Copyright © 1997 by the Boston Phoenix, Inc. All rights reserved.

This Just In: Media

Front page for sale

By Dan Kennedy

At the Toronto-based Thomson chain, CEO Stuart Gardner announces that his 70 newspapers in the US and Canada will run front-page ads. "We're not sacrificing our journalistic virginity," Gardner told the trade journal Editor & Publisher -- leaving open the question of whether he meant his purity was intact, or his cherry had long since been popped.

At the Los Angeles Times, Mark Willes, the former General Mills executive who's now publisher, says he'll name section publishers who'll work closely (too closely) with individual editors on such business-side matters as advertising and revenues.

Some magazine publishers are giving sneak peeks to retailers and major advertisers, lest any corporate sensibilities be offended after the issue comes out.

And here in Boston, the Herald is plugging ads on its cover. Not every day, or even every week. But it happened twice last week, in underlines hyping a big Caldor spread on October 20 (CALDOR HAS THE LOWEST PRICES OF THE SEASON: PAGE 11) and a Circuit City special on October 23 (SEE THE CIRCUIT CITY 8-PAGE PULLOUT BEGINNING AFTER PAGE 52). In other words, just often enough to tarnish what is otherwise a pretty good paper.

"Do editorial people like it? They hate it," says Herald editor Andy Costello. "Do I personally like it? No, but quite frankly it's the publisher's prerogative." That, of course, would be Pat Purcell.

Now, perhaps it isn't fair to criticize the financially challenged Purcell for cutting a few corners to enhance his bottom line. After all, he's under considerably more pressure to make the numbers work than his cash-rich rivals at the Boston Globe.

But there are some lines that simply shouldn't be crossed.