As The Boston Globe faces possible closure in the wake of a declining newspaper industry, Boston University students said they would stand by the paper that has been in circulation since the 1800s.
Boston.com reported on Friday that ‘The New York Times Co. has threatened to shut The Boston Globe unless the newspaper’s unions swiftly agree to $20 million in concessions.” The 13 unions involved in the Globe will negotiate concessions separately, according to the article. The concessions must be made in the next 30 days, or the paper will close, according to the Globe.
In an internal memo leaked to digital industry website All Things Digital, publishers Arthur Sulzberger and Janet Robinson indicated that the Globe, along with all other parts of The New York Times Company, will face a 5 percent budget cut in the coming year.
New York Times Co. purchased the Globe in 1993 for $1.1 billion. The company is now $1.1 billion in debt, according to the Associated Press. The Globe is expected to lose $85 million in 2009 after losing $50 million in 2008, according to Boston.com.
BU students said they think the Globe’s situation is unfortunate.
School of Education sophomore Stephanie Slkar said she thinks the newspaper’s biggest liability was its print edition. The Audit Bureau of Circulation reported that circulation had gone down 10 percent to 323, 983 as between September 2007 and 2008, according to the Associated Press.
‘There are so many places to get your news now,’ she said. ‘My family doesn’t really get the print anyway. It’s sort of a waste to print them.’
Student Union President Matt Seidel said he was angry about losing a source of timely information relevant to Boston.
‘I think that there are real damages just to the information that we’re going to be able to get,’ Seidel, a CAS junior, said.
CAS sophomore Anthony Schultz said he would miss the feel of a newspaper if the Globe were to fold.
‘I know that the paper industry is not doing so hot, but there’s nothing like having a crisp newspaper in your hand and a cup of coffee,’ he said.
Staff writers Chonel LaPorte and Ellie Choi contributed reporting to this article.
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