UPDATE: Visitation for Paul Welsh will be held Wednesday evening from 5-8 p.m. at Church of the Nativity (3800 West 119th St., Leawood). His funeral Mass will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Church with burial at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in KCMO.

In all, he spent more than 40 years in a variety of executive positions involving advertising and promotional writing in the KC area.

He was also the author of the “St. Bernard Principle” where he discussed the importance of specialization in ad agencies.

He was the Advertising Club of Kansas City’s 2001 “Advertising Executive of the Year” and an award winning writer recognized in national and international award shows such as CLIO, New York Ad Club, New York Art Directors, One Show, Print Magazine, Communications Arts Annual, National Agri-Marketing Association, Outdoor Advertising Association, Magazine Publisher’s Association Objectives & Results;

For the past 4 1/2 years he operated “Welsh Writes,” an agency that provided promotional writing for all media (print, broadcast, outdoor, electronic including web and e-newsletters), collateral (brochures, direct mail, training) and sales letters.

Welsh began his career as a writer at Aetna Casualty and Surety and then worked at Kansas City Life, Brewer Y&R and Valentine Radford before founding NKH&W(elsh).  During 13 years at NKH&W he helped take the agency from a start-up to one that employed 75 and one of the Top Five agencies in Kansas City.

He then founded the Welsh Group in 1994 and after 12 years became director of marketing at the Vance Group and then joined Zillner Marketing Services for two years before starting “Welsh Writes” in 2009.

During his career Welsh never hesitated to help others in the field and was a judge for the Ad Club along with a volunteer on numerous civic endeavors throughout Kansas City. He was a proud graduate of Rockhurst High School and the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.

He also was very active at the Catholic Church of the Nativity in Leawood where he was a lector, Eucharistic Minister and founder of the Men of Nativity group.

He is survived by his wife Neicey, son Adam and daughter Brianna.

Unselfish to the end, he donated his organs to help others…

Kansas City’s NBC affiliate KSHB was a recognized leader in the coverage of the February explosion and later did a one-hour special on the circumstances surrounding the gas leak and explosion. A senior producer at Rock Center watched the special and decided to pursue the story.

The segment (preview below) was done by NBC News’Lester Holt and will feature Paul Mongiello, who was highlighted by KSHB’s stalwart investigative reporter Ryan Kath as the Good Samaritan from Overland Park who put his life on the line to rescue two people from the burning building.

For the first time, people will also hear the first-hand account of Doug Dodson, one of the employees inside the restaurant during the explosion. He is the one who heard Megan Cramer calling for help as he was crawling out of the rubble. She later died from her injuries.

The segment was originally scheduled to air earlier on Rock Center, but the Boston bombing and Moore, Oklahoma tornado national story pre-empted it.

For Kath, who is usually holding the microphone during interviews, it was unusual being the one interviewed for the story.

“It was a unique experience,” Kath told Bottom Line exclusively. “During the interview, we spent the most time discussing the investigative aspects of the story: the gas line being punctured, the lack of an evacuation, etc.

“It was my first time ever being interviewed for a story… and not the person asking the questions.”

Kath said he was amazed at the resources available to Rock Center in producing the segment.

“The biggest thing that struck me: the resources of a national news program,” he says. “Rock Center reserved a suite inside the Hilton President Hotel downtown and essentially turned it into a temporary production studio. There was a crew of five or six people. One person was in charge of audio. Another person was in charge of lighting.

“It was obviously a stark difference from local news, where reporters are often the people setting up the camera and asking the questions at the same time,” he added.
Kath says it was exciting having the KSHB team recognized by the network for its hard work on the JJ’s explosion.

“For our investigative team–Melissa Yeager, Keith King, Melissa Greenstein, Michael Butler and Andy Pollard–the most rewarding part was earning the accolades from network-level folks at NBC,” notes Kath.

“We received a lot of positive feedback about the news content and production value of our one-hour special. That was pretty cool.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The one where viewers often say, “What is so breaking news about a shooting on Troost?”

Well, WDRB, the Fox affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky, is now promising viewers (video below) it will stop using the silly term, according to the media site TV Spy.

