Tagged: Kansas City Star

Comings and goings

  • Steve Vockradt left the Kansas City Business Journal to join the Pitch.
  • Lindsey Slater was named news director at 6News Lawrence.
  • Katie Bean left the Lawrence Journal-World to join the Business Journal as its special sections editor.
  • Shawnee Dispatch editor Rob Roberts has left to join the Kansas City Business Journal, covering real estate.
  • Lawrence Journal-World managing editor Caroline Trowbridge has left the paper after 30 years with the World Company
  • KSHB assistant news director Brett Akagi left the station.
  • Kansas City Star columnist and editorial board member E. Thomas McClanahan retired.

KC Star sees circulation boost

After seeing a giant drop in circulation in the last September’s Alliance for Audited Media report (formerly Audit Bureau of Circulation), the Kansas City Star saw some small gains in the report issued Monday.

Sunday circulation is up 2 percent from 275,784 to 280,790, a jump of 5,006 from a report issued last September. Continue reading →

Longtime Post-Dispatch reporter Vahe Gregorian is The Star’s new sports columnist

The Star once again has two sports columnists, as the paper announced the hiring of Vahe Gregorian, a longtime sportswriter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

He’ll tag-team with Sam Mellinger, whose been without a partner in crime since Kent Babb left to join the Washington Post. Gregorian’s wife, Cindy Billhartz Gregorian, will be The Star’s new House + Home editor, and also work on features. Continue reading →

Burnt Ends: RIP, John Mark Ebherhart; who disrupted the mayor’s speech?, and more

  • Former Star books editor John Mark Eberhart died after battling cancer. (KC Star)
  • Tony’s Kansas City was first with the name of the guy who disrupted Mayor Sly James’ State of the City address. (BLC)
  • The Star’s top ad man, Tim Doty, departs to spend more time with his family. (KCC)

Let’s reconsider the definition of breaking news

Screen shot 2013-03-05 at 2.22.17 PMWhen members of the “Modern Family” cast were stuck in an elevator last week, KSHB breathlessly called it breaking news, flashing a banner on the top of its website. Continue reading →

Playing in the sandbox of big ideas: a hyperlocal proposal for Kansas City news

newspaperboxReading about Kansas City’s Digital Sandbox inspired me to brainstorm ideas that would have an impact on the local news ecosystem. Being an online journalist with a background in and love of newspapers, I focused my energy on how The Star might revolutionize its practices. Are these ideas practical? Feasible? I don’t know. But that didn’t stop me from thinking of some cool stuff.

Ignite the imagination.

Continue reading →

Burnt Ends: Elizabeth Alex signs off from KSHB

  • Longtime KSHB anchor Elizabeth Alex signed off after 17 years this week. The Star caught up with her prior to her last broadcast. (KC Star)
  • The Star’s Scott Canon, Mark Davis and Alison Prang are honored for their business reporting. (KC Star)
  • Scott McDonnell joins KMBC from sunny FLA. (BLC)
  • KCTV’s Nima Shaffee jumps ship for Detroit. (BLC)
  • Seems some more news organizations are following The Star’s lead in refusing to print the team name “Redskins.” (CBS-DC)

Burnt Ends: Former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton now a newspaperman

Welcome to the new and improved Odds and Ends nay, Burnt Ends. Improved by a new name.*

  • Remember Rod “Green Balloons” Jetton? Ousted from the House after some improprieties, including really rough sex, he’s now a newspaper publisher. Fun fact: He used to hate the press. (KC Star)
  • The Star wins a Major Award! Jim Fitzpatrick writes that the paper won the Associated Press Sports Editors coveted Grand Slam award for sports excellence. But can anyone figure out how to maneuver the APSE’s site? What a mess. (JimmyCSays)
  • The Star’s going to shrink. Literally. (BLC)
  • Last week’s snowstorm helped out FOX4. (BLC)
  • And, ratings-wise, everyone won in covering the JJ’s disaster. (BLC)

*Many thanks to Stephen Montemayor for the Burnt Ends suggestion.