In sports circles in Kansas City there seems to be no middle ground on veteran WHB-810 AM talker and owner Kevin Kietzman. People seem to really love him or really, really dislike him.
The only issue that cannot be debated is that Kietzman today is clearly the most powerful sports voice in KC. He has been a force on TV and radio now dating back to 1988 and today when he speaks others listen.
He has organized a walkout at Royals Stadium. He even had a plane fly over Royals Stadium poking the Yankees’ Robinson Cano while his listeners booed loudly during the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby last month after Cano lied about putting a Royals player on the HR roster. When Cano failed to hit a single home run the stadium erupted.
People often forget that during his career Kietzman broke the story of quarterback Joe Montana joining the Chiefs. Or that Missouri was pushing out long-time coach Norm Stewart.
His recent breaking story regarding how the KC Royals have requested nearly $17 million of taxpayer money the past five years from the Kauffman Stadium repair and upkeep fund—but then spent only 9% of the money received on actual repairs and maintenance to the stadium—is such a huge story the Kansas City Star was forced to put it on the front page of today’s paper.
What is ironic is that the Star refused to give credit to Kietzman, the host of the ”Between the Lines” afternoon show (2-6 p.m.) since the 1990′s, for the scoop. Kietzman’s story forced Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders to place an emergency phone call to Royals owner David Glass to discuss the matter.
According to the Star’s Dave Helling and Karen Dillon, Glass and Sanders were going to issue a joint statement about the spending controversy, but “couldn’t reach an agreement by day’s end.”
It is not unusual for Glass, the former head of Walmart, to avoid talking to the media. However, for the politically savvy Sanders to be “unavailable for comment” is a rarity. Sanders has never met a TV camera light he wasn’t attracted to like a moth.
Kietzman was not surprised by the Star’s snub.
“In no way am I surprised the Star didn’t attribute the story to WHB,” he told Bottom Line in an exclusive interview. “They’ve been struggling with survival and the last thing they ever want to do is give any credit to any medium that is more immediate than theirs. The funny part is, they always give credit for national stories to NBC News or something like that and they’ll gladly put in the call letters of any tv station they have a partnership with.”
In fact, even Greg Hall, one of the top sports bloggers in the area has tried to avoid discussing the story or giving Kietzman credit for it.
When a reader suggested (7/1) that Hall write about the major controversy, Hall blew him off.
“I didn’t find KK’s Royals report nearly as titillating as he did,” Hall responded. “It sounds like KK has tapped into a political fight here and is being used by one side to bash the other. I get enough of these one-sided political ads on television and radio this time of the year.”
Does it bother Kietzman not receiving the proper credit for his efforts? Not really.
“As far as personally getting credit, I honestly don’t think about it and don’t really care,” he says. “I’ve reached a point in my career where I’m driven to give something back. I’m not climbing some ladder and I”m not trying to find my next job. I’m not leaving. I realized that 15 years ago shortly after I started this gig.
“So I think about how I can make a difference, it’s hard to to in Sports Talk. But I’ve always tried to swim against the current and do something different than everyone else and hopefully some of these non-traditional sports talk topics can make a difference. We’ll see.”
Kietzman made it very clear to Bottom Line that he is frustrated with Glass and the Royals ownership.
“As for Mr. Glass, he lives in a completely different world than the rest of us. He really does live in a bunker, it’s so sad. He must be miserable. He can’t sit in seats in his own stadium and he’s the most unpopular sports owner the city has ever had.
“I see those Sporting/Cerner owners all over town and they’re happy and they’re committed to this city and they know people and they smile. They’re billionaires but they’re a lot like the rest of us. They love KC and they love what they do,” he says.
“I’m afraid 40 years of living in the Walmart bunker letting his henchmen deliver news of when the next air raid is going to hit has made Glass a jaded, bitter mess. All he thinks about is how to make his next $50 million and doesn’t give a rat’s behind about anything else. I truly feel sorry for him, what a terrible way to live. Lawyers tell him what’s legal and what’s not and that’s how he lives in his bubble. It’s pathetic. It’s a select few people like him that have millions of Americans so frustrated and mad right now. He said he was moving from Arkansas to Kansas 12 years ago but never did. If he’d reconsider, maybe Dorothy could help the Tin Man find a heart.”
Kietzman may not be given the proper credit by other media outlets for uncovering the Royals shady dealings with the County. But it would be hard to debate that he has clearly become the most powerful sports voice in Kansas City.
CHIEFS DO SAME THING….
Chiefs and Royals are doing the same thing.
Kietzman blasts David Glass and the Royals while downplaying Chiefs role and complimenting Clark Hunt and how great he is.
810 has a business relationship with the Chiefs.
610 has a business relationship with the Royals.
Figure it out.
POPULIST VIEW
Kietzman is at his best on these types of stories, because he takes the populist view that just because the process is legal, that doesn’t make it right.
Soren Petro picked up the theme and suggested that the Glass family will never get another dime from Jackson County voters in the future and will be forced to move the team or sell it to someone who is committed to productive partnership with the county.
I hope the Sports Authority refuses to pay these expenses at the risk of violating the lease. David Glass would then be forced to either accept it or escalate the PR mess by suing Jackson County.
NO OBLIGATION TO GIVE CREDIT
The Star is under no obligation whatsoever to give Mr. Kietzman credit for a scoop. It is, however, under an obligation to attribute to him any of his material the paper chooses to use for a story, not that I see that ever really happening. My problem with Mr. Kietzman and most of the other radio talkers in this town is that they love to hear themselves talk … and talk … and talk, usually saying little or nothing of major importance in the process, and fancy themselves as experts on just about any sport. Instead of water torture for our captured enemies, I suggest they be exposed to a few hours of sports radio talk and they’d probably be more than willing to share their dirty little secrets.
REAL JOURNALISTS
So you “real” journalists over at “The Star” wouldn’t have any knowledge of the story if Kietzman hadn’t broken in it for ya, but because you’re not using his written/printed material he gets no credit for illuminating the issue for you guys?!?
To quote a term from one of the writers that used your paper as a stepping stone………you guys have some serious “butthurt” going on over there. What was the big falling out between The Star and 810? You come over on another website to explain why you won’t give him any credit on yours so go full disclosure, give us a peek under each other’s covers!!
Kietzman rarely does something that everyone gets behind (and he can blow a cool thing like this by making a lame comment like the one he made about the Tin Man), but sense mum is the word out of Glass and Sanders I am going to assume it’s factual and they just don’t know how to respond to it. Otherwise woudn’t they be doing some PR and getting out in front of this deal, like you are here?
And seriously dude comparing another form of media to being the equivalent of actual torture by waterboarding “water torture” is pretty shameful. I can’t imagine your daddy would appreciate having someone that carries his namesake making a comment like that. With that said, you media clowns need to get much better at insults…..you guys are weak!!!
FREE LUNCH
Kevin, how you ever read Free Lunch by David Cay Johnston? This taxpayer subsidy is nothing new. I urge you to check it out. Pro Sports = at the taxpayers’ expense. NOT A LIE.
TWEETS
Any good that was dug up about the Royals by Kietzman was lost by his odd tweeting over the weekend.
SOUNDS LIKE KARMA
Kevin not getting credit for his work? He should see zero wrong with it. He and his 810 outfit had zero problem having my company come and take staff photographs several years ago and never once paid a dime or gave artistic credit for. The photos have been used all over their restaurants, websites and other promotional materials for years without a single mention or acknowledgement. When asked in the past about this he simply has no problem stealing our work…karma is what it is I guess.