In addition, the station has proclaimed a contract with viewers (below) that is pretty remarkable and another with advertisers.

“You hear the term, ‘Breaking News’ quite frequently these days,” says a promo the station has started running. “It’s a marketing ploy to convince you that at television station is better at bringing you the news first, as it happens. The problem is, it’s just not true.”

It has been a great run, but my wife and I have decided to relocate to the Hilton Head, SC area.  It is just a few hours from my mother’s nursing home in Tampa and my sisters, and I plan to still do media work and continue teaching in college.

It was also supposed to be closer to my father-in-law’s nursing home in Ohio, but he recently died at age 93. The sudden death of my dear friend, Paul Welsh, has made this a very challenging time.

I couldn’t go away without some reflections on a PR career of nearly 25 years in KC.  The list will be expanded as new things pop into my head, but here goes:

*  In TV circles I honestly believe that KSHB under Brian Bracco will improve dramatically and become a force in the ratings.  People in KC are very loyal to certain stations and it is a real challenge to get them to change their habits, but it will happen in time because the staff there is too good.

*  I have really loved being a member of the KC Media Legends group founded by PR icon Pat Paton.  I will miss our meetings and the media conversations.  You can learn an awful lot about the KC media after 10 minutes with radio legend Ted Cramer.

*  An apology is in order to E.J. Becker, morning co-host at KMBZ.  He had agreed to be profiled on my site and then flip-flopped.  I was irritated with him and wrote a few pissy stories about the show until I realized that Entercom will not allow employees to speak to the media or sites like mine. He was simply following corporate policy.

*  I never thought there was any rivalry between PR firms in KC.  I think you can’t lose calling Pat O’Neil, Will Gregory, Becky Wilson, Phil Hermanson, et al for help. The larger firms always kind of seemed like billing organizations that also did PR for clients.

*   I had a falling out with Entercom’s Program Director Jack Landreth (often referred to as “new Boss”), who told me how he would cooperate on stories when, in reality, he was not allowed to comment on anything.  The silly “no comment” policy has hurt Entercom from getting lots of positive publicity.

*  As a former print reporter, I often thought TV people really were pretty much like Will Ferrell in “Anchorman.”  After watching KSHB anchors Mark Clegg and Christa Dubill do a newscast recently where they did one news report seated, the next standing and almost non-stop moving around, you realize they simply make a difficult job look easy.  The whole time they are running around some producer is telling them in their earpiece where to look, where to move, what to say, etc. I would probably just walk into a wall…

*  Some anchors are exactly the same on the air as off.  I would put John Holt at Fox 4 in that category along with Larry Moore and Kris Ketz at KMBC.  There are others, but those three come to mind first.

*  Kris Ketz at KMBC is the hardest-working guy in TV.  He is one of those people you see on TV and think it is effortless and “I could do that…”   No, you couldn’t.  I consider him a real friend and will miss him.

*   I have often been criticized for my support of Tony Botello at tonyskansascity.com.  Yes, I know he has cheesy photos on his blog and some of the comments he allows are not pleasant, but I do feel he provides a great service to readers and works very hard at breaking news stories.  We have only met a few times, but he is a friend and always will be. (He even designed my “That’s All Folks!” art for this story.)

*   I am confident only Tony Botello or Ryan Kath will be the ones to determine where the missing Floyd Mayweather $15K money went.  And I don’t have much faith even they will ever figure it out.

*   I think News Director Blaise Labbe has done a terrific job of turning KCTV from “Scare the hell out of ‘em” news to  a station that does an excellent job delivering the news.  It now seems as if KMBC is the station in the market that is doing so many “Breaking News” stories it is getting a bit silly.

*   Although we have never actually met, I think Scott Parks at KMBZ of the “Dana & Parks” afternoon show and I would have been friends.  I have met  Dana Wright and she is nuts (in a good way).  I am a loyal listener and will particularly miss “Festivus Fridays.” Did you know their afternoon show attracts more male listeners in the key demographic than any other station in town, including sports?

*   If I had been in TV news I would have liked to have worked for KMBC’s former GM Wayne Godsey.  He’s a class act and the fact he had a news background really helped the ABC affiliate deliver a quality news product that seems to have lost lately.

