The sad reality about this week’s announced layoffs at the Kansas City Star – that the end is not in sight…
Star publisher Mark Zieman, in an email to newspaper employees, cast the cuts
Hearne: KC Star Layoffs – Gloomy Day Points to Uncertain Future
HEY JOHN LANDESBERG
John,
Every time you quote John Altevogt in one of your items about The Star, it discredits and undercuts what you’re trying to do even more.
Ask Paul Mirecki what an obsessive lunatic he is.
Hearne’s former editor
Is this really the best you got, you f–king hack? You work at the Star for a decade and the best you can do is offer a 5-year-old analysis of newspapers’ future. Craig Glazer is more informative and connected. You don’t even know who got laid off. You worked in the building. Does no one like you?
JAM
Hearne – you seem to enjoy that others have been terminated at The Star. It was a very sad day for you to learn that they did not want you anymore – the same goes for these new people.
It was the same to me over 18 months ago – my life will never be the same. Never hold a grudge a former employer.
The economy sucks right now and it looks like it will continue to do so for a long time. Pray for those people who have lost their jobs, be considerate, help them with suggestions on who to talk to or better yet use your contacts for someone to call them.
Everything is changing right now – it’s what most of the people in the USA wanted in 2008. However, I think they forgot to ask what Obama’s definition of change really was.
Goose13
To save some money, they should get stop printing Monday’s and Tuesdays and put them online. These papers are really small anyway. Have Staff (District Reps) deliver the other pubs, like the Wall Street, USA Today, IBD, and Financial Times to the customers. These pubs are small circulation, plus the D-Reps just sit in the wharehouse anyway. You would save money by not printing those two days, plus you would save money for not having to pay the carriers for those two days.
craig glazer
My God people, the guy is just stating what ‘he’ sees as a huge problem. Of course folks at the Star are upset with this and him saying it. I think there is alot of truth to his concern and the issues at hand, don’t you guys? Yes Hearne is upset he was let go, especially when he was not replaced by anyone that covers ‘local celebrities or color’ in this city. We have an entertainment section that without Butler has almost NO KC information that matters on People, Places or events. Furthermore, the listings of daily and evening events is now gone as well, so a KC reader gets little or no information about whats up to do in his or her city that day or night, unless you see an ad for it….thats not good.
I realize Hearne was known as a “gossip columist.” He felt he was a more well rounded reporter giving you the local media scoop. He also was a watchdog of people’s move and lifestyle changes. That caused many to dislike Hearne. But he often took the side of the underdog, the real ones, not the PC ones.
The best example that hit close to home was Hearne was the ONLY reporter that covered Stan Glazer during his first mayoral run against Kay Barnes. Maybe folks didn’t like Stan as a person, too flashy, too mouthie, too funny, not PC enough, and so on…but as it turned out without much argument, Hearne looks to be right on that one. She was a pretty bad leader as we can now see and Stan’s platform was almost right on…I know cause it was close to mine when I was going to run…this is personal but true…and he was told not to write about THE GLAZERS anymore…but he did, cause people like Stan and I are news worthy and interesting, though you may not agree with either of us or who we are..etc…its still news and of interest.
Thats just one example, there are so many more. Hey I love the paper, the KC Star. Overall they have treated me pretty well. My dad and family have been written about likely more than just about anybody over the last 40 years or so…not just by Christopher, so I keep an eye on the paper. Much of the stuff was not favorable, but you get what you get….some was wonderful…..its a trade out of life in general…the good with the bad…
So thats how I see Hearne, the good with the not so good stories….I think his column is missed..much like Jason Whitlock would be missed. We don’t always agree…but we need the eggs….
Hearne’s former editor
Craig, only in Hearne’s tiny little brain did his predictable and poorly-reported column have impact. The thing just wasn’t well-read. His column subjects miss him. That’s it. The dude is a hack. His latest post about the Star is a total rehash about what has been stated about newspapers for years. He has no freaking sources. He doesn’t even know who has been laid off. Craig, you’re his only friend. Let it go.
smartman
Lots of people working out low self esteem and self loathing issues today.
bschloz
From “The Oracle”
Warren Buffett, a longtime adviser to and investor in The Washington Post Co., believes “the math is really tough” for the newspaper industry,
Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting over the weekend that, “It blows your mind how fast” the newspaper industry is losing ground with the rise of the Internet.
Not easy to blow this guys mind….
My thoughts and prayers go out to anybody that loses their job.
