Tag Archives: Hearne Christopher Jr.
Hearne: Banned by KU – Forget KU Football & Twitter – It Could Happen to You!
Lost in shuffle and the blistering August heat was a story about banning at KU….
That’s right, banning. I’m not talking about KU football coach Turner Gill‘s banning of Twitter for the team. We’re talking "Banned in Boston" type banning. Or like the time the Plaza tried to banish panhandler Jerry Mazer.
You know, banning.
Take the case of former Pennylane music guru Saul Tucker, aka the KU sports mascot who goes by White Owl…
After pyramiding his strange looks and dance moves into a love affair with the KU football team (when it was good a handful of years back) and a 20-something KU coed, Tucker vaulted from homeless dude to toast of the town.
No mas….
Today: Here’s Why The 6 Plus Radio Rankings Really Don’t Matter
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I’ll give you the correct, accurate, important radio ratings and rankings shortly…
In the meantime allow me to explain why the publically published ratings for listeners ages 6 and older, Monday thru Sunday, 6 a.m. to midnight are unimportant. Misleading even. Those are the ratings Arbitron releases to the public and media largely for PR purposes.
They’re free-to-good-home, unlike the key ratings ad agencies and stations pay thousands of dollars to obtain.
If all Arbitron had to offer were the 6-plus numbers, it would be out of business.
The ratings that matter measure key listening hours and specific demographics important to stations and advertisers. And the timeslots where the most listenership and revenues are attained are on weekdays between 6 a.m. (morning drive) and 7 p.m. (afternoon drive).
Far fewer listeners tune in outside of those hours, with few exceptions.
What’s more, the 6-plus ratings actually distort the real radio ratings and rankings.
Car: Butt Kicking Alert; ‘Fiat Sells More 500s Than the Mini Cooper’
I ask you, would I make this shit up?
The above headline is from respected auto scribe, autospies.com. I realize this is going to be a little difficult for some to swallow, but let’s proceed.
"In a piece of copy published by that infamous New York paper, the story reads that the new 500 ‘essentially matched the sales of its chief competition, the Mini Cooper.’ " autospies says. "The 500 actually sold MORE than the Cooper if you discount the 600 or so Countryman pseudo sport-utility vehicles."
The numbers do not lie.
Hearne: Gunslinger Sportswriter Wanted; Fumble Fingers Need Not Apply
Ready to get star struck?
Find yourself moping and daydreaming all day? Fantascizing becoming the next Matt Donnelly or something?
Mope no more.
KC Confidential is looking for someone to help lighten the onerous burden of almost single handedly carrying the entire Greater Kansas City and Lawrence sports scene upon his back; World’s Humblest Scribe, field marshall Craig Glazer.
Today: KU Goes Courting, Fam’s Hatred of MU & Going To Greenwood to Save $7
READING KU’S "BIG 12" TEA LEAVES
Not every communication re the impending death of the Big 12 is meeted out to sports journalists. Take the email KU Alumni Association prez Kevin J. Corbett dispatched re KU’s plans for a Big 12 afterlife.
"Dear Jayhawk," it begins. "Amid the latest round of conference realignment discussions, I want all KU alumni to know that Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and Dr. Sheahon Zenger, KU athletics director, are aggressively pursuing the best possible outcome for KU."
It doesn’t say much, but the message is clear. KU’s actively pursuing and presumeably considering its options outside the Big 12. And that it won’t be caught with its pants down when and if the nightmare unfolds.
Which is good, but…
It also feeds in to the demise of the Big 12, when pretty much all its teams – with the possible exception of Baylor – are out fishing for new conference affiliations. Can assuring alums that such a process/search is underway help but fuel the fires now consuming the Big 12?
Hearne: Love Affair With Star Columnist Mike Hendricks Takes Startling Turn
Give it up for fallen Kansas City Star columnist Mike Hendricks…
But first let’s get real. Odds are Hendricks would like nothing more than to poke one of my eyes. Or, in a kinder, gentler mood, cut out my journalistic tongue. Since leaving the newspaper nearly three years ago I (reluctantly at first) embarked on a course of citiquing it as I do other local media.
And frankly, there was no easier target than Mad Mike.
His columns,] – with some exception – were a paragon of mediocrity. While they shone brightly next to those of also ousted columnist Steve Penn and Mary Sanchez, column writing just wasn’t Hendricks’ thing.
I also remember the lengthy, at times futile search for Star "Metro" columnists long ago that brought Hendricks to power.
And I recall another Mike Hendricks – the other Mike Hendricks…
Today: Ruining LIVESTRONG, $402 Boz Tix, KU Goes Groupon & Indian Springs Hit Piece
Lots of things to elbow around today, so let’s get started…
ARE CONCERTS AT LIVESTRONG WORTH THE DAMAGE?