* Why do I screen comments on stories? Because some people are idiots. The vast majority of the people who visit this site are top-notch, but there are always a few who cross the line with their comments and they are deleted. Really, no one cares if you would like to have sex with an anchor or reporter.

* Some of my favorite reporters/editors at the Star: Les Weatherford, Rick Babson, Christine Vendel, Julius Karash, Karen Dillon, Bob Cronkleton, Paul Wenske, Greg Hack, Lee Kavanaugh, Jeff Flanagan, Mike DeArmond, Jim Fitzpatrick…

*   When he was the telecom reporter at the Star and I was the PR guy at Sprint Marty Rosenberg was a major pain in the butt.  On the other hand, he was a helluva journalist, and there aren’t too many of those around anymore.

*   For some reason, former KC Star TV/Radio writer Aaron Barnhart never liked me.  He actually insulted me while I was buying his stupid book, and it really irritated me.  I do think he fashioned himself as some kind of a national media reporter and the fact he did not cover KC media goings-on very well was not a positive.

*    I’ve always admired the way the Star’s Steve Kraske did such a professional job with his weekday radio show on KCUR. During virtually every interview his guest will remark, “That’s a great question…”

*   The Kansas City Star should be ashamed for not doing a story on the death of KC advertising legend Paul Welsh.  The KC Business Journal recognized him in a nice story by Laura Davison.  However, the Star was more than willing to charge a huge fee to run his obituary, and they were not a delight to deal with at all.

*  I guess I have gushed too much about KSHB’s investigative reporter Ryan Kath, but I think he does a terrific job.  A competitor joked he also wants to be called “stalwart” on my site “like I do with Kath all the time.”

*  I always appreciated that Elizabeth Alex (KSHB) and Martin Augustine (KMBC) did such nice stories about my son’s kidney transplant.  Bob Roberts with the defunct Johnson County Sun is a friend for life.  Tough to believe that was back in 2001…

* That reminds me of “stalwart” reporter Matt Stewart. I always felt he got a raw deal at KCTV and was glad he was able to stay in KC. Are you happy now, Matt that I called you stalwart?

* It has been great to see how KMBZ’s Darla Jaye has thrived despite being banished to the tough evening talk show period. She can sometimes come across as tough as nails on the air, but she is a very nice person. I will miss her.

* KCSP will never beat WHB in sports talk in Kansas City unless it overhauls its lineup. You can tune into 810 AM any time of the day and instantly know the talk show hosts. On KCSP the only recognizable host is Bob Fescoe and the rest sound like recent Syracuse radio graduates (which they are).

*  Johnny Dare has been on the radio more than 20 years in KC and delivers strong ratings.  If your kids have listened to them their minds have been polluted. He swears all the time on the air, is anti-religion, encourages kids to buy porn, sex items and flame-throwers, refers to women as “snatches,” and believes marriage is a joke.  He is a major reason why society has become so coarse.  If you are a parent and allow your young kids to listen to his show you are a lousy parent.

*   I miss KSHB’s pitbull Russ Ptacek, who has gone on to bigger and better things in Washington and now calls himself  ”R. Russ Ptacek.”  The GSA once paid a PR firm $250,000 to “manage” him.  He asked me what I would have done if they gave me the $250,000 contract and I told him I would have given him a $50,000 car and then kept the remaining $200,000.   It would have been a win-win situation, but he probably would have not gone along with the plan.

*   My mother always told me that if you can’t say something nice about someone then don’t say anything.  I will apply that to Hearne Christopher, Jason Whitlock and Nick Wright.  Enuf said.

*  Ever meet someone and feel  you would have been friends for years?  That’s how I feel about radio and TV legend Mike Shanin.  Being on his KCPT “Ruckus” show recently was a real kick. I am still amazed that the Star’s Yael Abouhalkah was so nice to me despite some critical things I had written about him the past few years.

* I honestly think KC is blessed with some terrific weather people. Bryan Busby and I are old Clevelanders and we both grew up following that city’s legendary weather guy Dick Goddard. Have you ever seen anyone as passionate about the weather as KSHB’s Gary Lezak? We drive identical cars, but his back seat has been shredded by his dogs.

