Boston Globe publisher and head of the New England Media Group Steven Ainsley is retiring, the New York Times Co. announced today. Christopher M. Mayer, currently the newspaper's senior vp for circulation and operations, has been tapped to fill the positions, effective Jan. 1.

Mayer will become responsible for the Boston Globe and all its properties as well as the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette, which the Times Co. is trying to sell. The company also put the Globe on the market but decided to keep operating the paper.

"Chris Mayer has an exceptional track record with a broad range of experience in all aspects of our business," Janet Robinson, president and CEO of the Times Co., said in a statement.

Mayer, 47, joined the Globe in 1984 in the information services department. He also served as the paper's chief information officer and senior vice president of Community Newsdealers, the Globe's former home-delivery subsidiary.

Ainsley, who is 57, has served in various executive positions at the Times including president and COO of the Regional Media Group and as publisher of several of the company's papers in Alabama, Florida, Maine and California.

"In his 27 years in the New York Times Co., Steve Ainsley has been an outstanding leader and has been critical in putting the New England Media Group on stronger financial footing," Robinson said in a statement. "He has been an exceptional representative for the Globe and for the company and we have been proud to call him our colleague. He will be greatly missed."

Nielsen Business Media