Posted February 8, 2018 — The Montgomery News has a new owner, Mighty Oaks Media. The principal owner of the company is Norman Silverstein, a resident of Hillsborough, who is married to Rosa and has three children. Mr. Silverstein is a graduate of Rutgers College and Brooklyn Law School and has had a diverse and successful career with a wide range of knowledge and experience in many fields.
Our staff had the opportunity to sit down with him and discuss his purchase of the newspaper:
Q: Did you ever read The Montgomery News before you purchased it?
A: I live in a section of Hillsborough that receives the paper every month and I always found the local community news to be engaging and interesting. It is the best place to read about local happenings.
Q: How did you discover that the paper was for sale?
A: The previous owner, Cliff Moore, ran a “for sale” ad in The Montgomery News, I saw the ad and decided to call him. So, I can testify that newspaper advertising is very effective.
Q: But, why buy a newspaper, when many people would argue that the Internet is replacing newspapers?
A: If you want to read about world or national news, you can go online and access hundreds of articles on these topics, however, for community news, there is absolutely nothing like the local paper. Incidentally, The Montgomery News will have a new web edition, which we are in the process of creating, or updating and modernizing, so readers can go online and will be able to see the photos that we could not fit in the paper. Look for the web version in March.
Q: Do you have any experience in the field of journalism?
A: Growing up my father was an avid reader and he would buy four papers every day (The New York Times, The Star-Ledger, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily News), so I developed a passion for newspapers at an early age. I have never changed a car transmission, but I know where to find the best mechanic, so although I have never been a journalist, I knew where to find the perfect editor in chief for our paper, namely Barbara Preston.
Q: What is your vision for The Montgomery News?
A: In my mind, community newspapers are not like other papers. The most important job for a community paper is to be an integral part of the community; we will be sponsoring various community activities, for example: a Little League baseball team, a UNICEF marathon at the school, and raising money for local charities. Our tagline is The Voice of Your Community; so there will be articles by our local politicians, our religious leaders, parents, and students . . . we want to be a catalyst within the community by encouraging community involvement and participation.
Q: Will the appearance and stories of the paper be changing?
A: We want to freshen-up the paper with a new look, to make it vibrant and enjoyable for our readers. We are in the process of planning new features and stories for the upcoming months and we can’t wait to hear the feedback from the community.
Q: Does Mighty Oaks Media own any other media properties besides The Montgomery News, and is there any significance to the name?
A: Mighty Oaks Media is a partner in a film production company, and we currently have two projects under development; a feature movie based on the Matt Christopher book catalogue of sports stories, and a TV documentary about El Padrino and the Cuban Mafia. However, The Montgomery News is our first newspaper and who knows, there may be more to come. The name Mighty Oaks Media is rooted in the phrase, “From little acorns grow Mighty Oaks.” Perhaps The Montgomery News will grow to be a Mighty Oak.