*   KCTV’s Chris Suchan has come into a new market for him and done a super job. People tell me I would be friends with Fox’s Mike Thompson, but we have never met, darn it.

* One of the strangest media relationships I have ever had was with the Star’s Joyce Smith.  To this day I do not know if she cares for me or not despite us being close friends at one time.  Kind of the same situation with Dave Helling at the Star and DeAnn Smith at KCTV although I don’t really know them that well.

* It always surprised me that I never met KMBC’s Joel Nichols, who just celebrated 25 years at the station. I always enjoyed him and admired his quick wit, but he never returned any emails I sent him over the years for information. Just one of those odd things.

*   I really like the Star’s Mike Hendricks, but feel it is a one-sided thing.  He doesn’t like me for a number of reasons, but I honestly think we could have been good friends under different circumstances.  He’s an excellent writer and has survived more crap than any journalist should have to face.

*  KCPT’s Nick Haines does a terrific job.  I never understood KMBC’s recent policy of not allowing its reporters to go on his “Week in Review” show as they had for years.  Just not a good PR move for KMBC.

*   The decision makers at the University of Missouri should give KMBC’s Larry Moore its prestigious “Bronze Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism” award now.  His longevity as a TV anchor is legendary in the nation and the college has never had such a loyal alum.  Just do it, dammit.

*   One of the most interesting media folks I have ever met is Tom Lawrence, former anchorman at KSHB and Fox 4.  He’s a very talented guy and some station should hire him.

*   One of the most underrated media folks I have ever dealt with is Johnny Rowlands.  Over the years he has delivered such super helicopter coverage that I sometimes think he is taken for granted.

*   I simply enjoy the heck out of KSHB’s Jack Harry.  He’s a no BS guy and realizes sports is not the end-all, be-all in the world.   When the station paired him with Frank Boal it was a match made in heaven for me.  I can pretty much guarantee that there will be no sports anchors with such seniority in one market anywhere in the future.

*   I really like Randy Thurman at KSHB.  He’s a class act and always helpful to me on stories.

*   Years ago Laurie Everett left KMBC as a its prime-time co-anchor and Lara Moritz slipped into the position almost seamlessly. It also seems like Len Jennings has done likewise following in the footsteps of legend Larry Moore. Quite an achievement.

*   If I did something wrong I think the last person I would want on my case is TV guy Sam Zeff.  From the print side former journo Rebecca Tombaugh was relentless. When she left journalism the profession suffered.

*    Guess who sent me a nice going away note?  None other than sports talker Rhonda Moss, formerly of KCSP.  She’s a class act.  I helped carry the torch for her and Bob Fescoe when the Royals yanked their press credentials in 2006 for asking tough questions.

*    Steve Rose is an interesting guy and very talented.  I do think he needs media exposure the way others need oxygen to survive. Okay by me.

*    I love it when print publications continue to thrive because they are an important part of the community and have faced major challenges.  I salute Publisher Kathy Boos at “435 South” magazine and Publisher Ivan Foley at “The Landmark” in Platte City for fighting the good fight.  Likewise for my former Publisher Steve Fisch with “KC Sports & Fitness.” Keep battling.

*    I still miss Bill Grigsby, Mike Murphy, Walt Bodine and Wendall Anschutz. All class acts.  I even miss Tom Leathers and his “Squire” publication.

*    One of the most talented radio talkers I ever met was Van Patrick, who took a stand against management at KCMO when his producer was fired.  That was in 2006 and I am not sure if he ever made it back to radio.

*   I have never actually met the Star’s Public Editor Derek Donovan in person, but have always appreciated the tough job he has done very well trying to be the “face” of the newspaper. Talk about being a punching bag…

*   I have a lot of respect for Greg Hall, sportswriter and blogger who does a great job chronicling KC sports.  We once met when he ran by me at the Chicago Marathon.  That was it.

*   I have a ton of respect for radio news folks like KMBZ’s Bill Grady and former radio guy Scott Simon.  Can’t overlook Lisa Carter.  That is a tough job.