Did you see Matt Donnelly‘s sum up about the horrendous field conditions last night at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, home of the soccer team formerly known as The Wizards?
"LIVESTRONG has recently hosted two concerts on its turf, and the wear and tear has turned the once pristine grass into a total nightmare," Donnelly writes. "Throughout the game, players and coaches were seen tamping down large chunks of turf that made the potholes in Lawrence seem small."
Should Sporting Kansas City plan to continue raking in extra dough on concerts, they need to do one of two things or both.
Hearne: Hate Radio 980, Buzz v KanRocksas, Glazer Naked, LeRoi, Crosstown Exit
So many bases, so little time…
SAY WHAT?
The on-air, quote of the month honors for August goes to 610 Sports host Nick Wright.
For his triple diss of blogger Tony Botello, radio chick Darla Jaye and NewsRadio KMBZ.
"(Tony) has a weekly spot on Hate Radio 980 with all 63 I.Q. points of Darla Jaye."
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THEY SUCK PERIOD
Craig Glazer‘s pal Sam Mellinger, sports columnist at the Star, tiptoes around saying pretty much the same thing as Glazer about this year’s Kansas City Chiefs.
"Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks," Mellinger’s column today begins. Later adding, "Whatever plan coach Todd Haley and the Chiefs had for this preseason turned into a bag of stink."
Now here’s Mellinger’s hedge…
"If the Chiefs beat the Bills in the opener, this is all forgotten, wasted energy, we move on."
Glazer’s take on Mellinger’s Bills theory?
"No way. The Bills are a real bad team and we’re playing them at home. So we could beat ’em and it could be one of our three or four wins. But then come the losing streaks. This team is a train wreck."
Is Glazer prepared to eat crow if the Chiefs make the playoffs and go to the Super Bowl this season?
"If that happens, I will walk naked down Shawnee Mission Parkway in Fairway at midnight with my head shaved."
Uh, stay tuned…
Today: All That Glitters is Not Groupon, Daily Deal Makers Starting to Suck
I’ve said quite a few positive things about Groupon the past two years…
Following its entry into the KC market, business owners I interviewed spoke highly of it. Said the people who buy Groupons – half off coupons usually – are upscale, bring friends, spend money, tip well and become repeat customers.
And with hundreds of thousands of locals on Groupon’s email list, it’s also good advertising, businesses say.
With rare exception, members of the comments crowd totally disagreed.
Hearne: Maye Day, Maye Day – Jardine’s Adds Last Minute Marilyn Maye Show Friday
This just in, from Jardine‘s jazz club owner Beena Brandsgard…
I mean, Beena Rajalekshmi. I mean, Beena Raja. Due to popular demand, the jazz club diva with the musical last names has added an additional Marilyn Maye show to this week’s mix.
"I added another show tomorrow at 5 p.m.," Raja says. "Because of the call volume."
Early reports from Roger the Plumber and Tracy "I got banned" Thomas are that Maye’s show is the best ever. Roger and Thomas celebrated their birthdays Wednesday at Maye’s show at Jardine’s.
Hearne: KCK’s Boulevard Drive In Survives Good & Bad Times – In Car, On Screen Sex
Summer’s almost done, but it’s still not too late to check out your friendly, neighborhood drive in movie theater…
You’re out under the stars, holding court in the front of your car, the bed of your pickup and/or in the lawn chair of your choice. The massive outdoor movie screen glaring back at you.
Kind of like a poor man’s Starlight Theatre…
Or as the Web site driveinmovie.com describes it – celebrating "the presence of the past." Which worked for me since my trip to KCK’s Boulevard Drive In Saturday entailed watching this year’s sendup to the 60s sci-fi hit, "Planet of the Apes."
While affording me the opportunity to grill the longtime owner of the "world’s greatest drive in theatre," octogenarian Wes Neal.
Starting with the quadruple bypass heart surgery he had on his 82nd birthday.
Hearne: Out-of-Town Writer Puts one Over on Star with Bogus Cow Stampede Story
I didn’t fare too well asking venerable Boulevard Drive In owner Wes Neal for his most twisted tale…
I mean, c’mon. Kids sneaking up on the movie projector, making finger puppets on the screen?
That’s it?
Nearly 60 years of lording over one of Kansas City’s top passion pits and no streaking stories, no shootouts, no plane crashes, no public sex. Just bunny ears on the big screen. Pretty pathetic.
Turns out there was one thing that jumps out….
Hearne: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II; KC Needs Urban Movie Plex for Kids
Unruly kids, bad parenting, floodlights overhead, police on horseback, the latest Hollywood blockbusters…
This is not the stuff from which flash mobs are made. Maybe that one a couple years back. But sexy as the term "flash mob" is for lazy media types wanting to dial sensationalism into Plaza kid curfew stories, it’s time to deal with the realities of the situation.
Poor kids from poor parts of town want to go see blockbuster first-run movies just like their suburban counterparts.
