There are few things in life that seem to never change: Death, Taxes and layoffs at the Kansas City Star.
Beleagured KC Star employees, who were given mandatory furloughs earlier this year, saw eight full-time co-workers given their pink slips today along with four part-timers. Reportedly, none of those let go were journalists.
In addition, several open positions will not be filled going forward.
The Sports Department was not impacted although a designer left last month to take a position outside of the newspaper industry. Reportedly, departing Kent Babb’s prestigious columnist position is to be filled, but time will tell if and when that becomes a reality.
Ironically, today is the 132nd Birthday of the Star’s founding on September 18, 1880.
Bottom Line has exclusively acquired a memo issued today to Star employees by President and Publisher Mi-Ai Parrish at the McClatchy-owned newspaper:
HAS STAR CROSSED TIPPING POINT?
Word on the street is that the Star has had several good revenue months recently, and there have also been several resignations in the last month. Given that the McClatchy stock has nearly doubled in the last two months, this latest round of layoffs is hard to understand.
Has the Star reached the point where these staff reductions have diminished the product beyond the tipping point?
A better question is whether anyone cares (besides the employees, of course)?
ZOMBIE NEWSPAPER
Can you say Zombie newspaper? It’s the walking dead shuffling off to a fitting end. When I came here over 30 years ago the Star was a good paper. This Zombie deserves to reside in the land of the dead.
This tragedy is part of a greater schism that is splitting the society in twain. Plus, its a seriously antiquated form of media that has long since lost its relevance. In my lap, my computer took it’s place years ago. My future tablet will take it’s place in turn soon.
No more reaching under the car for my paper in the snow! No more missing paper! No more arrogance by “reporters” who are seriously biased. Nope. Zombie all the way.
TIMING IS TERRIBLE
Of course, the timing here is terrible in light of the fact that yes, today is The Star’s birthday. So were the 12 who were let go surprised by this move? I’m sure it caught at least some of them off guard. Suffice it to say not a single one of them was in a partying mood by the end of the day. To be sure, The Star is not the paper it once was, but a diminished Star is still better than the alternative. And in the final analysis, The Star represents the collective voice of the community far more than anything else that’s out there – local TV, local radio, local know-it-alls on the Internet, you name it.
NOT ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES
Well they let someone in IT in the newsroom go who was pretty high profile, pretty smart, and really well liked by everybody, the kind of person who under ordinary circumstances, or with competent management, you would keep. He will go on to something better – since anything is better than working at The Star from what I hear – and eeetone else will go on wondering who is next. Somebody will be.
But these are not ordinary circumstances. nor is this competent management. That much is clear.
KC STAR’S ‘ECHO CHAMBER’
So, who’s left at 18th and Grand? Police and court reporters and the echo chamber known as the “editorial staff”.
The “collective voice of the community”??? That’s a good one..