TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! KANSAS CITY STAR HORRIFIES DEAD-TREE READERS WITH GHASTLY PRICES INCREASES!!!



Tonight we're featuring a double take on local reaction to price increases for the fading daily rag. Read a scary glimpse at sticker shock from some of the most avid news readers in town . . .

Checkit:

Newspaper Subscription Too Rich For Kansas City Customers

"Just noticed that star subscriptions for home delivery to our area went up to $540.00+ annually, plus tip which is semi-required, meaning $600.00.

"We believe in supporting a local newspaper as a matter of principle but this price level is too high for middle-class subscribers.

"If it really takes $540.00 for The Star to work as a business, that's not sustainable."
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A great read and shout-out from our blog community . . .

The Star Raises prices 30%

I stopped taking the (red) Star years ago. They have no journalist worth their salt, and, apart from lining a birdcage, their advertisement section is worthless (and I don't own a bird or cage).

I really only know a few that actually still take this liberal rag. However, an eighty year old friend I met with today mentioned he just received his renewal notice.

His comment was, "The readable content over the last several years has shrunk by 50%, especially the Sunday paper, and now they increased the annual subscription rate by 30%".

I suspect the Star's readership will drop, again, by at least 30% with this increase and completely negate the attempt at raising revenues.

I find it astounding that Tony's Kansas City can continue to scoop the local media AND do it for FREE when the Star can't get even the most basic economic concepts correct nor provide a balanced op-ed section.

The popularity of bird ownership has been relatively flat over the last decade, so I'll assuming this is just another nail in the papers coffin.
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You decide . . .

Comments

  1. Look at the McClatchy stock. That's the real indication of their future. Not sustainable like the first comment noted and fairly unbalanced in agreement with the second report.

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    Replies
    1. $540?

      That's insane. And then hoops insults most of the readers who love the flag. That's very expensive to get smacked in the face over and over again - But I guess a dominatrix would charge more.

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    2. Actually one of the lower rates. It can get near $800 if you don't threaten to cancel every so often.

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    3. The Star is charging more than the Wall St. Journal? In what world does that make sense. Now I understand why they are writing such crazy columns. They know the ship is going down.

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  2. You can't have it both ways. You can't gripe about social media and the absence of facts in the news and then not pay for REAL journalists to cover the news. Remember that most of the TV gets their news from the Star, at some point they should pay in as well. I'd rather have the corporations pay up then force taxpayers to do it. Which is how its headed. It's important to have a newspaper, but the model is going to have to change. Advertising and subscriptions are no longer going to cut it.

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  3. ^^^ In a way, City Hall is already footing the bill with their tax subsidy the Star is getting.

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  4. You heard it here first10/31/17, 6:05 PM

    When they're finally forced to sell the printing presses. It's all over. It almost happened this year.

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  5. If it weren't for TKC who would know the Star is still published?

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  6. I believe in supporting a newspaper but I will not give The Star a dime while Jenee Osterheldt is still writing for the paper. You do not get to insult the country and the president and ask me for money.

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  7. The only people who subscribe to the local tabloid are people over 70 years old to read to the death notices.

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  8. Lower the price and they would move more papers.

    Simple economics unless you have a sales rejection department.

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  9. Have they considered buying back their own stock? Create an illusion of success?

    Lol

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  10. How many liberal readers can afford 500.00,a year. I think they are reading tonyskansascity.

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  11. The “Red Star” that’s good!

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  12. There are many news outlets that is free and more independent. And when the circulation goes down the advertiser leaves.

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  13. The Star should just STOP printing and go to on-line publication only. That's where this is headed, and it will be a relief when it happens. Kill it quickly, please.

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  14. Hey 6:56 and any interested bargain hounds, there's two KCK Dollar Tree shops selling only the Star's Sunday edition on Sunday morning for ONE DOLLAR! Caveats: 1. Get there soon after the stores open or the coupon hounds will buy their two allowed per customer and bring their families, friends, or whoever they can finagle into getting in line to buy more papers. 2. Check each set for the proper inserts, warns the cashiers. Seems the Star routes assemblers goof on sections' counts occasionally, the stealthy coupon kleptos prolly hit a few, and, major holidays on or near Sundays as a rule have huge ads, but little to NO coupons.

    Usually a large cardboard box by the front entrance fills up fast with the parts of the Star that buyers have deposited for recycle.

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  15. Anyone who thinks that the Star still has "real journalists" hasn't taken the time to take an even cursory glance at the paper.
    Almost all of the experienced people have been laid off long ago and replaced by recent J-school grads who have no knowledge or understanding of their beats, so their "reporting" consists of little more than press releases from whatever business or government they're supposed to be covering.
    The rest of the paper consists of stories from other papers around the country or wire services. No serious or in-depth local content to speak of.
    The editorials are repetitive and poorly-written and anything at all about KCMO city hall is little more than a rah rah press release. To say the paper is in the tank for Sly and the gang is the understatement of the year.
    So the paper gets smaller, the reporting is crap, the writing is high school stuff, and the price keeps going up.
    Looks like a business model ready for study by Harvard MBAs.

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  16. Yes,7:46, dead tree media switching to e-news is likely great for some serious resources conservation. But, what about workers getting cut loose? Web based brings with it less loggers, ink producers, pulp processors, machine operators, truckers, route runners, recyclers, and who knows.

    I wouldn't hate the lost wages, declining tax revenues, and such IF THIS LAGGARD NATION WOULD PUT MUCH MORE EFFORT INTO PRODUCING "GREEN" JOBS AND ENERGY SOURCES. WE'VE BEEN YAPPING ON AND ON ABOUT MAKING AFFORDABLE SOLAR AND WIND, ETC., FOR SEVERAL GENERATIONS NOW! I guess it went the way of the "groovy", "cool", "right on", "flower power" and 60's lingo fad.

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  17. They need money to fund Kraske's and Helling's legal defense for sexual harassment allegations.
    "Bend over and we'll write whatever you want us too".

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  18. RED STAR!!! LOL!!!

    Hey, 1954 called: they said "come on home."

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  19. I must admit that I prefer "Falling Star" just strikes me as more poetic.

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  20. Only geezers read, and comment about the Star. The rest of the world has moved on. I love it when the geezers say the Star needs to die...so do you! Both of you(geezers and the Star) have long since outlived your usefulness.

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  21. ^^^. Geezer Hater, disparaging "geezers" earlier in the day. In the afternoon, Geezer Hater was busy trying to intice little boys into his car.

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