Volatility is coming back to the market in a big way….Euro is getting hammered again today…..The Vultures are starting to circle.
craig glazer
Man, you guys really don’t dig Hearne at all…Is this cause of his attack on the Star?
I mean, I gotta tell ya in all fairness, in the 90’s and into the 2000’s it seemed people did care what he wrote about…when he was at my place or others, like big concerts or clubs, people wanted to speak to him, even stars, so to say nobody read him is not true, his column was talked about on morning radio and other than his maybe Jason’s, that was about it…so I think you guys are a bit over the top calling him a hack…As far as a friend, you know when alot of people in the press dumped me when I get an unfair indictment, Hearne didn’t, he wanted to investigate it and see it was blown way out of proportion, but was not allowed too, after the truth finally came out, too late for me, but it came out…he jumped to my defense, not because he liked me, but because it was the right thing to do, so yeah, I’m kinda loyal to the guy. He has a heart, sometimes its hard to see, but he definately has a good side.
hearne
Boys, boys, boys – such thin skin today. Btw, not only do I know who
got laid off (and who didn’t), I know the people quite well. Wearing a black armband today for Janelle in the library. End of an era. Very sad.
KCMO staffer
Its well documented on this blog, that I don’t care for Hearne Christopher, period. That being said, on this one I see his point. Not liking him or his one sided opinions, does not make him a hack. Glazer you have suprised me lately, good stories, smart guy, and wish I had more friends like you. Hearne you are lucky, this man has your back.
jojo
why is it that conmen..liars…cheats…
rip off artists…etc. are always standing
up for hearne?
Why arent honest business people coming to his
defense. Why is it that noone with integrity
has come to defend this guy. I wonder….
is it because people with solid backgrounds
and solid character have found this soulless
man to be nothing but a self serving/egotistical
hateful spiteful person. His ex workers and
fellow employees have nothing nice to say either.
I’ve wondered where are the good people on this
site and how come they don’t say 1 thing nice
about him.
I post often on here. I’vebeen attacked but i
am not a public figure. When you post a site
like this you open yourself for a huge amount
of criticism and questions about your character.
Hearne continues to grovel about people losing their life’s work like he’s glad that their
lives are being uprooted.
One comment on here ws great. Hearne..help these
people…reach out to them. You were cut from the
star because of readership and revenues. You
knew how it felt. yOU still carry this grudge
against everyone there. Jason/jopo/the delivery
guys/the printers etc. didn’t lay you off.
Why attack them? Their lives hang inthe
balance there too.
Glazier asked me why I didnt come to some party
at jardines and meet this hearne guy.
1. I don’t travel past the plaza. Too much
crime there..I live in southern joco and prefer
the safety of my area.
2. I don’t hang o0ut with bar flys…hookers..
strippers…young hos…trashy women…floozies
….drunks…black dancers etc. and haven’t for
about 20 years. So when hearne says they are
going to be somewhere…I stay away.
3. Jardines: Was there once. Not my place.
I love beautiful women with class and didn’t
see any attthat jazz booze joint….justnot
my style of crowd.
4. I prefer a more educated/sophisticated/
upscale group of people. Hearne hangs out in
places with his buddies that arefull of the
types of women I realized decades ago were
nothing but gold digging trash.
5. I find excellent people out south in joco.
I don’t need to drive 40 minutes to see hearne
and his posseee of hanger ons at some 2 bit
bar. I stay usually out here with the high
class people.
6. Isn’t jardines mostly an jazz club.
Thety usually don’t make it in this town.
SAW marilyn maye was appearing there. I lived
close to her and saw her one day walking with
johnny carson and the trumpet player from
johnny carson show down the street.
7. Mid town/p and l/westport…they’re dead.
Once fun…now for lost souls looking for that
last shot at 1:30am. You guys should come out
and see how the “good” people live…maybe
you’ll see what the “good” life is like.
All those bars from the 80’s/90’s are just
a memory for guys like hearne. Stop living in the
past…start looking for something new and
exciting……
now go back to your caves and write more bad
things about the star employees…..karma is
a bad thing.
