Some thoughts on the Globe's evolution from a major metropolitan newspaper to a a multi-platform news organization.

1. As the Globe evolves
From major metro newspaper to
multi-platform news organization

2. The Boston Globe’s early days
• Founded in 1872
and ran into trouble
right from the start

3. The Boston Globe’s early days
• Founded in 1872
and ran into trouble
right from the start
• Colonel Charles Taylor
brought in the following
year to save it

4. The Boston Globe’s early days
• Founded in 1872
and ran into trouble
right from the start
• Colonel Charles Taylor
brought in the following
year to save it
• Prospered for decades
as a Democratic
working-class paper

5. Newspaper Row, 1926

6. Move to Dorchester, 1958

7. The golden age, 1965-2005
• Monopoly and
near-monopoly status
led to great prosperity
– At left: Globe editor
Tom Winship, 1965-’84

8. The golden age, 1965-2005
• Globe and other major
metros covered the
nation and the world
– At left: Globe editor
Matt Storin, 1992-2001

9. The golden age, 1965-2005
• Technological and social
changes forced a
lowering of ambitions
– At left: Globe editor
Marty Baron, 2001-’12

10. The Globe’s crisis of 2009

11. The Globe’s tenuous stability
• Digital subscriptions
across platforms
boosted revenues

12. The Globe’s tenuous stability
• Digital subscriptions
across platforms
boosted revenues
• Free Boston.com site
served casual readers
supported by ads

13. The Globe’s tenuous stability
• Digital subscriptions
across platforms
boosted revenues
• Free Boston.com site
served casual readers
supported by ads
• Higher prices
positioned print
as a luxury product

14. The John Henry agenda

15. The John Henry agenda
• Move the Globe to the center of a hub-and-
spokes model, with specialized content
appealing to niche audiences — some of
which also finds its way into the Globe itself.

16. The John Henry agenda
• Boston.com — founded in 1995 primarily as a
home for Globe stories and photos — will be
completely separate, with no Globe content
and an as-yet-undefined mission.

17. The John Henry agenda
• Printing presses to be
moved to the exurbs
while news and
business operations are
relocated in downtown
Boston.

18. The spokes

19. The spokes

20. The spokes

21. The spokes

22. Will revenues follow vision?
• With online advertising
declining in value, the
challenge is to find a
way to make innovation
profitable
– At left: Globe editor
Brian McGrory, 2013-