AMA with Shira Center, Boston Globe Media
Boston Globe Media shows that regional publishers can defy the industry gloom by marrying a mission‑driven newsroom with disciplined, data‑literate innovation. Whether you’re a local news outlet or a product brand, Shira’s playbook of experiments, cross‑functional teams, and relentless focus on audience value, offers a roadmap for sustainable growth.
Below are five big take‑aways:
1 | A Portfolio Built for Experimentation
Shira: “Boston Globe Media Partners is also a really diverse media company… STAT for life‑sciences, boston.com, the newly‑acquired Boston Magazine—so it’s quite a lot, and we do a lot together.”
With multiple brands, business models and audiences under one roof, Shira’s team can pilot an idea in one outlet, learn fast, and then transplant the winners elsewhere.
2 | Hack‑Day Culture Fuels Break‑Out Products
Shira: “Twice a year we have an Innovation Week with a pitch competition… One of those ideas was B‑Side, a Gen Z newsletter that just launched its own membership program.”
Internal “hack days” give every employee—from newsroom to printing plant—a chance to pitch. B‑Side went from hack‑day idea to a revenue‑generating product aimed at younger readers.
3 | Innovation = Problem‑Solving (Not Shiny Tech)
Shira: “I think people often see innovation as jazzy new tech. I see innovators as people who solve problems—internal or external—at the best ROI.”
Shira grounds experimentation in practical problems and clear success criteria, proving that even resource‑strapped newsrooms can start small and iterate.
4 | Data‑Informed, Human‑Decided
Shira: “Data doesn’t decide; data informs the decider.”
Real‑time tools show editors exactly what readers engage with, yet final calls still rest on editorial judgment—maintaining both rigor and newsroom autonomy.
5 | Mission‑First, Subscriber‑Obsessed
Shira: “We have 260k paying digital subscribers; engagement is our North Star. Games, podcasts—anything that keeps readers coming back—matters more than vanity traffic.”
From acquiring a daily word‑game Align to producing true‑crime podcasts, the Globe’s product bets all ladder up to deeper subscriber value—and ultimately to its public‑service mission.