DowntownDavy
jojo, if hearne dumped the sight, what would you do allday? I like hearne and I am not a scumbag. I own my own business and have never been in trouble with the law either. I am married and have two children in high school.
jojo, not everybody that reads this thing comments. Odd I read on a blog the other day where you told us that you hung out in all those clubs a few years back and were a pick up artist.
casey jones
To give Hearne the benefit of the doubt, his column did fill a gap when it was created. Whether he was the best choice for carrying it out, and how well he executed the idea over the years is a matter of opinion that will forever be clouded by the fact that many on the staff resented him from day one because he was given a high-profile job without paying his dues (The New Times doesn’t count). Maybe HC thinks the resentment was unfair and that is why people react so negatively to his blog posts…But co-workers believed their resentment was justified because it soon became clear that HC didn’t have the chops – he lacked either reporting and writing competence. But he was protected because editors (grumbling all the way) cleaned up his work to make it publishable and, as the most high-profile new hire by the new editor, , he was a sacred cow. (This is why his complaints about favoritism at the Star are so ironic). His columns routinely required heavy editing and constant oversight. In a climate that calls for massive cutting of staff, lots of things that used to be covered now fall through the cracks, including Hearne-worthy nuggets about local scenemakers. Most fair-minded observers would conclude that his column was clearly expendable.
bschloz
jojo is right…we should have next KCC party at Cheesecake Factory next to Sprint Campus!
smartman
Some men choose to be feared, others respected. When you are only despised you are no longer a man.
Einstein said genius was the ability to distinguish the important from the unimportant. In the big scheme of things is any of this truly important?
The Lord giveth and taketh away but trust funds are forever.
Hearne’s former editor
Casey Jones, thanks for the sanity. You can read this blog and see how sloppy and unimaginative Hearne’s work is/was. He’s a hack. Craig, people wanted to talk with Hearne back in the day because he was a vehicle to get your name in the paper and seem important. The newspaper used to carry so much weight that if you were a radio jock or Bob Zuroweste, you had no choice but to talk with this hack. But his columns weren’t that well-read. Once newspapers started publishing stuff on the Internet, Hearne’s lack of real following was exposed. Brisbane hired Hearne and wanted to promote him as successful. The guy is a hack. What he tried to pass off as insight today was stuff that has been written for at least five years.
Hearne’s former editor
Also, check the readership numbers of this blog, Craig. It will tell you all you need to know about Hearne’s readership and following. He’s a hack with no following. His disappearance from the Star is a nonissue. There are no letters be written to the editor wondering what happened to the hack who had three sources … Zuroweste, Glazer and Johnny Dare.
Bob
Funny how a washed up hack sure gets a lot of comments from people who don’t like him.
Hearne’s former editor
He has 21 comments. Raise the ad rates to a $1.25 on this site. This lying hack spends every day celebrating the demise of newspapers and praying people get laid off. If he had any talent he’d get a job and move on. I get Glazer. He’s pissed Hearne and Flanagan aren’t around to make him feel important and give him a platform.
Robertoe
If you are gonna knock Hearne as an unprofessional hack, watch what you are contending:
“But his columns
weren
Hearne
Well, what would we all do without the anonymous posters and posers asserting things as fact with no basis? Does anybody really think I worked my way up the ladder from basically slave wages when I started at the Star to six-figures plus expenses because the column was not well read? Or that FYI tried to hire me back for like 40 or 50 cents on the dollar (sans benefits) because the column was unpopular?
Fact is, I was asked by FYI to consider a freelance position to write the column however many times a week in January 2009. But because I opted to take my severance payout in 2009 (instead of 2008), McClatchy corporate rules forbade my hiring until 2010.
Now had I been a good little boy, I might be back freelancing the column by now. But, somewhat obviously, I wasn’t, So the chances are I’ll not be brought back by the current regime.
That said, Jojo’s fantasies aside, I’m not bitter. Do I miss the position and paycheck? of course. But this isn’t personal. People in radio and TV know I covered their ups and downs very similarly to covering the Star’s now. What is happening in newspapers today is historic and very interesting and worthy of coverage. The Star sure as heck isn’t going to come clean and investigate itself. I don’t see Channel 5 chasing Mark Zieman into the Star from the parking lot with hardball questions about the layoffs.
Hey, Jojo can conjure all the visions of me hanging out in seedy bars with seedy people that he wants; that won’t make them come true!
