Globe publisher Ainsley stepping down

P. Steven Ainsley, the publisher of the Boston Globe, said he will retire Jan. 1, capping a three-year stint in which the paper and the rest of industry experienced sharp declines in advertising revenue and paid circulation.

Chris Mayer, currently senior vice president of circulation and operations, will succeed Ainsley as the Globe’s publisher.
Still, the Globe faces an uphill battle.

Circulation at the Globe and Boston adult Inflatable Games Herald in the past year plummeted faster than many other large metropolitan daily papers.
Ainsley most recently battled Globe unions to get steep concessions for The New York Times Co., the Boston paper’s cash-strapped parent. The Times Co. put the money-losing Globe on the sale block, but recently said it would keep the paper after dramatic cost improvements.

The Globe’s Sunday circulation dropped 16.9 percent to 418,529, making it the 11th largest paper by circulation, according to a report by the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Monday through Friday circulation dropped 18.5 percent to 264,105 in the year ended Sept. 30, the 17th largest paper by circulation.

“While the past few years have been difficult for our business, the tremendous show of commitment to this institution from everyone who works here has been deeply meaningful to me,” Ainsley wrote. “I am as proud of the people who work at The Globe, Boston.com, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette and Globe Direct as any group of people with whom I have ever been associated.”
The Globe’s declines were among the worst of the country’s 25 largest daily newspapers — its daily circulation drop was fifth worst among top 25 papers and its Sunday decline was third worst.

Ainsley’s base pay in 2008 was $500,000. child Inflatable Tunnel With about 30 years of service at the Times and its affiliates, Ainsley had, as of March, accumulated benefits of $2.07 million and $664,939 in his Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan and pension plans, respectively.
In a memo to staff, Ainsley said his three years as publisher of the Globe rank as among the most satisfying of his nearly 32 years in the newspaper business.

As of Dec. 31, Ainsely was eligible to receive 178,500 restricted stock units as well as annual pension-plan payments of $323,357 upon his early retirement from the company. He also stands to receive $714,070 in non-qualified deferred compensation.