Media Post says the The Boston Globe is merging its print and online editorial groups in a move that “is believed to be…at the behest of Times Co. senior executives who are dissatisfied with the overall performance of the Times Co.’s New England operations, which are the worst-performing of the Times Co.’s regional divisions. In a May revenue report from the Times Co., its New England operation posted an 8 percent drop in ad revenue compared to the same month in 2005.”

The consumer Internet has been around for 12 years. It seems surprising that it took a progressive paper like the Globe so long to make such a seemingly obvious shift.