Mike
I don’t know any of you folks and I am not in the media industry. I don’t know anything about Hearnes except what I read on these posts; nor do I care. He maybe the biggest SOB on the planet I guess, but one thing I can tell you is I have visited this site several times a week for 6 months and I have not bought a KC Star for several years. One of the reasons I visit here so often is because I find how he is documenting the death of the local paper interesting stuff. The other reason is that the readers posts seems odd to me. The star reports on horrible things that happen in local peoples lives ( deaths, crimes, and gasp… layoffs) in order to sell papers and make money; yet the star supporters who comment on here act like Hearnes talking/speculating/gossiping (whatever you want to call it) about the demise of the star is the equivalent of spitting on someone’s grave. Seems hypocritical. So the more posts I see by these people who work at a paper that documents bad things in peoples lives complain about this guy reporting on the bad time in their lives…well…it is almost making me root for the star to fail. I know better than to root for people to lose their jobs so I genuinely hope they don’t, but I don’t understand their hatred of this guy and I find their reasoning for criticism laughable.
craig glazer
First off, Hearn’s former editor, you have to state your real name to be credible. Second you need proof of these numbers, not just you saying so…can you email them to someone? Just to set the record straight, while Hearne did have a big connect with me…and did not have one with Dare, Johnny hated Hearne and said so on the air..thats a fact. They have recently made up, but he only did maybe ten stories on Dare in ten years, he did 300 on me, so thats true.
Secondly, though you seem bright, I do not count on Hearne or Jeff Flanigan to be in the news, I am on five radio shows each week, in the morning and am often on KMBZ talk, Sports Talk and tv, like NBC and others you can see now on Utube…and I am still in the Star with Butler,Lisa Gutierez and others regarding films and book I have done etc…so, yes I miss Hearne being there but not at that level and yes he wrote about me alot, but he also wrote alot about Bill Nigro,Jerry the panhandler,Clay Chastine,Monica Perise, and many others, Dare was not in the top l00.
A question to you Star person, why, really why do you hate Hearne? Yes he is from a wealthy family, but he made his way at the Star on his own, his dad was dead and didn’t have any influence at the Star. And Hearne was one of the higher paid staff members, I know cause he and I were close. He made way more than 50gs, closer to l00, thats a fact. So why the hate?
craig glazer
Waller, nicely written. From the noise in that story, I would guess you were or are with the Star. This entire attack on Hearne seems led by current and past reporters and staff. Maybe writers like Joyce Smith who hates Hearne and others who had to compete with him for KC stories caused much of this dislike. I got caught in the middle of many arguments between writers like Joyce and Flannigan over stories that could have gone to any of the three. I usually went with Hearne if it was entertainment news, Jeff for sports and Joyce if it were business announcement stuff, but Joyce quit talking to me in the late 90’s, Flannigan stayed with me on some stories,but resented Hearne.
I think that you make some points here, but missing in all of these attacks, calling Hearne spoiled trust fund kid, a Brisbane boy etc…the guy did cover KC local color pretty well. He took chances, bucked the system,and crapped on many city leaders who wanted his ass like Mayor Kay Barnes, taking Glazers side over her, NO NEW ARENA, and so on….yes he was loyal to characters like me, but thats part of the game.
In Hollywood I was often in Army Archerd’s column(Variety)I was far from a big star like Newman,Redford,so on….they resented seeing someone like me in there so much for lesser moves than theirs…but I was friends with his son, and was always in the middle of some Hollywood crap that was fun…so moves the news.
Again, like Hearne or not, everyone wanted to be in his column, just like on a bigger scale they wanteg to be in Army’s…and that always causes shitstorms with other writers and staff…always more fun to interview the Playmate or the club scene then do weather or news…From what I saw and read Hearne was always on the case…we never had lots of real celebrities to start with…
craig glazer
Waller, nicely written. From the noise in that story, I would guess you were or are with the Star. This entire attack on Hearne seems led by current and past reporters and staff. Maybe writers like Joyce Smith who hates Hearne and others who had to compete with him for KC stories caused much of this dislike. I got caught in the middle of many arguments between writers like Joyce and Flannigan over stories that could have gone to any of the three. I usually went with Hearne if it was entertainment news, Jeff for sports and Joyce if it were business announcement stuff, but Joyce quit talking to me in the late 90’s, Flannigan stayed with me on some stories,but resented Hearne.
I think that you make some points here, but missing in all of these attacks, calling Hearne spoiled trust fund kid, a Brisbane boy etc…the guy did cover KC local color pretty well. He took chances, bucked the system,and crapped on many city leaders who wanted his ass like Mayor Kay Barnes, taking Glazers side over her, NO NEW ARENA, and so on….yes he was loyal to characters like me, but thats part of the game.
In Hollywood I was often in Army Archerd’s column(Variety)I was far from a big star like Newman,Redford,so on….they resented seeing someone like me in there so much for lesser moves than theirs…but I was friends with his son, and was always in the middle of some Hollywood crap that was fun…so moves the news.
