KC Confidential.com

Advertising dollars: it

The past year’s most over-reported news story, aside that is, from The Star’s relentless drubbing of Kansas City First Lady Gloria Squitiro?

That newspapers, TV and radio – aka old media – are taking it up the you-know-what from the Internet.

One story making the rounds is The Star’s ad revenues for January 2009 may have been down as much as 40 percent – 40 percent! – from a year ago.

So where exactly is an advertiser with a penchant for working the Web to head? It’s hardly an easy proposition with the end game being to connect with local eyeballs.

“Advertisers that are starting to use the Internet are struggling with how to use it,” says former Star publisher Art Brisbane. “They now have a much more complex, puzzling problem.”

The difficulties are well-documented: declining newspaper circulation and a cheaper yet “baffling Internet, Brisbane notes.

“What the advertiser wants is to reach his or her audience,” he says. “But now that’s very hard.”

Bad as the biz is, advertising agencies may actually be the primary beneficiaries of these difficult, transitory times, Brisbane says.

“The media landscape is so complex and fragmented that advertisers need a sophisticated agency to help them plan their media.”

Light rail in Kansas City: Clay says it could still happen

In a world of short attention spans, an economy on the brink, sub $2 gas and feuding politicians, light rail is pretty much yesterday’s news…

With the exception of a figment of Kansas City’s past, activist Clay Chastain. Let the record show that had his voter-approved light rail plan not been de-railed by the KC Council something resembling a starter line might be well on its way to reality.

Hey but no sense crying over spilt milk.

Chastain’s wife /lawyer Valerie Chastain is fighting the good fight to salvage some semblance of the plan in appeals court.

“I think the court’s going to rule in our favor, because if they don’t have to overturn the bus tax they’re more likely to,” Clay says. “I think they were worried about overstepping and interfering with the legislative system.”

His best-case scenario: “The best ruling we could hope to get is that the city had no right to overturn our ordinance and reinstates the plan as the voters approved it.” Continue reading

Will Ferrell as George Bush: coming soon to a television near you

A trip to New York to check out a trio of Broadway shows produced by former KU student/Cowtowner Steve Traxler landed me in the fourth row of Saturday Night Live escapee Will Farrell’s “You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George Bush.” It’s slated to air on HBO March 14.

Some outtakes…

*** Re Ferrell’s faux helicopter landing lowering onto the stage in the opening scene: “When the pilots of Air Force One said they were dying to drop me off in New York City, I thought they were kidding. So I said, ‘Sure, drop me off in the faggy theater district.’ “

*** On a certain former association of vice president Dick Cheney:” Because of Halliburton toilet paper is now $15 a sheet.”

*** President Barack Obama: “I’ll be the first to say, I’m a fan of that Tiger Woods guy. He’s a smart guy – a great speech maker.”

*** Ferrell’s tongue-in-cheek convocation: “Dear almost Swiss-looking Jesus; dear sweet-smelling of lavender and Dial soap Jesus.”

*** On the end of two-term presidency: “So after eight years, this crazy ride’s over. Hey I feel as free as balls in boxers.” Continue reading

David Beckham: Contribution to American Soccer

With the Kansas City’s pro sports teams still tail-spinning, national mag mentions seem few and far between. But hey, could be worse. Sports Illustrated at least handed out a handful of indirect hits.

Starting with Sprint Center point man Tim Leiweke – the golden boy that has yet to strike NBA or NHL gold where KC is concerned.

On fading soccer star David Beckham’s failure to have much of an impact on Major League Soccer:

“Beckham has not come close to having ‘a greater impact on soccer in America than any athlete has ever had on a sport globally”  - the boast made by Tim Leiweke…when he signed Beckham to a five-year deal in January 2007,” SI writes. “Such proclamations seem laughable now that Beckham has starred in soccer’s version of Ishtar.” Continue reading

Stricken Star staffer Brian McTavish – one of the many victims of the ongoing layoffs at 18th and Grand, myself included – got his freak flag flown on NPR February 26th on the program All Things Considered and at NPR.org.

“Journalism Students Uneasy About Job Prospects,” read the headline above former TeenStar reporter Sarah McCammon’s tale of  wonderment and woe. “At the University of Missouri Columbia – one of the nation’s top journalism schools – aspiring young reporters are feeling uneasy about job prospects upon graduation,” the story continues.

