Boston Globe Goes Full Money – er, Monty – for UMass

February 20, 2015

As the hardreading staff has previously noted, the Boston Globe and UMass are likethis lately.

Pick One: Boston Globe Majors in (U)Mass Marketing or, Boston Globe Pimps Out Page One

The Boston Globe is having quite a financial fling with the University of Massachusetts these days. First it was this “Special Supplement to the Boston Globe” that ran [last fall].

 

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As the hardreading staff noted, that’s “Special” as in “Advertising,” which the Globe would have stated explicitly if it cared to be honest with its readers.

Now comes this doozie in [the 11/13/14] edition of the $tately local broadsheet (photos courtesy of the Missus).

 

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Okay then. That was last fall, when UMass bought the Boston Globe for a day.

Now comes this trifecta in yesterday’s edition of the $tately local broadsheet.

First, the Business section banner:

 

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Then, the bottom of Page One:

 

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Then, the back page:

 

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That pretty much makes yesterday’s Globe Business section a wholly owned subsidiary of UMass.

Ugh.


Boston Globe Special Sections Are Serious Ad-ditions

November 10, 2014

As the hardreading staff plowed through yesterday’s Boston Sunday Globe, we were struck by all the special sections it featured: Chill, Longwood: A City Within the City, and 11 Ideas from Boston 2014.

That last stood out because of what was printed at the top of each page:

 

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Close-up for the bifocal set:

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There were ads sprinkled throughout the “Special Supplement,” such as this one:

 

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But we think the whole section is an ad – at least that’s the implication. Here’s another clue from an inside page:

 

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The other two sections – Chill and Longwood: A City Within the City – are run-of-the-mill news sections designed to be ad magnets in particular categories.

Longwood first.

 

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Representative ads:

 

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Then Chill.

 

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This section was an absolute ad bonanza. Representative samples:

 

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Our prediction: Look for lots more of this in the future, especially the “Special Supplements.” Maybe next time the Globe bean counters could be a little more transparent about what they’re serving to their readers.