Again, like Hearne or not, everyone wanted to be in his column, just like on a bigger scale they wanted to be in Army’s…and that always causes shitstorms with other writers and staff…always more fun to interview the Playmate or the club scene then do weather or news…From what I saw and read Hearne was always on the case…we never had lots of real celebrities to start with…
smartman
Can’t wake for Mickey’s Surplus to open in the morning. I need some new waders.
If we haven’t solved the Craig and Hearne versus the world crisis we have proven that PT Barnum was right.
It is a very noble hypocrisy NOT to talk of one’s self at all…Friedrich Nietzsche
smartman
Was up all night writing the script to capture the passion of this Craig and Hearne bromance. Brokeback Fountain starts filming on the Plaza this evening.
ManUp
I never seen this kinda hate on this blog and few others. Damn, this man Hearne got under lots of folks skin. I remeber the Buck story, that was kinda a big screw up. I love Whitlock, and read this guys stuff sometimes, he was kinda funny and kinda cruel to some as well. Got to admit I miss his stuff, it was interesting.
hearne
Hey guys, if you wanna buy into anonymous misinformation by a few folks who obviously are harboring some sort opf grudge, go for it. Fact is, most of what is being said is stupid. That’s why nobody is signing their name.
For example, nobody gets and/or gives daily readership numbers every. The Star hires an outside firm to conduct reader studies periodically. But more like annually than daily.
During the Brisbane regime – and by the way, I was hired by Jim Hale not Art – once or twice a year the FYI head would learn the results and pass them along. Basically, it was generally a horse race between Whitlock (who Star staffers also love to bag on), me and (drum roll) Gusewell. It was very close. Around 30 to 33 percent of Star readers regularly read the three of our columns.
After Mark Zieman became editor he decided to keep the results of the studies secret. My thinking was, he didn’t like Jason and I using them to hit him up for more money. On occasion I would hear the results through people on the sales side and from other well-placed sources, high up at the Star.
But Hearne’s real editor – who is far too discreet to dabble in goofy comments here – knows far better. Consider the sources.
The Star has laid off hundreds of people who were it not for the failing business model and economy would still be there. I am in their number, plain and simple. Attempting to hire me back as a freelancer two months later evidences that they valued the column.
Consider this; they laid off cartoonist Lee Judge, then negotiated a part time deal with him. They lined up Bob Butler, Bob Trussell and Alice Thorson and said, you can take six months pay and go away, or go part time , take a pay, vacation and benefits hit and stay.
The Star obviously didn’t want to lose them – but finances forced the paper to gamble that they wouldn’t leave. The gamble worked.
Now I’m going to have the esteemed pleasure of erasing some of the stupider comments placed here by uninformed morons with nice little hard ons. They’ve had their moment in the sun, but this site is not a haven for small talk by anonymous, ignorant people posing as…
smartman
Soooo why did you decide to go rouge and not sit on the bench long enough to go back writing as a freelance contractor?
Hearne’s former editor
So Hearne you’re telling me that Greg Farmer did not email to all staffers a weekly and monthly update of online readership stats? That’s your story? Feel free to delete this post, too, you lying hack.
hearne
The readership studies were for readers of the actual newspaper, genius. You know, the one from which everybody’s paychecks are derived? The one that is on the ropes and causing the Star to continue to lay people off. The Star’s Web site is an entirely different proposition.
Notice you like to call me out and drop other’s names. If you’ve got something to say, why don’t you man (or woman) up and back it up with your name? Thought so.
hearne
It doesn’t take more than a single individual to pose under different names and play the hate and/or jealousy card. And looking at some of the IP addresses, that is exactly what is happening as it has in the past.
There is/was a ton of jealousy at the Star. Most writers there are/were very low paid which fosters resentment for higher paid individuals such as myself and Jason Whitlock. Editors and reporters have bagged on Whitlock for being overpaid and not very good forever. I could name names, but I won’t. Whitlock’s columns had to be rewritten and cleaned up for public consumption they would say. Sound familiar?
Whatever his (or my) perceived shortcomings, he was well-read. So was Gusewell (probably still is, although his readers are likely dying off faster than the Star’s).
The money was, and still is, made in print – not online. That’s where the action is and remains. And reader surveys showed the three of us – and Joe Posnanski – drew the eyeballs of about a third of Star readers. Few people are privy to those numbers. Unlike radio – where ratings, accurate or not, can be learned. The fact remains that the Star’s Mark Zieman made a deliberate decision to keep some of the Star’s findings confidential.
But enough of this high school banter. My guess is whoever it is having such fun sniping here could better use their time helping plug the leaks at 18th and Grand. Or in looking for a new job maybe?