Category Archives: Hearne_Christopher
Hearne: Calling All Sports, KC Confidential Wants You!
Yeah, you…
Well, maybe. We’re looking for a few inspired folks. Starting with – big surprise – a sportswriter. Someone with some grit and edge and attitude. Somebody looking for a low-seven-figure income (kidding). Better yet, someone so consumed by an all-fired passion for sports he or she would be insulted to be offered any kind of money (kinda not kidding, but okay, still kidding).
Today: Rumors About Departure of Embattled KC Star Editor Appear Off Base
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With Star publisher Mark Zieman hightailing it out of town for greener ($$$) pastures there’s been talk editor Mike Fannin might be close behind…
For months, Fannin has kept very odd hours and been noticeably missing-in-action in the newsroom, sources say. Combine that with a litany of potentially career-killing disclosures about Fannin’s personal life and it’s little wonder that the news tongues have been wagging.
It started with former Star columnist Jason Whitlock’s radio and television-aired accusations that Fannin had an "inappropriate relationship" with now-former Star sports editor Holly Lawton. Which dovetailed nicely, with the observations of others in the newsroom and overlapped with Lawton’s divorce and unexplained departure from the newspaper to take a position, uh, job hunting during the worst recession in decades.
Hearne: Star Dodges Poison Gas Bullet in Newsroom Nightmare
About that Kansas City Star fire drill Wednesday…
"We had a crazy evacuation," says a staffer of the early morning smoke out. "I walked in at 8:40 a.m. and there was a haze in the newsroom and the fire alarms were going off. Apparently there was a freon leak. And the first floor was all hazy, too."
Now the scary part…
"The fire alarms were going off for half an hour before anybody called the fire department," says the source.
Hearne: Blanc Burgers Bottles Shatters Groupon Record, Still Going Strong
This just in…
The Mighty Casey is back at bat. In this case, it’s Blanc Burgers Bottles and the field of play is Groupon. And for the third time in a little over a year the local gourmet burger and fine dining powehouse is off to what is likely to be a record-setting start.
"They’re at 14,000 sold now," says spokesdude Will Gregory. "But by 7 p.m. they should be well into the 15,000 range. They hold the previous Groupon record for 14,000 and change sold."
Here’s the deal….
Hearne: Talkers Magazine’s ‘Heavy Hundred” – No Local Jocks Allowed
Now that we’ve cleared the air on the sad state of local talk radio, lets take a look at Talkers magazine’s "Heavy Hundred" for 2011…
The first thing worth noting is there’s nobody on it that broadcasts locally. No Mike Murphy or Tom Becka types. And somewhat obviously, Mike Shanin and Scott Parks are nowhere to be found. Not even on the watered down 101 to 250 list that does include Becka, former KC guy Ray Dunaway and KMBZ’s Darla Jaye.
Columnist insert: Talkers is a mag that relies on radio hosts and stations as readers, subscribers and advertisers.
So it’s maybe a safe bet that some of the aforementioned personalities were listed in Talkers expanded Top 250 list via either schmooze or sheer attrition. My impression over the years being that just about anybody in the biz with a regular gig can more or less schmooze their way onto the list.
Let’s take a look…
Today: Storm Chasers, Heroes or Hotshots? You Make the Call
There’s been no shortage of twister footage on cable news this past week…
Not only have CNN and other news organizations run a ton of footage, they’ve dragged the storm chasers on camera to serve as eyewitness experts. Raising the question, are these dudes community heroes or just thrill seekers?
"No, they’re not heroes," says KSHB TV weather wonk Gary Lezak. "I would say there are some legitimate meteorologists who have a knowlege of what they’re doing and understand the science. And then there’s a whole lot of thrill seekers who go out there and just risk their lives."
Is storm chasing even legal?
Today: The Rise & Fall of Talk Radio in Kansas City
Once upon a time Talk Radio seemed to matter in Kansas City…
Notice I said, seemed to matter. By the 1990s most music listeners had migrated to FM or prerecorded music – CDs, even cassettes still. Pretty arcane sounding, huh? Let’s go back a little further.
In the late 1980s a local blowhard emeritus by the name of Rush Limbaugh was making his mark via a nationally-syndicated, politcally-driven talk radio show. Unfortunately, Limbaugh’s amazing success set talk radio upon a course of right wing rant radio that continues to dominate even today.
