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This week's Beat the Press features and interesting local story about a WCVB investigation into a Pennsylvania pig farm where it isn't clear that Channel 5 did any investigating at all.

The line-up: Emily hosting, Callie, Joe, Adam Reilly subbing for Dan K. and Kara Miller in the guest chair.

The topics:

* Oprah's long goodbye: What will the fallout be of Oprah Winfrey's move from broadcast TV to her own cable network in 2011.

* Sarah Palin's book tour

* Pork Project: WCVB airs an "investigation" of pig farming practices that appears to have been taken solely from an anti-cruelty, pro-vegan activist group.

* A suburban newspaper in Connecticut sues the Courant for rip-and-retype borrowing of its stories, claiming the Courant is using plagiarism to make for staffing shortages.

Segments should be up soon.

Comcast today completed its long-anticipated buyout of broadcast partner Hearst, taking over sole ownership of New England Cable News and wasting no time announcing changes.

Longtime NECN president Charlie Kravetz is gone, signalling the end of an era. If founder Phil Balboni was the architect of NECN's surprisingly successful business plan, Kravetz was the builder. Dan Kennedy isn't sure what to think, but doubts it can be good.

Bill Bridgen, the executive vice president and general manager of Comcast Sportsnet New England, has taken over from Kravetz.

I'm on my way to a 2:30 news conference over at NECN HQ in Newton, more soon. We'll also be tackling this on on tomorrow's "Beat the Press" broadcast show.

Welcome to the new Beat the Press on the web.

If this is your first visit, we welcome you to stay a while, look around, and explore some of the new interactive features we've built into the site. We designed this site to reflect the things you love best about the show: interesting topics, opinions informed by the facts, and a range of perspectives.

But the best part is that we're now inviting you to join the conversation and help us breathe life our new motto: "Talking Back to the Media." On this site you can now comment on issues and segments, and, after you register, start a conversation directly with Emily and our panelists on their new "whiteboards." Or if you want to participate more fully in the show, suggest a topic or rate the suggestions of others.

And if there's something you like about this site, or something you don't, let me know. I have a whiteboard too.

Best,

Ralph Ranalli, Chief Blogger

    If anything, the news that the New York Times is threatening to shut down the Boston Globe unless Globe unions agree to $20 million in concessions puts the remarkable story of the Boston Herald’s continued survival in even sharper relief.

    And what’s more remarkable is that Herald publisher Pat Purcell has been honest enough to admit that plain old luck played a significant role in the reason why Boston is still a two newspaper town. For now.

    Rewind to the Spring of 2006. Governor Mitt Romney was deciding whether to run for president. The Red Sox were deciding whether to bring back catcher Doug Mirabelli. And Purcell and three equity firms were deciding whether to cash out their stake in Community Newspapers, the chain of 100+ local daily and weekly papers they bought in 2001 from Fidelity Investments for as much as $150 million.

     Here’s Purcell on the group decision to sell (from a recent interview with Beat the Press):

“They wanted to get out. And so I was basically put into a position where I had to sell. I was trying to talk my partners into doubling down and buying some other things and they, smartly said, no-no, we want to get out. So luckily, we were able to do that, we were able to get a good return and I was able to pay off all of our debts, and the key right now is to be debt free.”

    The rest is history. Purcell and his partners cashed out for a reported $225 million – that’s a $75 million profit and a 50 percent return on investment over five years. Not too shabby. But more importantly for Boston newspaper readers, Purcell was able to get the Herald out from under the debt that’s crushing companies like Tribune and the New York Times.