May 7, 2009

By Brianne Ogden
Bulletin Staff

When a member of a community dies, or a person celebrates a big moment in his or her life, a newspaper has traditionally been the usual source to announce it.

But, in recent years, the question has become: Are those announcements of milestones such as deaths, births, weddings and anniversaries considered news or advertisements?

The Bulletin sent an e-mail questionnaire to those on the New England Press Association e-mail list, asking which newspapers charge for milestones and why.

Of the 124 New England newspapers that responded to the survey, 95 do not charge for milestones. That includes obituaries, weddings, anniversaries and births. Of the papers that charge for milestones, the majority charge for obituaries only. Only four of the papers charge for every milestone. Of the papers that responded to the questionnaire, the majority are weeklies, Only 11 daily papers responded, and all except two of them charge for obits. MORE>

Guild members vote June 8 on concessions to save Boston Globe

The Boston Globe’s largest union, the Boston Newspaper Guild, is scheduled to vote June 8 on whether to ratify a concession proposal that would cut wages by the equivalent of about 10 percent, decrease fringe benefits, and strip some Guild members of their lifetime job guarantees, the Globe reported.

The proposal includes an 8.4 percent pay cut for most Guild members; a five-day unpaid furlough; reductions in benefits; and elimination of lifetime job guarantees held by about 190 Guild members, according to the Globe. The proposal also features a pension freeze; elimination of company contributions to 401(k) and 401(a) retirement plans; a cut of more than $800,000 in company contributions to employees’ health insurance; an increase to 40 hours from 37.5 hours in employees’ workweeks; elimination of benefits such as life insurance, eye care, tuition reimbursement, retiree death benefits, and discounts for retirees’ Globe subscriptions.. MORE>

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