TKC MUST READ!!! KANSAS CITY ARGUES AGAINST 'BEST OF' ISSUE ETHICS WHILST THE PITCH BEGS FOR DONATIONS!!!



It's no secret that "best of" editions and Kansas City award season, in general, is mostly just a marketing gimmick.

However, a well-respected, community radio talker and Midtown denizen recently offered a SCATHING critique of this month's current offering from an "alternative" publication.

Here's the word that has garnered mostly agreement:

"I love the resurrection of The Pitch Kansas City and I appreciate so much of their coverage of local issues and politics, however their "Best of Kansas City" stuff almost destroys their credibility as journalists, who must have been held hostage by marketing people with empty values."

Actually, he's being generous and most locals are far more skeptical about the news offerings of The Pitch.

Meanwhile, we notice that the "magazine" isn't really creating much of a buzz with their "best" selections that have garnered only a modicum of social media excitement.

And so we ask . . .

IS THE PITCH "BEST OF" ISSUE IRRELEVANT GIVEN THAT LOCALS WOULD RATHER USE ONLINE REVIEWS AS THEIR LOCAL GUIDE?!?!?

It seems that the tyranny of trustworthy Reviews from 500 Assh*les seems to have replaced rigged voting and informed influencers operating in the print world.

But it gets worse for this former juggernaut of local alternative news that hasn't really endured a "resurrection" at all . . .

THE PITCH SOLICITS DONATIONS AS THEIR MAGAZINE & ONLINE EFFORTS CLEARLY AREN'T CUTTING IT!!!

Proof . . .

Here's the sad, sad note recently ATTACHED TO EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE ON THEIR WEBSITE . . .



Text:

The Pitch: "A word to our readers:

"For nearly 40 years, The Pitch has served as the independent voice of Kansas City — a source of investigative reporting, unflinching political commentary, and street-level arts and culture coverage. We have always been free, whether in print or online, and we intend to remain so. Unfortunately, online advertising alone cannot sustain the kind of independent local journalism to which Pitch readers have been accustomed for the better part of the last four decades.

"If you appreciate what we do, we hope you will consider making a financial contribution, which you can do by clicking the "Support Us" button in the bottom-right-hand corner of your screen. It takes less than a minute, and your generosity will help us continue to produce vital, progressive, and honest journalism in the city we all love. Thank you."

This is the way local alternative news ends, not with a magazine scheme but by way of Internets handouts crowdsourcing.

There's no shame in it, people have to do what they can to survive. Just about every news publication is forced to take donations or pay for play at some point.

The Star pimps itself out for tax breaks. The Biz Journal is mostly advertorial, Ingram's has always been a sponsored content scheme. A new local elite magazine is a money losing whim of a rich white lady who got bored on permanent vacation. 435 is a monthly magazine dedicated to keeping housewives out of trouble. Finally, Northeast News is propped up by moneyed patrons and now . . .

DESPITE DESPERATE MARKETING GIMMICKS, THE PITCH STILL NEEDS READERS TO COME TO THE RESCUE!!!

Still, it's hard to see what The Pitch offers that readers can't get elsewhere . . . They dismissed their best reporters and lost their edge years ago . . . Most of their content is faux trendy and geared toward hipsters who don't really know a lot about this town. In their long struggle to become a failing biz, they lost all of the weed smoker, light to heavy coke user and functional alcoholic swagger when they tossed aside their better writers who fulfilled those niches nicely. Now the magazine is offering cookie-cutter content that was groundbreaking in the 90s and possibly pleasing for people waiting in a dentist's office.

Like it or not . . .

These are the last days for The Pitch and it's clear the new owners didn't realize the financial mess they where buying.

So what's KCMO losing???

Not much from The Pitch in its current form.

Even in its heyday, the weekly was a sketchy rag supported by human trafficking pr0n adverts and mostly home to hack political hit jobs that were good for a laugh and not much else. To some extent TKC fills the news hole (YEAH!!!) but, for the most part, real "alternative" voices have been effectively silenced by an increasingly corporate culture overall and most mainstream media content is nothing more than target marketing that might be a reflection of growing American political tribalism. OR maybe the even harsher reality is that burgeoning mobile phone technology revealed most people are far more captivated about cyber-stalking frenemies via social media than by any news related to local life.

