The Kansas City Star’s gain is a loss for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as sportswriter Vahe (VAH-hey) Gregorian and his wife Cindy Billhartz Gregorian depart the Lee Enterprises-owned newspaper for the Star.
They are expected to join the Star in June.
Gregorian, who has been with the Post-Dispathc for nearly 25 years, will assume duties as the McClatchy-owned Star’s second sports columnist, replacing Kent Babb, who left the newspaper last October for the Washington Post. His wife will depart the Dispatch after 16 years and become the House + Home Editor at the Star.
The Post’s Dan Caesar has penned a column discussing Gregorian and his upcoming departure. Some interesting background includes:
*Gregorian’s father is a renowned academician who currently heads the Carnegie Corporation. His mother heads a national non-profit.
* Gregorian is an English major from the University of Pennsylvania and received a graduate degree from Missouri.
* Gregorian has basically been a beat writer at the Post covering the University of Missouri and the Olympics. His final assignment was covering Missouri’s spring football game this weekend. (“He has covered nine Olympics, about 20 Final Fours and about two dozen bowl games, including many national title contests.”)
* “Columnist jobs don’t grown on trees in this business, especially anymore,’’ Gregorian says. “If you want to open the range of things you can do and challenge yourself, I thought I needed to explore this.’’
GIGANTIC WASTE OF $$
You know what seems like a gigantic waste of money? This.
For the $200k in salary, not to mention the relocation expenses that are undoubtedly included, The Star could hire five or six fresh out of college reporters who will do actual work - and give the staff who don’t have a clue about their online future a glimpse of how things are today - rather than a couple of warhorses who file one or two columns a week and edit wire copy on a six page weekly section.
I’m sure they’re nice people but they’re going to be about as welcome in the call center as rug burns.
CASH FLOW
Sorry Cash Flow, but Vahe brings style and intelligence to his work and that attracts readers. His work at the PD for amateur sports (Olympics) and the Mizzou beat were keystones for the department and paper. There might be one writer out of 50,000 graduates in May who could match his talent. That one out of 50,000 isn’t going to work at the Star, they’ll be picked up in a bigger market.
ELITISTS SITE
Watch out, Cash Flow - Scott Simon will have to give you some licks for being unwashed and having an just a reader’s opinion. He thinks this site is for elitists only.
CASH FLOW QUESTIONS
Tony,
Why don’t you explain what “elitists” mean to you.
As for opinion, it’s fine for Cash Flow to have one but when he uses a screen name like that and comments how something should be financially run, he exposes himself to criticism from people who have been there and done that.
He writes about a gigantic waste of money to pay Vahe and his wife. Let’s turn the table. Cash Flow’s idea is a giant waste of staffing. Hiring 5-6 byline writers? For what? Is the paper increasing the number of column inches? Get real. That hasn’t happened in 15 years. There isn’t column inch space for 5-6 college kids and no one would be talking about what they write.
Besides, Cash Flow is factually wrong writing columnists publish only 1-2 times per week.
If everyday readers ran media, they’d be out of business faster than electrons travel through broadband. At least the current crop of management as a whole keeps the decline at a slower pace than amateurs. I’m proud to be a so-called “elitist” when experienced analysis is required. And proud to publish my name too. None of this anonymous crap for me.
ANONYMOUS POSTER
Scott Simon - I remain anonymous for a good reason. With all of the online access to information it would be very easy to determine where I worked, and then someone might try to tie my employer to my opinions. When I retire and don’t have to worry about that then I will be glad to use my name. In the meantime, lay off. Elitist=A person who believes that they are superior to others (and thus deserve favored status) because of their intellect, social status, wealth…
I think you fit the mold.