05-20-2011 UPDATES: FITZ'S TAKE ON STAR SITUATION Retired Kansas City Star reporter/editor Jim Fitzpatrick has written a solid article on his blog regarding potential successors to Mark Zieman. We have a tendency to agree with him that the next Star Publisher will come from outside the organization.
FUNNIEST TWEET OF THE DAY/YEAR :
05-18-2011 ANNOUNCED HERE FIRST: ZIEMAN LEAVING STAR FOR MCCLATCHY A Bottom Line exclusivestory on May 4 said that Kansas City Star Publisher Mark Zieman, 50, was reportedly heading to the Star's parent McClatchy Company to assume a new position as Vice President of Operations. Today the Kansas City Star confirmed the scoop in a story by reporter Mark Davis: "Mark Zieman, president and publisher of The Kansas City Star, has been promoted to a senior position with its parent firm, the McClatchy Co. "The company named Zieman, who is 50 and has spent half his life at The Star, vice president of operations to succeed Frank Whittaker, who is retiring. The promotion, announced Wednesday (5/18), will be effective at the end of the month. "Zieman will relocate to Sacramento, Calif., to oversee 13 of the chain’s daily newspapers, including The Star, and affiliated operations across seven states."
BillthePainterBill Ruisinger@BottomLineCom The Ax-man leaveth.....
05-19-2011 PROMOTION? "How does systematically destroying the KC Star’s content and credibility result in a promotion? The KC Star parent company has never valued the KC Star and this action is proof." ---- Becky Wilson
05-20-2011 IS STAR BETTER TODAY? "Excellent question, Becky! Then again, Mark Zieman has never valued the employees on whose backs he rode to get this absolutely undeserved promotion. "Memo to McClatchy: Do not base success on cooked up readership numbers, cost spread sheets or hits to The Star's Web site. Instead, ask longtime core readers of The Star if this paper/news service is better now than it was three years ago when Mark Zieman became publisher. I have asked that question and it is an overwhelming and resounding NO! "In fact, many people are going to say that the paper is worse than it ever was in its 131-year history. Seriously, I challenge any reader of Bottom Line Com to tell us that The Star has improved in quality since Mark Zieman became publisher in 2008. If no one responds, then I rest my case." ---Former Star reporter
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