Hearne: Missing in Action @ The KC Star

Speaking of over-the-hill Oscar Action…

Anybody else notice that this year’s Kansas City Star Academy Awards coverage all but disappeared in the wake of the newspaper shutting down its entire FYI Section this past year?

For decades – including the 16 years I wrote for the section – Oscars night was an all-hands-on-deck affair for entertainment section staffers.

And where the section normally went to print early in the afternoon the day before the newspaper came out, they would hold the printing of the section until as late as midnight on Oscar’s night in order to put out full blown, comprehensive coverage of the “big night,” ranging from the results to a fashion section with photos of the best and worst dressed red carpet action.

No mas…

Oh they still splashed a huge photo, headline and story about the 90th Annual Academy Awards atop the front page yesterday, but with nary a local byline – not even a fill-in mention or addition to the syndicated stories that ran – by regular Oscar night contributors like Lisa Guttierez, Sharon Hoffman or even Robert Butler (remember him?).

Worse yet, for a newspaper that still pretends to break national and international daily news on its front page – albeit 18 to 36 hours after the fact – they didn’t even stay up late enough to get any of the three most important awards included in the coverage:

Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture.

What hath God wrought?

Seriously…

Star editor Mike Fannin

I’ll be honest…

I always thought the Star’s Oscar coverage was dated and overblown, so it’s not like I’m venting my spleen here. Just making a small footnote to document the history of the many huge changes that continue to unfold at 18th and Grand.

So what happened?

“They’re understaffed, so I guess they just don’t do it anymore,” says local movie institution Jack Poessiger.  “It’s sad, but it is what it is.

“The way I see it, it’s kinda like the late baseball results when the Royals play on the west coast and it’s too late to get the score in.”

Nice try, Jack, but Oscars night is a once a year mega event not one of more than 100 semi-meaningless baseball games.

As for when the Big Three announcements took place – best actors and movie – “It was late,” Poessiger says. “Probably about quarter to 11 p.m.”

Meaning the newspaper could easily have held printing the section like they’ve always done, until midnight to make the coverage complete.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” Poessiger says. “The newspaper’s turned to shit and it’s sad. I was surprised but I wasn’t shocked. It’s just another thing that’s missing – because there’s so many things that are missing – including your column. It’s just sad.”

Not that man Jack didn’t have at least one idea of how to remedy things…

“You ought to get a quote from the paper – from your buddy the editor – and ask him why they didn’t get the troops down there.”