It’s the American Condition. The kids see ads for "Fright Night" and they wanna see it.
Just one problem…
Car: Libyan Rebels Liberate Gadhafi’s Tricked Out Fiat 500
Like it’s been said, it’s been a long, hot summer…
Seriously. I spent like two weeks bouncing around Tucson in mid July, taunting locals about how cool the desert was compared to here. It was, too because it was monsoon season. I thought for sure I’d dodged the 100 degree temps and humidity bullet until I got back and Mother Nature spanked the you-know-what out of us for two more weeks.
Now it’s time to really get back to work and make KC Confidential bigger and better. And what better way to start than restart the Car coverage with a stunning scoop – props to WhiteMamba – about the Fiat 500 being the ride of choice for ousted Lybian strongman "Muammar el-Qaddafi.
But first a local update on the 500 and a shout out to comments dude Rogger…
Hearne: A Closer Look at the Nick Wright – Greg Hall 610 Sports Pissing Match
Forget who won or lost yesterday’s on-air tete a tete between 610 Sports host Nick Wright & sports media blogger Greg Hall…
The inside baseball nature of the confrontation probably left most listeners wondering what to make of it. That said, readers of KC Confidential were likely all-too familiar with the subject given most of Hall’s coverage of Wright went down right here over the past two years.
So, against my better judgment, let’s take a look.
Frankly, I’m not sure who "won."
Hall wisely pimped Wright into bringing him in the studio rather than calling in over the phone where it would be easier for Wright to steamroll him. And to a large extent, Hall’s strategy worked. Listeners who contacted me – ages 30 to 60 – felt Hall came out on top. But not by a landslide.
A closer listen while transcribing the confrontation, showed that Wright had the better arguments, but got distracted and wasn’t able to hammer home his points as well as he might have.
Example…
Wright started by nailing Hall for calling him a coward and accusing him of plagiarism. Which clearly Hall had done in the past week.
But Wright allowed Hall to wriggle free by saying that he never used those exact words.
True enough, but to borrow a line from former KCTV investigative reporter Dave Helling, here’s the "Truth Watch" on that.
Hearne: 610 Sports Nick Wright, Star Editor Bust Blogger for Journalistic Missteps
There’s a difference between news sources and news stories…
Between tweeting rumors to a handful of people and gathering facts and reporting a story through a major media outlet to a large audience. Anyone can tweet a rumor. Running down the story and reporting it responsibly is an entirely different animal.
So it is that 610 Sports host Nick Wright took umbrage at being called out by local sports blogger Greg Hall.
"Nick Wright Claims Chiefs Scoop That Was Not His To Claim And He Knew It," Hall’s headline reads.
Three problems…
First, Hall assumed Wright had read a bare bones tweet last week from a local with fewer than 40 followers.
Hearne: 610 Sports Nick Wright Lays Down ‘Explanation II’ – Bashes Local Bloggers
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And now, the rest of the story…
Look, I get that most readers, sports fans and people with things going on in their lives besides penning vitriolic comments under assumed names don’t much care about who got some news scoop first.
Just the facts, ma’am and they”re happy.
An earthquake jolts the East Coast, who cares if Fox or CNN reported it first. People want the full, accurate story, the news. Not touchdown dances and gotcha stories claiming some kid with a microscopically small twitter account spread an unconfirmed rumor a couple hours before the actual news was reported.
It’s silly.
Today: Trash Talking Local Writer Takes the Measure of Kanrocksas
As concert reviews go, writer Hampton Stevens coverage of Kanrocksas in The Atlantic was something of an anomaly…
"A Rock Festival, as Seen for its Trash," reads the headline.
"On a sweltering night five days ago, the thick, newly-trampled grass of the Kansas Speedway was glazed by multicolored confetti, fallen steamers, shards of popped balloons, and luminous, half-spent glow-sticks," Stevens begins. "The white stage lights were glinting off the hundreds of aluminum cans and plastic bottles that once held water, soda, sports drinks, liquor and beer.
"This was the waste of the inaugural Kanrocksas Music Festival, which boasted an impressive lineup that included Eminem, Muse, Flogging Molly, Primus, Kid Cudi, A Perfect Circle, D12, Okay Go, Cage the Elephant, and Ween."
Stevens even bestowed a Kanrocksas "prettiest trash" distinction on The Flaming Lips – a "high honor…made even more impressive by the presence on the bill of Bassnectar and Girl Talk, whose audiences also know a thing or two about popped balloons and glow sticks," Hampton quipped. "The Lips’ trash was so pretty, in fact, it was almost a shame to see the janitorial teams from City Wide Maintenance come to clean it up. But come they did, just as their crews in red tunics did after every one of the almost three-dozen performances at the two-day event."
The flip side of all that, uh, "pretty" trash: The porta potty action.
