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[Don't Quote Me]

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A new Taylor

The Times Company casts a vote of confidence for the Globe's ruling dynasty

by Dan Kennedy

The key player in last Thursday's announcement that Benjamin Taylor will succeed his second cousin William Taylor as publisher of the Boston Globe may be someone who was nowhere to be seen: Lance Primis, forced out as president of the New York Times Company in September.

It was Primis, says a knowledgeable source at 135 Morrissey Boulevard, who was a principal cause of tension between the Taylor family, who sold the Globe for $1.1 billion in 1993, and the Times Company. The Taylors reportedly were uncomfortable with Primis's attempts to move the company into non-newspaper ventures such as golf courses and cable television.

And though Ben Taylor, 49, currently the Globe's president, would probably have succeeded Bill Taylor, 64, in any case, the removal of Primis as an irritant may have made for a smoother transition, since Times Company chairman Arthur "Punch" Sulzberger Sr. is said to enjoy a good relationship with the Taylors.

"The Times itself is a patriarchal institution," says New York University journalism professor Edwin Diamond, author of Behind the Times: Inside the New New York Times (Villard, 1994). "I would think the Sulzbergers would be particularly amenable and comfortable with primogeniture."

And New Yorker media reporter Ken Auletta calls the appointment "an expression of confidence in the Taylors" and "an expression of the Times's culture. . . . Punch Sulzberger is a gentleman, and he made a gentleman's agreement with the Taylors."

The move was popular with Globe reporters, many of whom have been jumpy over what they see as attempts by the Times Company to maximize profits. Eyebrows were raised earlier this year when the Globe announced a one-week salary cut for top executives and 28 layoffs in the mailroom. Sources say the bean-counting appears to have eased off in recent months, which no doubt has something to do with the drop in the price of newsprint. And if the promotion of Ben Taylor, a well-liked executive who's a former reporter and editor, hasn't inspired a chorus of "Happy Days Are Here Again," it's nevertheless viewed as a hopeful sign.

"If it had been anybody but Ben it would have been suspect for us. This is reassurance," says one prominent staffer. Adds another: "I'm encouraged that the Taylors are still there."

In a Phoenix interview, Ben Taylor took a steady-as-she-goes line, praising the work of editor Matt Storin and editorial-page editor David Greenway, and promising "much more of a continuation than any sharp departure." He declined to criticize Primis, and described the Globe's relationship with the Times Company's new president, Russell Lewis, as positive. And he sought to offer reassurances on three issues that, though hardly at a boiling point, are nevertheless subjects of concern within the newsroom:

  • Union negotiations. Both sides have lowered their voices since the early '90s, when the Boston Globe Employees Association (BGEA) picketed several public events and bitterly denounced management's contract offers. The BGEA is currently working without a contract, but an agreement is thought to be close. BGEA president Bob Jordan is diplomatically noncommittal on what the transition will mean, saying, "I think we have to wait and see what kind of impact the changes will have." Adds Ben Taylor: "I wouldn't want to comment on labor relations. We hope that we'll be able to get a contract at some point."

  • The fate of Stephen Taylor. Ben Taylor will retain the title of president, which has some observers wondering about yet another cousin: Steve Taylor, one of the paper's two executive vice-presidents (the other is William Huff). Steve Taylor, considered more of an inside than an outside player, is regarded as a technical whiz with a strong hand in production, computer, and new-media operations, including the Web site boston.com. Says Ben Taylor: "I wouldn't read anything into the fact that his name wasn't in the press release. Steve is extremely bright, and he's doing a terrific job for us and has a great future."

  • The New York shuttle. Jefferson Flanders, a Times Company executive, joins the Globe as its new vice-president for strategic planning. Globe insiders are keenly attuned to any move that suggests that the Times Company is increasing its presence, but Ben Taylor says that the impetus for hiring Flanders actually came from the Globe: "We wanted him, he was available, so we made him an offer and he accepted."

    • Though a faction of the Times Company board reportedly remains dissatisfied with the company's financial performance, the ascension of Ben Taylor is evidence that the Sulzberger family does not intend to drive up profit margins at the expense of quality. And with New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., regarded as a newsroom advocate, apparently now primed to succeed his father as chairman, Globe-watchers have reason to be cautiously optimistic.

    The Don't Quote Me archive.
    Dan Kennedy's work can also be accessed from his Web site: http://www1.shore.net/~dkennedy/
    Dan Kennedy can be reached at dkennedy[a]phx.com.