Hal Brody
Sometimes you gotta know when to pack it in…
And this may just be that time for longtime Johnson County scribe Steve Rose.
For years Rose lorded over a twice weekly, front page column in his family-founded, freebie The Sun. Which continued after he sold it in 1998.
Things got a little bumpy thereafter.
Maybe because the folks who bought it from Rose did so at the exact wrong time for print publications. Just like the company that bought the Pitch from Hal Brody and the company that bought the Star from Knight Ridder. It didn’t take long b before the red ink started to flow after Rose took off with the black ink.
The Sun was the first of the three pubs to go – as in out-of-business. That went down in 2011. The Pitch appeared poised for a financial collapse in late 2017 but was purchased by a couple with bright ambitions, but likely little idea of what they were getting into.
Everybody knows the Star’s story…from 2,000 staffers to maybe 200. They’ve been hocking everything but the crown jewels (i.e. Pulitzer’s) – and that’s mainly because it wouldn’t raise much in the way of cash anyway.
That Star editor Mike Fannin isn’t working nights as an Uber driver remains a mystery.
But back to Rose…
At this tender stage of the game, what really is left for the suburban septuagenarian who went from small potato kingmaker to large potato kingmaker to fill-in guest on an obscure public television chat show?
Answer: Not much.
Blathering away on KCPT with other oldsters about area politics can only carry one so far.
“Well, Steve’ll hang on with Rukus as long as he can, but he’s in his 70s,” says local attorney / Kansas pol Dwight Sutherland. “But why mess with all this? Why not just move to Arizona?”
Seriously, what’s left? The current losing lawsuit aside, what’s to be gained here in Kansas City?
“This ought to be a wakeup call,” Sutherland says. “He’s a kingmaker who’s time has come – you just can’t screw up like this. Who’s going to publish him now? Where is his (next) podium? Is he going to write for you or Tony now? Who’s going to care?”
That said, Rose did have his moments, Sutherland says…once upon a time.
“His endorsement in Johnson County politics was coveted because it was the establishment’s stamp of approval. Because at the Sun and the Star he was a kingmaker in Johnson County politics. And I will give him this – he did understand Johnson County politics – he was a mastermind.”
That was until…
Rose allegedly put words in the mouth of a Kansas state senator pol without talking to the dude.
“He just panicked,” Sutherland says of Rose’s mistake. “But you don’t expose your publisher to this kind of liability – there’s no excuse for it.”
Steve Rose is a gigantic tool, in print and in person. It’s easy to succeed and be a JoCo “power broker” when mommy and daddy owned the paper. But when that was over his struggled to be relevant on his own proved to be a challenge.
When his faux fame left him duking it out on Rukus with an even more lame Mike Shanin and torturous to listen to think tank of bloviators, you know if he’s not hit rock bottom by then, this little journalistic incident assures a final round knock out.
A Rose by any other name still smells like a warm, smoldering pile of dung on a cold KC landscape of failed influencers. Next stop, TKC, writing for another failed Rukette.
What a long, strange journey it’s been.
Boy, remind me to try and stay on your good side!
Not sure why Paul’s comments made me chuckle out loud, but wow! Nothing like an articulate, slow burn. Makes me glad I never WAS anybody.
Welcome back Kotter!
And the smell of an 80th anniversary Monte Christo wafts through the air!
🙂
We’re way past due, my friend. Let’s connect sooner than later. It’s too cold for you to be “digging ditches” so don’t tell me you’re too busy! And while I’m not back, I couldn’t pass up low hanging fruits, like Rose.
And I’ll bypass Admin thinking he’s on my good side.
Hmmmm, should I say, “ouch!”?
Of course not! That would indicate you have human feelings and emotion! Let’s not get TOO carried away!!
With “Harley” AND Craig gone, however you define “gone”, I’m about all that would bring readership numbers back up!!
(That excludes the ALWAYS great Sutherland, who I have enormous respect for!!)
In fact, Chuck, Dwight and I should have coffee soon! We can cram inside that little joint since the patio is frozen solid!
In the words of Linda Ellerbee, “…and so it goes…”
I’m in.
🙂
That a shot?