But in those early, heady days of talk radio there was a lot of variety here in the Cowtown.
Today: KMBZ’s Move to FM Simulcast Fails to Impress
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Guess who didn’t fare so well in the April radio ratings…
News Radio KMBZ, that’s who.
It was the station’s first month of simulcasting on both 980 AM and sister station KUDL FM’s former signal at 98.1 FM.
The game plan: lure lots of new, news-talk listeners on the FM dial. Boost ratings. Attract younger, more affluent listeners. Pass those ratings wins on to advertisers via higher ad rates. Make lotsa money with less out-of-pocket.
However, here’s how things shook out in adult listeners ages 25 to 54, Monday through Sunday, 6 a.m. until midnight:
Today: Jardine’s Unleashes New Menu & Digs
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jazz joint just off the Plaza called Jardine‘s is no more…
After a fashion.
That’s because owner Beena Brandsgard spent the past three months spiffing the place up. Newly refinished hardwood floors ( they were painted black), a fresh paint all around, new window and signage treatments, new kitchen and Vegas-style, lighted, red carpet on the stairs I tumbled down three years back.
"We’re the only ones in the city that has those lights," Brandsgard says of the stairs. "They’re from China and they’re LED lights so they save energy. But mostly they look cool – they’re more hip."
Star Search: Oops! Star to Print Readers; 75% of Joplin ‘Virtually Gone’
Breaking news, it’s the Achilles Heel of print journalism…
Yesterday’s Joplin tornado dissaster was a news nightmare for Kansas City’s paper of record. All newspapers, really. And not just because locals who still prefer to fish their news from their driveways were the last to know. That’s part of it.
But not only are newspaper readers the last and least informed, they’re often the most ill-informed.
Take the Star’s money quote and headline in today’s story, "Joplin Shredded."
" ‘I would say 75 percent of the town is virtually gone,’ Kathy Dennis of the American Red Cross told CNN."
What’s wrong with this picture?
Today: OK Sports Talk Radio Fans, Screw On Your Thinking Caps
Think of it as a barstool rush to judgement…
So eager were some comments crowd types to dismiss 610 Sports ratings win in April over sports talk powerhouse WHB 810, they threw everything at the wall. Happens every year when the Royals season starts, they clamored. Nick Wright sucks.
But does it happen every year? Did it happen last year?
Let’s take a look…
As reported here, 610 with a 3.2 share beat WHB’s 3.1 share in April for listeners 12-plus, 6 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Sunday.
Exact same thing that happened last year, right? Wrong.
Hearne: KC Star Sportsbabe 68 Lands New Job, Jettisons Former ‘Friends’
Turns out there is life after the Kansas City Star...
Even for folks who leave under a cloud. Take the case of former sports editor Holly Lawton aka Sportsbabe 68 on Twitter. Lawton’s sudden and unexplained resignation from the newspaper last summer went down amidst a growing controversy that culminated with sports scribe Jason Whitlock leaving the paper.
But not before Whitlock made it perfectly clear in a radio and television interview that he and other Star staffers were convinced Lawton and bad boy Star editor Mike Fannin were involved in an "inappropriate relationship."
Lawton’s abrupt bailing from a high dollar position at the Star to go job hunting in the worst recession in decades added to the mystery.
Turns out Sportsbabe 68 is staying in sports.
Kinda. She’s landed a job at ad agency VML, her Facebook page says.
Star Search: A Closer Look at Star Publisher Mark Zieman’s Ascension
There’s something to be said for being in the exact right place at the exact right time…
Such appears to be the case with Star publisher Mark Zieman. The Star announced yesterday Zieman is being promoted to VP at the newspaper’s embattled parent company, McClatchy.
Some newsies say they’re surprised at the promotion, given Zieman’s lack of business experience.
Zieman has only three years working the business end of the newspaper. He was appointed publisher in 2008. And as for the Rockhurst "Executive MBA" the newspaper is touting, Zieman picked that up on the night school plan a handful of years back.
Second, there’s a reason the Star has fared better than many newspapers in the current catastrophic three-year downturn, insiders note:
Hearne: Kansas City’s April 2011 Radio Rankings for Persons 12-plus
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It’s not the most sophisticated measure of radio listenership but the 12-plus rankings are basically the broadest.