Longtime entertainment and arts writer McTavish’s in-story, cryptic-but-glib advice:

“I would not discourage anybody from following their so-called dream. Will your dream turn into a nightmare? Well, so what?” Continue reading

Jason Whitlock broke a huge story in Thursday’s Kansas City Star. He credits an unnamed source for supplying him information that has the Chiefs perennial Pro Bowl guard, Brian Waters, livid with the Chiefs’ new head coach and general manager to the point of demanding a trade. This story has everything – except quotes and the legwork a credible newspaper story is supposed to contain. I have no reason to doubt the story’s content but it lacks everything you expect from a newspaper that waves its journalism awards in front of readers at every opportunity.

“…according to a source with knowledge of the situation.”
Jason Whitlock, KC Star
GH: Whitlock used the word “source” seven times in his Star article. There was not one quote in his article from any source, named or unnamed.

“Haley could not be reached for comment Thursday night.”
Jason Whitlock, KC Star
GH: It is not a stretch to say this “news story” is heavily slanted in a negative perspective toward Haley and Pioli. To print the story without talking to either man for their comments smacks of the kind of sensationalist journalism The Star so often accuses radio, television and blogs of proliferating. The Star obviously rushed this story to print before they had time to do the work their reputation and readers deserved. Continue reading

Leave it to Westport Flea Market main man Joe Zwillenberg to conjure a new dictionary definition…

The word in question is “rehab,” the process of undergoing rehabilitiation or as dictionary.com puts it “the process of restoring an individual (as a convict or drug addict) to a useful and constructive place in society especially through some form of vocational, correctional, or therapeutic retraining.”

Zwillenberg’s new def-spin-inition: Rally Everyone Half Price Alcohol & Burgers

Got that?

“Sunday nights everything is half price,” Zwillenberg says. “That’s our recession buster. We just started it two weeks ago.”

Can you keep a secret?

A little known fact about Missouri State Rep. Jason Grill: he’s a huge, HUGE Missouri Tigers football and basketball fan. Thing is he’s so low key, no one would ever guess.

So let me apologize in advance for outing him…

Grill’s take on the phenomenon known as this year’s MU basketball team: ”It’s kind of a model of Arkansas’s 40 minutes of hell,” he says.

How about a prediction, will this year’s Antlers – I mean Tigers – go all…the…way? Continue reading

What is Lew Perkins listening to while sitting near the KU bench and wearing that aviator-sized headset?

5. How-to tapes on speaking wicked Kansan w/o a Baaahston accent.

4. Hooked up to Mangino’s heartbeat to alert EMTs when it stops.

3. Doppler Radar reports of anyone in the state of Kansas donning a blue shirt w/o paying KU royalties.

2. Student play-by-play broadcast — Bob Davis is too much of a homer even for Lew.

1. He’s just trying to hide those Frisbees on the side of his head he calls ears.

Drew Six lays it down at the PBR Big Sky Bar in the Power & Light

Atop the infinitesimally small slagheap of local rockers with extensive groupie-like followings stands the artist-formerly-known-as Drew.

I say formerly because these days the lead singer of the band Drew6 goes by – what else? – Drew Six.

That’s Mr. Six to those not on a first name basis with the popular pop star.

The cougar magnet’s girlfriend even lists herself as “in a relationship with Drew Six” on her Facebook page.

“Yeah, I have a girlfriend,” Drew Six says. “I just try and keep my private and personal life separate.”

The reason for the faux last name?

“I don’t want to be looked up,” Drew Six says. “I don’t use my (real) last name – I learned that the hard way.” Continue reading

UMKC Kangagroo Mascot: still fighting the good fight!

Missing in action from Star staffer Dan Margolies largely glossy tribute to recently deceased Kansas City Business Journal co-founder Mike Russell – aside from that Margolies spent the better part of his journalistic career cashing paychecks at the Business Journal: any reference to Russell’s business and financial setbacks in his later years.

“He was oneof the three people who helped talk UMKC into going into Division One sports,” says Bob Lewellen, a longtime member of the school’s athletic foundation board. “He and (deceased AMC Theatres chieftain) Stan Durwood and Larry Bridges. And they told the chancellor they would be the fundraising arm for it.”

Just one problem…

“Unbeknownst to them was that both Russelll and Bridges would have business reversals,” Lewellen says. “It wasn’t their fault, but both of them had the world turn on them. Then the university had to continue with the program and they did. And then Stan Durwood was the backbone of the whole program. Even today his foundation gave the money to build the on-campus soccer stadium they’re building now.” Continue reading

White Owl: No, not this one - the other one!

