The newspaper business is bringing a new meaning to the word upfront, as in front page. The New York Times recently announced that its new policy of selling limited ad space on its own front page; now the Boston Globe has made the same decision. It says it is not so much following suit as acting on its own internal decision-making process, which was in progress before the NYT announcement. Cash-hungry newspapers are looking for new revenue streams as old reliable streams, such as classified ads, are drying at an alarming rate.
RBR/TVBR observation: Is nothing sacred? Well, no, nor should it be. If a company is not producing cash flow and profit, it cannot exist. Maybe a front page ad was unthinkable five years ago; but those who don’t think outside the box now may not be around five years from now.
