Some random thoughts on recent news items:

Globe bets on legacy media again with purchase of Boston Magazine

 First, it was the launch of ‘Globe Today,’ as reported by the Globe in 2023. Now it’s the Globe’s acquisition of Boston Magazine, as Dan Kennedy reports. … Those are two big investments in legacy-media type operations. I have my doubts about whether they’ll pay off in the this ever shifting digital-media  age. I was sort of expecting the Globe to dive deeper into STAT-like digital ventures, similar to the NYT’s more complete digital transformation. But Linda Henry has done a highly admirable job as CEO of the Globe, helping turn the Globe into a profitable and growing media company. So we’ll see. … One other point: I admire Boston Magazine and have written for them in the past. But I always felt that, journalistically, it was an under-performer in the Boston market, nowhere near the quality of the venerable Texas Monthly. Maybe there’s room for improvement here. 

P.S. – Also from Dan Kennedy: ‘A trio of veteran journalists prepares to launch a for-profit local news outlet in Medford, Mass.”‘

‘In Davis Square, proposed tower prompts … a war of anonymous flyers’

The developer was attracted to the success of Davis Square and now seems determined to destroy the charm that made Davis Square a success (via Globe). … Sort of like destroying a town to save it? … Here’s hoping the city of Somerville soundly rejects this crazy idea.

Easier said than done: Converting post offices to housing 

Anyone who has followed the years-long talk of a South Station land-swap involving the U.S. Postal Service knows that it’s never easy stitching  together land deals involving government agencies. So I’m a little dubious about Andrew Mikula’s idea at B&T about turning some federal post-office sites into housing. … CB’s Scott Van Voorhis, who first posted about the proposal, seems to like the concept in general. I do too. But it’s an easier-said-than-done concept. … One other note: the idea comes as President Donald Trump et gang talk once again of privatizing the U.S. Postal Service, long a right-wing ideological goal that tends to crumble once GOP lawmakers realize their favorite, money-losing district post offices might close under privatization, particularly those in rural districts. 

‘Two Massachusetts biotechs file to IPO post-JPM’ 

Another sign of a slowly recovering biotech sector in Massachusetts, as the BBJ reports. … And forget the above ‘IPO post-JPM’ mumbo-jumbo. They’ve effectively filed to go public. That’s it. … Also this from the BBJ: “Early-stage biotechs may soon get their swagger back.”

‘Which New England state is the best in which to start a business?’ 

Has New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte seen this? …Via the Globe. …  It’s one of those silly rankings by companies trying to nab free media publicity. But it’s still fun stuff, especially when it tweaks the nose of those who like tweaking the nose of others. … And poor Little Rhody. Last, again. …