January 27, 2010

By Rick Winterson

Chris Mayer, who has been in the newspaper and media business for 25 years, took over the Boston Globe’s reins as its Publisher at the beginning of the year.  He and his family have been South Boston residents for the last two decades.

Chris Mayer, his wife Donna Brown, and their four children live on I Street, where they’ve had their home for the last 20 years.  Since getting out of Yale in 1984, Chris has worked almost exclusively in newspapers, much of this at the Boston Globe.  On January 1, 2010, he was promoted to the position of Publisher of the Boston Globe, a newspaper founded in 1872. 

The media in general and print newspapers in particular have experienced difficulties in recent years.  Despite this, Chris is optimistic that new business models, coupled with quality journalism, will keep the Globe viable for another 138 years.

Although it’s early on, Chris already feels his tenure as Publisher is going well.  Basic turnaround issues and much-publicized questions of the Globe’s ownership were stabilized or answered in 2009.  Now, he’s focused on improved business results, in part by taking advantage of advertising in new media, while keeping the content of his newspaper responsive, high in quality, and pertinent to the Greater Boston community.

Chris uses some interesting figures to illustrate the new business challenge for the Globe.  The Sunday Globe’s circulation is just over 400,000, which is only half what it was several years ago.  The good news is that there are 5.3 million (5,300,000!) log-ons to the Globe’s website, Boston.com, every month.  In other words, the Globe’s total audience of readers - both print and electronic – is larger than ever before.  Therefore, the Globe’s advertising and business plans can obviously benefit from better serving online customers.

Also, many of these log-ons are from across the country or around the world.  Traveling Bostonians want to keep up with Sox, for sure.  A new business model could include electronic product and service advertisements focused completely outside the Greater Boston area – wherever those traveling Bostonians are.

Consider this new marketing package for local readership, and you may decide to become a “Globe Reader” yourself.  Subscribing as a Globe Reader gets you a printed Sunday edition that includes the virtually unique Globe Magazine, along with Internet access to all six weekday papers in a format similar to the printed editions.  Check out the very reasonable cost of doing this by calling 1(888)MYGLOBE.

According to Chris, his relation with the Globe’s parent, The New York Times Company, is cordial and highly delegated.  He reports to the Times CEO, Janet Robinson, who sets overall goals and then lets Chris achieve them on his own.  He points out that the Times, in addition to its reputation for fine journalism, can also provide the Globe with significant resources.  These include a research and development department that looks at new technology, a financial arm, and a purchasing office for negotiating important contracts.

Chris first went to work for the Globe in IT (information technology).  After doing two years of management consulting on his own, he worked for Community News in charge of circulation and financial functions.  He returned to the Globe in 1999 as Circulation and Fleet Manager, and was then promoted to CIO (Chief Information Officer).  In 2008, he was put in charge of all operations, including P&L responsibility for circulation.  From there, he was elevated to Publisher on the first of this year.  Note the extensive business and operating credentials he brings to that position.

He and Donna Brown, whom he met at Yale and who is President of the Neighborhood Development Corporation, have four children:  Emily (18), a Harvard freshwoman; Abigail (16), Boston Latin; Kevin (14), also at Boston Latin; and Caroline (11) at South Boston Catholic Academy.  Needless to say, their activities are family-focused – he coaches soccer.  Chris is a South Boston enthusiast, who claims he’ll spend the rest of his life here.

As for the Globe, his aspirations are first (and above all) to maintain and improve its journalistic quality.  Financial returns will be gained from an intelligent business use of both the electronic media and print journalism.  And in case you were wondering, Chris is convinced there will always be a place at the Boston Globe for printed news.