Interesting: Kraft Group Making a bid for the Globe?

[Ian]

That would be an interesting move:

Report: Kraft Group weighing bid for Boston Globe | Breaking News | providencejournal.com | The Providence Journal

 

[Jackson 2]

That would be an interesting move:

Report: Kraft Group weighing bid for Boston Globe | Breaking News | providencejournal.com | The Providence Journal

First move: fire Shank...

 

[ALP]

I would LOVE for this to happen...a NY owner should not be in control of Boston's most popular paper

 

[Fencer]

Well, he might be less interested in shifting to digital than other kinds of newspaper owners.

 

[Ian]

Well, he might be less interested in shifting to digital than other kinds of newspaper owners.

They've been one of the most innovative technology-wise, so maybe they can finally come up with a solution that's good for both the Globe as well as the actual readers.

 

[Avenger]

maybe we'll finally get some good Pats coverage...

 

[Synovia]

Strange investment choice. Buying a newspaper right now is a bit like buying a house thats about to get condemned.

Unless you've got some sort of outside plan for the property/brand/etc, you're probably just going to lose a bunch of money.

 

[BTTA]

Strange investment choice. Buying a newspaper right now is a bit like buying a house thats about to get condemned.

Unless you've got some sort of outside plan for the property/brand/etc, you're probably just going to lose a bunch of money.

The Koch brothers are now contemplating a bid for a huge portion of the US newspaper market.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Strange investment choice. Buying a newspaper right now is a bit like buying a house thats about to get condemned.

Unless you've got some sort of outside plan for the property/brand/etc, you're probably just going to lose a bunch of money.

Actually, while newspapers aren't close to the astronomical profit margins they made back in the day, they still come in a high level that many businesses would take in a heartbeat. Probably the main reason a lot of investors aren't buying newspapers ( or newspaper brands) right now is because the current owners paid at a much higher market value than exists now. If you can get a newspaper brand at a reasonable price, it can be relatively profitable.

The Krafts are pretty innovative in a lot of ways, and so is The Globe. Would be an interesting pairing.

 

[Synovia]

Not seeing it.

The Globe is one of the better ones, but my generation isn't getting their news from the paper. They're getting it from blogs, twitter, youtube, etc, all of which typically have more information, and faster. And its going to get worse as more people get online.

Now, if Kraft has plans to drastically change the newspaper business, I can get behind this, but if not, its an industry thats going to keep declining.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

My fear is that Kraft's purchase of this declining rag could cascade like the Sullivans' investing in Michael Jackson's tour and impact his football investment.

 

[Synovia]

I can't see how it would make any difference. Football has a salary cap, and a very high salary floor. Its not like its going to affect the budget.

Kraft has also kept his nose out of football operations, so its not going to affect that.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Not seeing it.

The Globe is one of the better ones, but my generation isn't getting their news from the paper. They're getting it from blogs, twitter, youtube, etc, all of which typically have more information, and faster. And its going to get worse as more people get online.

Now, if Kraft has plans to drastically change the newspaper business, I can get behind this, but if not, its an industry thats going to keep declining.

Absolutely, the trend is toward consuming content on digital. I am pretty sure I'm not from your generation; I'm probably even older than the "generation" before you. But I am a total digital-first consumer. I almost never read on newsprint.

But I do value credibility in a news source and that's where what we're calling "newspapers" have a lot of value (not to mention originating most of the content that ends up elsewhere on the web — as it has been for so long with TV — but that's a whole different topic.)

"Newspapers" as brands recognize this shift to digital and if you follow the trends the Globe is absolutely a leader in this area, from the responsive design of bostonglobe.com to the many ways they connect on boston.com

The challenge is still the issue of monetizing: I know several publishers and ad sales folks at smaller newspapers and they will tell you: they and the company still make more and quicker money on their print products. It's a golden trap long-term, of course, but that's the way it is for now.

One thing, thinking about the Krafts, is that they give NOTHING away. Smart business, putting a value on your product, and "newspapers" are finally emerging from being sucked into the "Internet is free" culture. So that shift could be something that draws the attention of folks like the Krafts.

 

[Synovia]

But I do value credibility in a news source and that's where what we're calling "newspapers" have a lot of value (not to mention originating most of the content that ends up elsewhere on the web — as it has been for so long with TV — but that's a whole different topic.)

Your generation probably sees newspapers as credible, but mine really doesn't. Take a look at the coverage of the Marathon bombing... the TV news was just repeating the same stuff over and over, despite it being 8-10 hours old, and a good chunk of that data had already been recanted, or proved wrong. Boston.com was slightly better, but still way behind.

All of the accurate, up to date information was coming out of police scanners on youtube, Watertown residents blogs, etc. The news reported the boat about 6 hours after the police got there, or about 5 hours and 45 minutes after the bloggers started talking about it.

As to content generation, most of the stuff (scandals, etc) I see in the newspaper are rehashes of stuff that reddit, or blogs, or facebook has been talking about for a couple days.

There's no longer really a need for people to go out and find the news, with the internet, it spreads on its own.

 

[BadMoFo]

Not seeing it.

The Globe is one of the better ones, but my generation isn't getting their news from the paper. They're getting it from blogs, twitter, youtube, etc, all of which typically have more information, and faster. And its going to get worse as more people get online.

Now, if Kraft has plans to drastically change the newspaper business, I can get behind this, but if not, its an industry thats going to keep declining.

Who gets news from Youtube?

 

[VJCPatriot]

That would be great if Kraft's group got the Boston Globe. It's about time it was owned by a Boston owner and eliminated some of that NY bias/taint from it. Needless to say the Globe is also a lot classier than the Herald by a longshot.

 

[Pats0204]

Your generation probably sees newspapers as credible, but mine really doesn't. .......

You speak for an entire generation?

 

[Uncle Rico]

... The news reported the boat about 6 hours after the police got there, or about 5 hours and 45 minutes after the bloggers started talking about it. ...

I hadn't realized that the police had that boat surround for six hours. You definitely have better sources than I do, in that case.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Who gets news from Youtube?

 

[fair catch fryar]

Your generation probably sees newspapers as credible, but mine really doesn't. Take a look at the coverage of the Marathon bombing... the TV news was just repeating the same stuff over and over, despite it being 8-10 hours old, and a good chunk of that data had already been recanted, or proved wrong. Boston.com was slightly better, but still way behind.

All of the accurate, up to date information was coming out of police scanners on youtube, Watertown residents blogs, etc. The news reported the boat about 6 hours after the police got there, or about 5 hours and 45 minutes after the bloggers started talking about it.

As to content generation, most of the stuff (scandals, etc) I see in the newspaper are rehashes of stuff that reddit, or blogs, or facebook has been talking about for a couple days.

There's no longer really a need for people to go out and find the news, with the internet, it spreads on its own.

That right there is the problem. People who think news from these sources is actually "credible". Established sources like the Globe and vast others have a credibility that is tangible, regardless of which end of the spectrum you are on ideologically, there is a "credible" source. It's a whole other argument as to what is "credible" in the established newsources, but they are and will continue to evolve along with social media. I think Kraft sees a business opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this evolution and grow the business potential part of it and the Globe provides that base.