Monday through Sunday, 6 a.m. to midnight:
1) KQRC-FM The Rock 7.3 Share
2) KCFX-FM The Fox 6.6 Share
3) KCMO FM 5.9 Share
4) KMXV-FM Mix 93.3 5.6 Share
5) KBEQ-FM 5.2 Share
5) KFKF-FM 5.2 Share
6) KPRS-FM 5.1 Share
7) KCHZ-FM The Vibe 4.9 Share
Today: 610 Sports Dethrones WHB, Wright Closing on Kietzman
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Here’s a sports shocker to everyone with the possible exception of Nick Wright…
Entercom’s 610 Sports blew by sports radio powerhouse WHB 810-AM in listeners 12 and older, Monday through Sunday, 6 a.m. to midnight for the month of April.
Blew past, you say?
610 Sports won with a 3.3 share and a weekly cume of 266,800 listeners. To WHB’s 3.2 and 176,100 listeners.
There’s more…
Today: Bob Lewellen Sendoff, Radio Ratings Returns & Robert Butler’s Last Stand
Bob Lewellen’s Memorial Service
Services for former KC Councilman and Parks Commissioner Bob Lewellen went down this morning at the St. Thomas More Catholic Church near his home at 118th & Holmes. The place was packed and highlights ranged from jokes about Lewellen being a die hard Kansas City, Missouri dude but having to die on the Kansas side of State Line, to a touching reference about him being trapped in a body that was falling apart, even "while his mind was as sharp as a sword."
Former KC mayor Dick Berkley – appearing to stand no taller than 4’11” – eulogized Lewellen from the pulpit.
"His motive was to improve this area," Berkley said. "Bob Lewellen was for what was best for the community, not what was best for Bob Lewellen."
Early Radio Ratings Returns…
Today: Joe Miller’s Post Record Day Take on New Vinyl Renaissance on 39th St.
Will vinyl records ever truly come back into vogue for the masses?
Maybe. Probably around the time iPods fall out of fashion. That said, a growing number of audiphiles – young and old – are dipping their toes (and wallets) in the retro record-buying waters. The latest vinyl store to splash down in what Tony likes to call KC Proper; Vinyl Renaissance on 39th Street in Midtown.
"I don’t like that Vinyl Renaissance at all," says journalist, author, scholar and vinyl collector Joe Miller.
Hearne: Through the Glass Jaggedly at Rainmakers Reunion
For starters, this is not a review per se of last weekend’s Rainmakers reunion show at Knuckleheads…
Think of it as a birdseye window into the sold out third-coming of a KC band from the ’80s that almost made it. Hey, they got a lot farther – locally and nationally – as recording artists than pride of Blue Springs, David Cook.
As for the show, it’s amazing how old people from the mid 1980s are looking these days.
"I haven’t seen this much grey hair since the Golden Girls were on TV," cracked Cowtown Ballroom director/producer Joe Heyen.
Hearne: Mancow to Renew Love/Hate Relationship w/ Rainmakers at Knuckleheads
Talk about dysfuctional relationships…
Syndicated shock jock Erich "Mancow" Muller is jetting in for this weekend’s Rainmakers reunion at Knuckleheads Saloon. Wouldn’t miss it for the world, says the Chicago-based radio and television personality.
In spite how things unfolded between the former Kansas Citian and a band once heralded as KC’s next big thing.
Today: How 610 Sports Predecessor Put One Over on the WHB Gang
Yesterday’s Joe Posnanski quitting radio column calls to mind the days when there was but a single all-sports station in Kansas City…
But the dastardly forces of Entercom – then under the guiding hand of Bob Zuroweste – had other ideas. Zuroweste had seen the sports talk radio dominance of Don Fortune at 980 KMBZ wither at the hands of Kevin Kietzman and the brash buggers at WHB’s forebear KCTE.
Prior to the entry of Kietzman and partner Chad Boeger, the prevailing wisdom had been that the marketplace would not support a full time sports station. Afternoon drive and evenings were more than enough. But once Kietzman and Boeger got in the game, the handwriting was on the wall; 24/7 sports radio was the future.
Leaving Zuroweste and Entercom to play catchup. Here’s how Entercom’s sneak attack went down…