*    The Star has lost a lot of excellent journalistic talent the past few years, but still has some of the finest journalists in the country.  The talent pool on Grand Ave. is very underrated.

*   It would be impossible to meet former Fox 4 weather guy Dan Henry and not leave smiling. The same is true for Royals PR guru Toby Cook.

*   Just try to cancel your subscription to the Kansas City Star.  It is not permitted on-line and you are forced to deal with an off-site huckster who will offer to “send it to your new address,” will “allow you to give your remaining subscription to someone,” you “can still keep your digital subscription,” or “you can donate your remaining subscription to a school.”  Just cancel the damn thing.  Why do newspapers feel they have no need for customer service?

The show has been in re-runs the past two weeks and an announcement today to employees said it was “on hiatus.”

There is no word on the status of the show’s co-anchor Lisa Holbrook.

“Better Kansas City” made its debut in September 2010 on the CBS affiliate with a format similar to ones at other Meredith-owned stations such as “Better Portland,” “Better Arizona” and “Better Las Vegas.”

“Better KC” took over the time period that was occupied by “Live With Kelly,” which had moved to Fox 4 and aired opposite “KC Live.”

Jones had joined KCTV in April 2010 as the co-anchor with Greg Adaline on “It’s Your Morning” and as the “KCTV News at Noon” anchor.  Adaline was replaced in about a year by Matt Stewart, who was also let go and later joined Fox 4.

She was recently profiled in the Kansas City Star in a puff piece by Jenee’ Osterheldt titled “At the Waffle House with Down-Home Kelly Jones” where Jones was featured as just a regular person.  The story seemed to run counter to numerous reports of her often acting like a diva and being difficult to work with by media insiders.

Before joining KCTV5, Jones was the morning show reporter at KFMB-TV in San Diego. Her news career began in Yuma, AZ. where she anchored the morning and noon newscasts at KYMA-TV. She later was the main anchor at KSVI in Billings, MT.

A Michigan native and single mother of two, Jones is a graduate of Wayne State University.

Well, my little secret is slowly spreading and I would like to share it now with all the many wonderful people who have visited this site during the past 12 years.

It is time to call it quits.

I will be relocating to the Hilton Head area of South Carolina and my KC stories will disappear as my site morphs into a normal business site.

I plan on doing media relations work there while also pimping my upcoming book “Confessions of a Corporate Sycophant,” which takes a humorous look at life as a PR guy in the corporate world.

I also hope to continue teaching down there as I did here at Baker, KU, Phoenix and Avila.  Thanks to those colleges for the opportunity to work with students.

I honestly was going to shut down Bottom Line Communications a few years ago. It was very time-consuming and not without its risks.  I have been threatened with lawsuits on at least two occasions.

However, the positive feedback I received at that time proved that there was a genuine need for a site to talk about what is happening in media circles. It was me or no one.

It also helped tremendously when Phil Singleton of KC Website Design and SEO (LINK) updated my site and instantly took it from awful to professional.  He and his company are the best.

Let’s face it, the Kansas City Star wasn’t going to let people know when some of their favorite journalists were let go during its endless rounds of layoffs.  The same is true for TV and radio stations.

TV and radio outlets were glad to have me announce new people joining their stations, but not really happy when they were showing the door to others. It takes awhile for Kansas Citians to warm up to media folks, but when they do they are very loyal. They really enjoyed information about the media people they followed.

Where do you go now for media information in KC?  Jim Fitzpatrick at jimmycsays does a wonderful job watching over his former KC Star employer, but needs to crank out more stuff.  Get on that Jim!

If you want honest and legitimate media information check out kctripod.com.  If you want media information that is rarely true and often takes cheap shots at the local media then gatewaycityradio.com might be of interest.

My personal favorite for ongoing news about KC?  None other than Tony Botello at tonyskansascity.com.  I consider Tony a dear friend despite the fact we have virtually nothing in common other than the belief the Internet should allow the free-flow of ideas.

People seem to take Tonyskansascity.com for granted, but believe me, he works very hard for the many scoops he uncovers.  The bottom line (pun intended) is that he is a good guy and a man of integrity. That is the best compliment I can give a person.

