What was your first job in the newspaper business?

My first was as a paperboy delivering newspapers on my bicycle. My first position in a newspaper plant (1976) was a plate-boy (the current PC term today being platehandler). The job of a plate-boy was to spot plates around the press and sweep the floors.

What do you like most about your job?

I enjoy being part of the energy and excitement that surrounds the daily production of a major metro newspaper.

What do you like least?

Dealing with the financial pressures that have become more common in our industry.

What was The Boston Globe’s most recent purchase/installation?

We are a New York Times Co. company. In addition to producing The Globe, we produce the New England edition of The New York Times every day. We are currently installing two Goss Newsliner towers to expand color capacity for The New York Times product.

All of our eight presses (split between two production plants) are Goss Metroliner/Metrocolor. Goss has proven to be very supportive of our operation over the past 30 years, through many press installations and upgrade projects. Goss has been able to provide us with the skilled technical support necessary to keep our operation running 365 days a year.

What is the biggest challenge The Globe is facing in production?

The largest challenge for production is meeting the demand for high-quality reproduction with aging equipment. The increased demand for color in newspapers has proven to be difficult given the constraints that we face with respect to time and waste. We have applied a Six-Sigma approach for process improvement and we are considering investing in auto-registration technology to help improve our performance. 

What trend are you keeping your eye on?

Niche market products (special sections) and multi-zoned editorial and advertising appear to be what many of our customer’s desire. This will add complexity to the production and distribution of a large metro daily, but may be the best opportunity to counter declining circulation and advertising revenue in the future.

If you know anyone you think should be featured in Short Run, please contact Tara McMeekin at 303.575.9595 or by e-mail at: tmcmeekin@newsandtech.com