• Media Nation, Thursday, June 25, 2009 9:45 AM

The New York Times Co. and the Boston Newspaper Guild have reached a tentative deal over wage and benefit cuts at the Boston Globe. Underlying pessimism over the inevitable cuts has been an unspoken assumption that downward trends in print readership and ad revenue will continue until they converge at zero.

But it looks like that's not going to happen, writes Dan Kennedy, Northeastern University assistant professor. Somewhere there's a stabilization point. Boston Herald publisher Pat Purcell has proven that it's possible to get small enough to break even or earn a small profit. Surely the Globe can do the same.

The impact of the new pact on a youngish Globe reporter making $50,000: Under the 23% pay cut that management imposed after the union's first "no" vote, she would make $38,500. Under the new arrangement, she'd make $46,000. The agreement will be put to a vote on July 20, and it will most likely pass. Don't be surprised if there's a deal to buy the paper very shortly thereafter.

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