I might write a few more stories here before I leave KC after 25 years, but would like to take the time now to thank the thousands who visit this site each and every day.  Special thanks to the individuals who have fed me information over the years.

It is one of the great ironies that news outlets have no problem all but demanding information from others, but are often the first ones to say “No Comment” when you want information. Many of them have a strict policy of not allowing anyone to speak at all, but luckily for me, many tipped me off on news items on a regular basis. They knew when they went off-the-record with me I would not violate that trust.

On a special note, I would like to personally thank Mike Shanin, a radio legend in KC and the long-time host of the “Ruckus” show,  for having me as a guest on the popular KCPT program in April.  In all seriousness, it was a thrill and the panelists could not have been nicer.  Thanks for the memory.

Life will move on for all of us. It was time to let everyone in on my secret. Peace.

That’s what KFKF (94.1 FM) will achieve next Tuesday when “Country 94.1″ the Wilks Broadcasting-owned station hits that landmark event.

On Tuesday (May 28) will commemorate the anniversary at 5 a.m. with morning guy Dale Carter playing Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” which was the first song played on KCKN-FM.  That will be followed by the top song of every year up to 2013.

“Don’t miss it…it won’t happen again until 2063!!!” is the way the station highlights the event on its site (LINK). Several surprise guests will also be involved with the celebration.

The station has been home to a country music format since it debuted in 1963. Originally KCKN-FM, the station was a simulcast of its AM counterpart at 1340 kHz (now KDTD). The simulcast ended in 1982, when the AM station became album rock KRKR and the FM station adopted the current call letters.

KFKF has been a staple in Kansas City’s media market, weathering competition from various upstarts and rivals, including sister station KBEQ. Wilks purchased the station from CBS Radio in 2006.

In 2011, with the market not having any adult contemporary stations airing full time Christmas music (sister station KCKC flipped to album adult alternative, and KUDL flipped to a simulcast of KMBZ), Wilks announced that the station, for the first time in its history, would air round-the-clock Christmas music beginning November 25, 2011.

The station started playing Christmas music again beginning November 20, 2012.

Legendary broadcaster Ted Cramer (link) was with the station when it began and for most of its time on the air.  And while the station celebrates its Golden Anniversary on Tuesday, he celebrated his Golden Wedding Anniversary today.

Fred White died May 15 at the age of 76 (LINK).

A celebration of White’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at the Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS. Private inurnment will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to any of the following: Kansas Wildscape Foundation (The Fred White Memorial Project), Rainbows United, Footprints-Royals’ Charities, the Kansas City Hospice House, or a children’s charity of choice and may be sent in care of the Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th St., Lawrence, KS 66044.

It is clear the old “Live, Late-Breaking, Investigative” slogan at the CBS affiliate has officially been put to rest.   The station is now growing in virtually every time period throughout the day, and the momentum is growing.

In fact, a memo obtained exclusively by Bottom Line Communications sent to KCTV staffers highlights that the station is now the most-watched from sign on to sign off in KC:

Rating

KCTV   4.2

WDAF   3.7

KMBC   3.5

KSHB   2.1

KCWE  0.8

KSMO  0.3

And KCTV is the most watched in prime time in the KC market:

Rating

KCTV  8.1

KMBC  6.1

WDAF   5.2

KSHB  3.8

KCWE  1.0

KSMO  0.6

Locally, the news results for the May TV sweeps at KCTV were extremely positive:

News:

• #1 at Noon, 4pm & 5pm
• Strong #2 at 6pm & 10pm
• Year to Year Share Growth
o 430a +60%
o 5a +33%
o 6a +67%
o Noon +45%
o 4p +44%
o 5p +30%
o 6p +50%

The station’s “Better KC” show delivered 2.2, 10% higher than same time last year.

KCTV News Director Blaise Labbe was quick to praise staffers for the strong ratings results.

“I am happy and proud of the people here and the fact that their hard work is producing such positive results,” he told Bottom Line. “The entire culture has changed and our viewers are responding.  I am proud of the coverage we deliver.”