You decide . . .

Comments

  1. The Pitch was a fun time back in it's day. Lots of boinking and blow and rich kids who would play to write. Great stuff.

    Now, it's sad to see it going the way of the dodo. There are still some good writers who do good stuff over there, but yes, it does read like everything else. Sad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let it die. I was actually a fan of Glorioso's old new time. It had way more info and gossip with good comics as well. The new management aren't to blame here, I think they're doing the best they can. It's just too easy for advertisers to sign up with FB/Twitter/Google.

      Delete
    2. What ever happened to Ink from The Star. They tried to be the Pitch and it was pretty pathetic. I guess the accomplished their goal by effectively putting them out of business.

      Delete
  2. All of the decent reporters are now at KCUR getting paid $125 before tax for their stories that take about a week to crank out. Some of it's good. Brought to you by viewers like you!

    Pitch should think about giving out tote bags. My KCPT one is fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can't fight technology. You gotta stay up to date. They should start a snap chat. That will solve all of their problems.

      Delete
  3. The days when reporters did coke! Ahhh, memories. Trump will sadly NEVER enjy the success of the 80s Reagan era.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pithc has always had problems. If you know anything about publishing. Real publishing, you might realize this. They only survived by getting bought out again and again. It's the greater fool theory. What's unfortunate is that this local couple look like the greatest fools around and got stuck holding the bill at the end of the party.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I remember the pith article on Tony’s kc. In fact it’s the top google link if you search Tony’s kc. I remember the old days of the pitch. All the pervert queer glory hole advertisements lmao. That and horoscope people with fortune telling lines. I mean, it used to have some pretty good articles from time to time. It was clearly targeted for the sub culture, but kept a certain professional status with it as well. I haven’t read it in so long so I can’t really speak for it now. I was glad to see it try to be revised, but it does look stressed now. It was a part of kc culture for so long. Everyone knew about the pitch, and even if you didn’t like it or it’s content you still kind of accepted it since it was a local business.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The pitch is still around? That’s funny right there! Hahahahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Pitch is for perverts. Its time for it to die.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Bitter Truth10/12/18, 10:37 AM

    The owners of the Pitch are like the owners of that gay supporting trash called the SMP in Perfect Village. While thinking you want to hear what they say in the real truth 99% of those don't want to hear it. They print nothing you can't look elsewhere to see and the rest you didn't want to see anyway. So we have two local rags who in the end will fail and only because they have no idea what they are doing or smart enough to see we don't care what they think.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can't wait for the pitch to die! Good riddance and I hope the owners take it up the ass financially.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so glad I am not a miserable cocksucker like you are.

      Delete
  10. 10:47: I'm sure your sentiments are reciprocated.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Since when did Marketers have values other than making money?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Donating to the Pitch makes as much sense as donating to PBS. Had I started giving PBS $20 a month in 1975, I'd be watching the same shows they broadcast today, but $12,900 poorer. And they get a sizable donation from the taxpayers every year. Pitch should have closed when they castrated the Backpage.

    ReplyDelete

  13. Fuck the Rag Pitch with their pathetic one sided story's along with the adds for group sex,fags,lesbians Trans bullshit. What a sad excuse for a paper.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love the Pitch but i'm not giving them an f-ing dime. They need to figure that shiz out for themselves. The dream of owning a paper shouldn't be on the public to finance. I'll get my calendar somewhere else. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nice read, very bitter, very snark, kinda funny.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know what's really funny. Hipsters slapping each other. The Pitch was a great idea when it started. It was originally a record store penny shopper. Now it's just a monstrosity.

      Delete
  16. I thought it was an event business. Why don't they do that?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Does the pitch deserve some ribbing because of their emphasis on marketing? Yes. But don't forget that they have some done some really great reporting over the years and will continue to do so. It is, in fact, an important publication for Kansas City. I can't donate a lot but I'll do what I can to help them survive. Kansas City is a better place because of The Pitch.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I've actually seen a lot more mentions of the best of issue this year than last. I think the new pitch is finally hitting it's stride.

    ReplyDelete
  19. ^^^^^^^^^^ True. It's not a bad issue. Best one I've seen in awhile.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

TKC COMMENT POLICY:

Be percipient, be nice. Don't be a spammer. BE WELL!!!

- The Management