When our TKC Internets community isn't breaking news around this KICK-ASS bloggy venture, it's always fun to talk and speculate about "journalism" - Which isn't nearly as important.
To wit . . .
KANSAS CITY NEWSIE INSIDERS CONTEND THAT IT COULD BE TIME FOR NEWS DUDE STEVE KRASKE TO CALL IT QUITS GIVEN THAT "THE BUZZ" BLOG @ THE STAR IS MOSTLY KAPUT AND NOT EVEN A GOOD GENERAL POLITICAL BLOG!!!
For most of this year, they've basically been re-blogging stuff from politico.com or USA Today.
A bit of history . . .
The "buzz" blog section on the KC Star was long ago called "The Buzz Blog" AND THEN turned into the tragic "Prime Buzz" experiment wherein the nimrod management @ The Kansas City Star actually expected their subscribers to pay for "premium" content . . . A highpoint in the effort was a big money (maybe George Soros) grant that funded Midwest Democracy which kinda served a purpose for awhile until all the money dried up. But overall the bloggy foibles of The KC Star basically killed off what was a vibrant Internets community and sent readers to Facebook and also to slum around this corner of the Internets.
But I digress . . . That's just a quick look at how inept newspaper management facilitated the demise of Dead Tree Media in Kansas City.
Let's get to the juicy stuff . . .
TODAY KANSAS CITY INSIDERS NOTE THAT THE QUALITY OF STEVE KRASKE'S JOURNALISM HAS SERIOUSLY DECLINED!!! AND HE'S JUST WASTING SPACE @ THE STAR'S WEBSITE!!!
Check the chatter . . .
One Respected KANSAS CITY MAINSTREAM MEDIA PUNDIT Writes:
"HAVE YOU NOTICED How many times Kraske has summarized an online story and then linked to the article instead of doing original reporting? Hell, how is that any different from what any blogger can do and how does that add value for The Star's readers?"
Another VETERAN KANSAS CITY NEWSMAN retorts:
"It's a cheap way of getting sh*t on the web site, I guess. I'm sure he and the other Star political reporters are under pressure to keep churning out material for "the buzz" -- grist for the mill."
The KC MAINSTREAM MEDIA PUNDIT cites another facet of Kraske decline . . .
"He also used to be one of the best political reporters in town also and he's gone dramatically downhill in that category also. His stuff now is pretty bad, lots of bias, very little information, or research. The piece he did the other day was little more than a rip off of a national article, something I wouldn't have expected from a reporter of his (former) caliber. I don't know why, but for some reason he's just phoning it in."
To that end . . . The KC NEWS MAN declares . . .
"Spread too thin - KCUR, UMKC, The Star. He can't do justice to all three. He'll have to drop at least one, probably The Star. You heard it here first."
And this perspective and behind the scenes chatter regarding Kansas City journalism is important and worth remembering on this Memorial Day because it shows us that there are still quite a few mainstream media news jobs out there . . . They're just all performed by a closed circle of doods who are scrambling for something to do amid the inevitable and tragic decline of Dead Tree Media.
Developing . . .
Right about one thing for sure. Kraske used to be one of Kc's best.
ReplyDeleteSo, are we saying that Helling isn't so bad after all??
ReplyDeleteNo, that would certainly never be said. Helling isn't declining, he's been this consistently bad from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteHes just lazy. Cut and paste Kraske
ReplyDeleteThe money is not reporting news.
ReplyDeleteHe resigned from the Star and is freelancing.
ReplyDeleteOh, a scoop you didn't get?
----------
Colleagues:
Steve Kraske, our longtime political guru, has decided to leave his full-time role at The Star so he can teach journalism as an associate professor at UMKC.
With this change, Steve will continue as a part-time member of our staff, writing his Saturday column and contributing to the The Buzz blog he co-authors with Dave Helling. He also will be available to us to provide expertise and, at times, reporting on political topics near and far.
Steve is a franchise player for us, and his contributions to our success over the years have been vast and varied. Even better, he's a terrific ambassador of The Star and a deeply respected member of our team.
We wish Steve all the best in his new adventure and look forward to our continued relationship.
August 2013.
*SNORE*
ReplyDeleteSo says Mary Sanchez?
ReplyDeleteI have to ask who really gives a fuck outside of TKC?
ReplyDeleteWho the fuck are you?
ReplyDeleteYet another post that's overwritten. You're pounding this into the ground. Not staying classy. It was worth about 3 grafs, not 10!
ReplyDeleteFuck you douche bag. Anybody that uses stay classy is far, far from classy.
ReplyDeleteKraske should never read reviews about himself. Teaching propaganda techniques for public relations at UMKC is not going to get him buried at the Kremlin.
ReplyDeleteNo worries. Kraske just recycles old columns with a new dateline. Plus he puts out all of Skippy's drivel with no verification nor editing. That's had hitting political journalism?
ReplyDeleteAnybody born before 1960 needs to be thinking about moving on. ijs
ReplyDeleteyeah if you knew any KC journalism insiders they'd have told you this already.
ReplyDeleteSo CLAIM DISPROVEN.
for the millionth time.
Hey Tony, didn't you get the memo that Yael Abouhalkah quit the Star too? Yeah, he's working for the mayor's office as a hack and occasionally "freelances" articles for the falling Star
ReplyDeleteHi Sweetie:)
ReplyDeleteNever could figure out if Byron Funkhouser was Yael or Mary Sanchez, maybe she was Kraske?
ReplyDeleteTony, I challenge you to apply for the investigative reporter at The Star you posted last week. What do you make in ad revenue from this blog? Like sixty bucks a month?
ReplyDeleteMMM. Wonder how many of these messages Tony wrote himself?
ReplyDeleteI'm just hard pressed to think anyone BUT Tony would be all that interested in what Kraske writes.
It's amazing Kraske can even use a keyboard at all since his head is always up Sly's ass!
ReplyDeleteKraske should do KCUR, teach, and write books.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think he jumped ship at the Star? He wasn't gonna wait for the ship to sink.
Who is this Kraske guy?
ReplyDeleteI like the cut of his jib!
Why did Tony remove his post from the other day about the "Bring Back Our Girls" local protesters?
ReplyDeleteSomebody have second thoughts about being identified with this movement?
I didn't delete or remove anything.
ReplyDeleteD-bag.
Hope Kraske can keep offering content to the star. I think it's good they reach out to UMKC professors. We need more academics including FACTS into our media discussion.
ReplyDeleteRight, TKC?
We need more academics in media because men don't splain enough facts to da public?
ReplyDeleteYea, fuck Kraske!
ReplyDeleteI like the guy, he looks like my favorite porn star!
ReplyDeleteHe's sort of hot, except up close he has a messed up nose.
ReplyDeleteHe will be Kobach's bitch...
ReplyDeleteKraske never had much talent and then he sold his soul to the former Star publisher. He is done.
ReplyDelete