Local newspaper moves 1005 miles away
By George P. Hassett

    A $400 million deal between national media conglomerates has left one of the city‚Äôs two weekly newspapers under the ownership of a company 1,005 miles away from Somerville.
    Patrick Purcell reportedly plans to sell his approximately 100 weekly and daily suburban newspapers to Liberty Group Publishing of Northbrook, Illinois as part of a $400 million deal that includes Liberty’s acquisition of Enterprise NewsMedia LLC. Enterprise is the publisher of the Patriot Ledger of Quincy, the Enterprise of Brockton, and a number of South Shore weeklies.

   Media analysts and experts have questioned how a newspaper owned by a giant monopoly 1,000 miles away can relate to the local community it serves.
   ‚ÄúIt takes the local out of local news,‚Äù said James Norton, who sits on the Board of Directors for the Somerville News, the city‚Äôs only independent paper.
Journal editor Kathleen Powers would not comment on the paper’s future quality or relevance to the community.
   But Somerville Journal and Cambridge Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Greg Reibman said ‚Äúthe Journal‚Äôs excellent coverage of local issues will continue.‚Äù He said there would be no changes in the paper‚Äôs staff.
   The deal would make Liberty the newest publisher in Somerville. The city‚Äôs elder newspaper publisher is now Prospect Hill Publishing which publishes the News every Wednesday. The 37-year-old newspaper is the city‚Äôs only independently owned  and operated weekly. It was first published by Robert J. Publicover in 1969 and purchased by Donald Norton in 2002. James Norton said the company is committed to growth and expansion but never to the point it loses local focus.
    ‚ÄúThe Farm Team newspaper hasn‚Äôt been relevant to Somerville since the Dole family sold it. Whoever owns them this week is not important to us,‚Äù said James. ‚ÄúThe News will continue to do what it does best ‚Äì fair, unbiased local reporting.‚Äù