KENT—Thirteen years ago, I was hard at work in the offices of Digital First in New Milford, then the parent company of the Kent Good Times Dispatch and four other Housatonic Publications, when several men marched into the room.
They called us away from our desks where we were working on deadline on our individual newspapers. At that time, I had been editor of the Good Times Dispatch for seven years. The five “suits” from corporate headquarters announced that it would be the last edition for all our papers.
I felt true dismay on that afternoon in 2009 because over the years I had come enjoy my work in Kent and the many interesting people I met there. Kent is a vibrant, culturally rich community that is a joy to cover.
Fast forward to today. The Kent Good Times is back and so am I. It will be an independent newspaper, delivered digitally to your “doorstep” for the foreseeable future, and is preparing to do what it did so well for 52 years—reporting the issues and events in the town.
It will take time for us to hit our stride. Starting a newspaper from scratch is labor intensive and costly. Town residents have indicated that they are eager to have a hometown newspaper again, but a paper cannot exist in a vacuum.
We will need the help and support of the community to make it thrive. As a nonprofit organization, the paper will rely on donations and grants, as well as a limited revenue stream from advertising. But happily, that is not my bailiwick. I am a newsperson so my plea is that you help me to help you by sending me leads to stories that should be covered, announcements of your civic events and special occasions—whether they be a wedding, an obituary, birth announcements or graduations—to editor@kentgtd.org. And be sure to follow all the news on www.kentgtd.org.
4 Comments
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Bruce Adams
October 12, 2023 at 12:44 pm
What a great choice as Editor! A wonderful person and a true newspaper pro. Welcome to Kent, Kathryn
Bruce Adams
Kathryn Boughton
October 12, 2023 at 2:23 pm
Thanks, Bruce. Good to be back.
Therese Duncan
October 14, 2023 at 6:43 am
I am so looking forward to your return to Kent news coverage! Your professionalism speaks for itself.
Wendy Murphy
October 18, 2023 at 9:25 am
I, too, am very happy to see you back Kathryn. This community has missed the kind of forum the GTD once provided. Let’s all pitch in by providing Kathryn and her crew. timely notices of events and Issues.
One story. I’d like to read: an up close article on the people who make our library’s book sale possible. What keeps hard-working Diane Lang coming back year after year to make this one of the best book sales in the state? Who are all those other helpful people who spend many hours on a busy summer weekend to keep the sale racks full of new stock? Where do the contributed books come from? How are they priced? Hmany are sold in a typical year? Where do the leftovers go at the end of the season?
What about the occasional rare book? Does it get special treatment? And what percentage of the library’s funding comes from this enterprise?