The latest on that crazed-looking, dancing hippie dude White Owl – aka Saul Tucker, aka Jimmy Neal?

Mr. Owl, let’s just call him, spent the better part of his 62 years on this earth selling music at the old Pennylane Records in Westport, crashing at the Grateful Dead’s pad during the band’s early hey days, and more recently galavanting about KU football and KU basketball games. His specialty: gliding through attention-getting dance routines as a sort of unofficial team mascot. The Owl further rocked Kansas City and Lawrence’s worlds last year announcing he would marry then 22 year-old KU junior Julia Lee at summer’s end.

Never happened, says Sherry Fitzgerald, owner of downtown Lawrence boutique Beyond the Door. In addition to her store’s display of what she bills “the world’s largest collection of 1968 pennies – current total 12,580 – Fitzgerald is selling $15 KU blue White Owl T-shirts with a colorful cartoon of Mr. O in full dance mode across the front.

So is the romance still afoot? Continue reading

In the world of small but sorta scintillating surprises, the Web site for the dining establishment formerly known as Chili’s Kansas Speedway still indicates its up and running. The phone even works.

“Thank you for calling Chili’s Kansas Speedway,” an automated voice chirped this morning (2/26/09). However none of the recorded options delivers a live connection.

Which comes as a surprise given the speed and efficiency of hasty Chili’s exit strategy.

Chili’s big time bailed Monday – after serving its Last Supper in the form of a lunch, according to a a restaurant service industry staffer called in to help the purveyor of Triple Dippers hasten its escape from NASCAR-land.

What’s interesting isn’t so much that in a crippled economy Chili’s bought the farm – it’s how they bought it… Continue reading

Separated at Birth: Greg Hall & The Reaper!

When Greg Hall parted ways with the Kansas City Star in the late ’90s for a job with a fledgling sports radio station KCTE 1510 AM, the Star sports editior then praised Hall mightily and vowed in print to replace him.

Never happened…

Hall later proved too controversial even for the mighty Pitch, which recognized his talent by granting him a prime slot towards the front portion of the rag. In 1999 and 2000 before bloggers thought of themselves as bloggers Hall launched his own Web site (sportswaves.com) and was taking down around 600,000 hits a month all by his lonesome. These days he has a grownup job, but has agreed to shake off the cobwebs and relaunch his “Off The Couch” column here at Kansas City Confidential.

Be warned: Hall’s take no prisoners style claws fiercely at the extremes from hilarious to unsettling.

To those ends, I offer up this brief interview with – let’s just say it and get it out of the way – The Master. Continue reading

One often asks us (us being Jon and I, the one, a random person…we’ll call her “Betty”)

“Is the social scene in Kansas City dead?  Has Cowtown finally fallen into a tan abyss of non-creative events?  Has the khaki world that sucked dry such cities as New York, Chicago, and Peducah, Kentucky, engulfed our fair-wheatened shores?”

Jon and I are quick to answer “No Betty, no!  Our city still has a pulse, and we can prove it!  Why, just last week we attended six, yes we said six, events.  All unique.  All feeding the heart of Kansas City.  And we will now list them, complete with photographic documentation.”

Event one:  Mark Southerland and Peregrine Honig’s Jungle Love Valentines Day Ball
Location:  The Farenheit Gallery.

Description:  The underground world of bohemian artists gathering to celebrate that most wicked day of love.

We drank wine and PBR.
Guests included:  A man dressed as a panda. Newlyweds Georgianna Londre and Martin Buchanan (glowing with news of a baby Buchanan on the way. Actress Corrie Van Ausdahl with photographer husband Matt Collins, David Ford, Cody Wyoming from the band the Monitor, 200 other guests in jungle-themed attire, and one wild marching band.

Event Two:  Now this next one is true conflict of interest, but you are reading this online, so screw it.  The opening of the Coterie Theatre’s production of THE BREAKFAST CLUB.

Location:   Westport Coffee House.

Description:  A true tribute of the cult movie, directed by me and costumed by him.
We drank lattes and Crown Royal.

Guests included:  Sloane Simmons of the store STUFF, Artistic Director Jeff Church, real estate mogul Josesh Fulgenzi, luminaries from BLO salon, all the past actors, drag queens, and followers from the now-defunct LATE NIGHT THEATRE, and 95 other audience members in bad 80’s fashion. A totally tubular event! Continue reading