Category Archives: Hearne_Christopher

Hearne: End of an Era @ Metcalf South

We live in lightning fast times… That goes without saying. Yet sometimes Cowtowners have to shake their heads about things that  – amazingly – have nothing whatsoever to do with Donald Trump. Go figure. For example the mighty Sears department … Continue reading

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Hearne: Star Goes Tabloid in Attempt to Label KC ‘Murder Capital’

Yellow Journalism, anybody? The age-old practice of cherry picking statistics to try and make an exaggerated point is alive and well at 18th and Grand in the newsroom of the Kansas City Star. Or as the Urban Dictionary puts it, … Continue reading

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(Re) Born on the 4th of July

A funny thing happened on the way to the end of June… Not so funny, actually. An accidental misstep caused the KC Confidential publishing device of choice – my MacBook Pro – to take a dirt nap. One that ensued … Continue reading

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Hearne: American Royal & BBQ Continue Downward Slide

 Another year, another snoozer American Royal… When it comes to over-the-hill events and washed up personalities, the old ways die hard here in the Cowtown. Case in point, Kansas City’s once vaunted, annual livestock, rodeo, horse show, society ball and … Continue reading

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Hearne: Time to Pull the Plug on Bad Baseball, Bad Investments in KCK

Time to call a spade a spade… Not only is the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team a really lame joke, it’s a failed business operation that’s been bleeding Wyandotte County taxpayers the get go. First a correction for a common mistake … Continue reading

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Hearne: New Star Editorial Writer Works K.C. Schmooze After D.C. Axe

Talk about controversial couples… Seems the newest Kansas City Star addition comes with a bit of journalistic baggage. Editorial columnist Melinda Henneberger’s been all over the map since splashing down at 18th and Grand recently. She’s weighed in on everything from … Continue reading

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Hearne: Long, Slow Death Throes Continue @ 18th and Grand

Don’t look now but the inevitable is upon us… The question being, when and where will it all end where the Kansas City Star is concerned? When the Star dropped its most recent bombshell – on Monday April 17, 2017 in a front page … Continue reading

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Hearne: Feeling Bored, Like Butter on a Pancake? Visit Kansas

Don’t look now but the Great State of Kansas is on a trajectory to nail the distinction of being most boring state in the nation… While that may not exactly be a shocker to people from places like New York, … Continue reading

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Hearne: Fun & Games @ 18th and Grand Aboard Sinking Ship

Priorities, priorities… In a testament to how out of it daily newspapers like the Kansas City Star have become, after making huge cuts recently – Thursday’s venerable Preview section and almost all of FYI – the one thing still standing: A full page and a … Continue reading

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Hearne: Bleacher Report Gives Chiefs QB Draft Pick Low Marks

We interrupt this local media hoopla day to bring a dose of stark skepticism… While the Chiefs startling, aggressive move to spend a 1st round draft pick on Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes was certainly – let’s call it – … Continue reading

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Hearne: The Spin Stops Here, Baby

How many times does the exact same story about fallen Fox News host Bill O’Reilly need to be written? I’ve lost count. The usual suspects have been busy reporting basically the same stuff – CNN, MSNBC, Vanity Fair, New York Times, Fox news – … Continue reading

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Hearne: What Goes Around Comes Around for St. L. Rams Fans

Does anyone not living in the 314 area code feel sorry for St. Louis Rams fans? Seriously. That after St. Louis filed a lawsuit yesterday against the National Football League over its Rams relocating to Los Angeles. Uh, relocating back to LA. Something about … Continue reading

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Hearne: The Beat Goes on @ INK

In the wake of Pitch Weekly going for a dirt nap, all eyes are on the future… First on how long will a monthly Pitch be able to keep the wolf away from the door And second, how long will the … Continue reading

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Hearne: The Rise & Fall of INK Magazine

Last one out, turn off the lights… Forget about the Kansas City Star rescuing what’s left of The Pitch. The beleaguered, former alt weekly threw in the towel last month, but instead of merely curling up and dying, embarked on a path of … Continue reading

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Hearne: Will Kansas City Finds Its Way?

Is Kansas City on the right track? Think about it. In generations past the Cowtown had a lot going for it. The mighty Missouri River, the stockyards, Kansas City Board of Trade and Kansas City Southern Railroad for starters. Moving forward, Hallmark … Continue reading

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Hearne: The Long Predicted, Pending Death of Alternative Journalism in KC As We Know It

Death spiral, anyone? Enough with the sentimental beating about the bush and kissing up to what little  remains of KC’s so-called alternative newsweekly The Pitch. And as for beleaguered Pitch publisher Scott Wilson’s tap dance Monday on KCUR-FM – stating the pub’s move from … Continue reading

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Hearne: More is Less at 18th & Grand

Day old news, anyone? It’s taken awhile, but I think I’ve finally figured out why daily newspapers like the Kansas City Star make readers pay for national and international news filler in an era where the exact same information – albeit … Continue reading

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Hearne: ‘Phantom of the Opera’ a First Class Experience for Some, Not All

Let’s get the really big elephant out of the room… Even after 30 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera is as pleasing to the eye and the ear as it was at its London premier in 1986. In some … Continue reading

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Hearne: 2017 Sucks for The Pitch

“This Week Sucks!” Talk about ominous headlines. That’s the cover blurb that graced the January 19 to 25 issue of Kansas City’s alt weekly The Pitch. Full disclosure: the accompanying cover art was a cartoon illustration of Donald Trump holding up … Continue reading

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Hearne: Everything Old is New Again @ 18th & Grand

So proud, so predictable, so last century… In the wide world of news and journalism, few organizations are more out of it than big city daily newspapers – which of course includes our beloved Kansas City Star. That’s kind of … Continue reading

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | 20 Comments