The Boston Globe unveiled a two-pronged strategy Monday to help keep the 139-year-old newspaper afloat amid industry-wide advertising and circulation drops.
Following in the footsteps of its corporate parent, the New York Times, the paper’s executives are banking on devoted readers paying for online content.
For those readers only interested in breaking news, local coverage, sports scores, blogs and classifieds, there won’t be much of a change. All of that content, along with a selection of up to five Globe articles daily, remains free at Boston.com. However, readers seeking full access must head to the just-launched pay site, BostonGlobe.com.
Publisher Christopher Mayer told The Huffington Post that by separating the two brands, the Boston Globe will now have “its own door in the digital space.” Until now, BostonGlobe.com redirected to Boston.com, a popular news site that’s been the main destination for the paper’s content since 1995.
“We have two different sites and they’re targeted at two different types of audiences,” said editor Marty Baron. “BostonGlobe.com is targeted for people really interested in the full depth of journalism we offer. They’re interested in a comfortable reading experience. They’re interested in reading the full stories in many instances.”
Similar to the Times, any Boston Globe print subscriber — even one subscribed only to the Sunday edition — can access BostonGlobe.com. (The Globe’s print circulation is 219,000 daily and 356,000 on Sundays). Digital-only subscribers will have to pay $3.99 a week to read all of its content online and across mobile devices and tablets.
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