important. So I just went to their website and signed up for home delivery: $4.63 a week is a bargain.

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