For the first time in all of our lifetimes, the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper is under the control of someone that doesn't have the last name Pape.

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I've started the day with a fresh copy of the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper for most of my life, I enjoyed reading local stories that were published under the careful watch of a member of the Pape family. That has ended today, although I haven't been a daily subscriber since my mom passed away in 2015. Do you still read your local newspaper? Listen to a Connecticut radio station, or watch tv on WVIT, WFSB, WTIC, or WTNH? Me too, but we're disappearing quickly. The internet has destroyed media business models, and those who have adapted have survived.

The Waterbury Republican-American was sold today to Hearst Connecticut Media, who now own the Connecticut Post, Greenwich Times, The Middletown Press, New Haven Register, The News-Times in Danbury, The Norwalk Hour, the Register Citizen, and Stamford Advocate, among others. CTInsider.com is one of their products, and as of right now you will be redirected when you type in Rep-Am.com to ctinsider.com/waterbury.

The Republican-American kept me interested for decades by employing excellent writers like Tracey O'Shaughnessy, Michele Morcey, Will Siss, and Brigitte Ruthman, I hope that they all make it through this transition unscathed. Having been through quite a few of these corporate-ownership transitions while working in Connecticut radio over the years, I'm guessing that we'll see changes slowly roll out over the next year or so as the new owners absorb the challenges and issues that the Pape family have kept at bay for decades.

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