I’m sure many of you know by now that sports columnist Sam Mellinger will be leaving The Star within a few days and taking over as vice president of communications for the Kansas City Royals.
It was interesting to me how The Star handled the Mellinger story. This morning, it was one of about 10 featured stories on The Star’s homepage. The story quoted Star president, editor and hand-sanitzer procurer Mike Fannin as saying, “It’s been an honor — and an adventure — working with Sam on his journey to becoming such an accomplished journalist.”
By this evening, however, most of the love the paper slathered on Mellinger in the a.m. was gone. The story was nowhere to be found on the homepage, having been relegated to the sports page, which you have to specifically click on to find the Mellinger story.
I’ve got to think Fannin is a little miffed about this, even though he recognizes it’s a great move for the 43-year-old Mellinger and his family. The pay will be significantly better; the work will be fascinating and challenging; and he and his family get to stay in the KC area. (He’s a native of Lawrence.)
Fannin is notoriously thin skinned. He once broke off a collaborative journalistic relationship with KCUR after KCUR ran a news story about the paper that Fannin didn’t like. It was a legitimate story, not a hit job.
Mellinger was one of Fannin’s first hires after he was named sports editor in 1999, and he later gave him one of The Star’s precious sports columnist jobs. The other columnist, of course, is Vahe Gregorian, who came to KC from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2013.
The question now is what will — or can — Fannin do to replace Mellinger. As many of you know, the hedge fund Chatham Asset Management, out of New Jersey, bought the McClatchy chain out of bankruptcy in September 2020. I’m sure most Star employees were fearing the worst under hedge-fund ownership, like jobs being cut and salaries of remaining employees being frozen or cut. In recent months, however, The Star has expanded its Wednesday and Sunday editions and announced the hiring of 11 new journalists.
Chatham never shows its hand, so it’s difficult to know what to make of the expansion, but it will be interesting to see if Fannin gets the latitude to hire an experienced columnist from outside the paper or if he has to promote from within. (If he has to stay inside the paper, a qualified successor would be Blair Kerkhoff, who’s been the national collegiate sports reporter, and periodic columnist, for many years. Kerkhoff is in his 60s, however, and might be eyeing retirement.)
Mellinger’s departure will also put more pressure on Gregorian, who’s about 60, to take over the pole position on the sports page. As No. 2 to Mellinger, he’s had a relatively free hand in deciding what he wants to write about. Now, for at least the time being, he’ll be the go-to guy for analysis and commentary on everything from the Chiefs to his beloved MU Tigers.
A lot of readers, as well as current and former Star employees, will be watching closely to see what happens in regard to this key position. We once had the great team of Jason Whitlock (no longer great) and Joe Posnanski (still great), and Mellinger and Gregorian have filled their shoes pretty well.
The Star sells a lot of subscriptions because of its sports coverage, and I know Fannin will be pushing to make an impressive hire. Will the hedge-fund management give him that leeway, or will it tell him to figure it out with current resources?
TBD.
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Another interesting thing about The Star is that it is essentially “homeless.” By that I mean all employees have left the big, green, former printing plant at 1601 McGee and are now working from home…with their own cellphones and self-procured Reporters Notebooks.
I attended a lunch today consisting of about 10 former employees, and we were having trouble grasping how that could be. Our working lives revolved around the three-story, brick building at 1729 Grand. It was our fortress and our journalistic raison d’etre.
The headquarters building, along with the printing plant, was sold several years ago and supposedly is being redeveloped, although I don’t see much serious work taking place at 1729 Grand.
Since last year the paper has been printed at the Des Moines Register, which is at least three hours away. The Star has continued to lease space for the editorial employees in the former printing plant, but that lease expires Dec. 31, and, like I say, the employees are already out.
Word has it The Star will be leasing space in the Crown Center area, but, to the best of my knowledge, the employees have not been told exactly where that will be or when they might be moving in.
So, there’s almost no tangible KC Star any more. It doesn’t have a physical home, and its journalistic presence is primarily online. There are no lights to turn out, except those in the employees’ houses.
Very weird.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
This is getting to be more and more like the old Kansan newspaper in KCK. First they sold the building and moved to a rented office then went to an online only presence and then basically disappeared. Not withstanding the problems of a hard copy newspaper, I’m betting that it’s the only thing paying the bills these days because their paywall is a joke.
The ultimate irony here though, Fitz, is that you and the former staff seem to have more contact with one another than the current employees.
There are two or three groups of us that get together occasionally, and a much larger number of individuals who have smaller meet-ups, usually lunches. When we were at the paper, there was internal friction sometimes, but now we’re incredibly cohesive and appreciative of our common bond. My colleagues were men and women of high moral and ethical standards, and we loved what we were charged with doing.
Jim, do you know what’s going to happen to the Star’s printing presses? The market for that equipment continues to shrink: https://talkingbiznews.com/we-talk-biz-news/baltimore-sun-considers-moving-newspaper-printing-to-delaware/
I don’t, Julius. Maybe Joe Privitera and his sister and Rosie Privitera Biondo will convert the print plant into a newspaper museum while waiting for their dream of selling out to make way for a downtown baseball stadium.
I like the idea of turning the plant into a newspaper museum, Jim. Let’s see if we can get them to bring us on board as tour guides. I think the crowds would love us, especially if we sang some oldies.
The presses and related equipment are up for sale at https://presscity.com/en/machines/kba/238940-244050/kba-commander.html
Thank you, Tim Kridel. Do you think the Star will be able to find a buyer for the presses?
Yes, I think someone will buy them — not necessarily the whole shebang, but more likely a pressline here, a pressline there, prepress somewhere else and so on. Often the buyers are in other regions where print is stable or actually growing, such as South America. Some of it will stay domestic as the commercial printing industry consolidates, and the remaining players use this relatively new equipment to upgrade their capacity and capabilities.
I wish I’d toured the plant when it was in operation. Although I went to grad school for journalism, my career actually started five years earlier in a newspaper pressroom. Good times.
I won’t express an overall opinion on the quality of Mellinger’s columns, other than to say he’s like the rest of us: His work can vary from good to not-so-good. In terms of his new job, I do wonder how he will like not being able to express his personal opinion of the Royals, but will have to simply relay the position of the Royals hierarchy on matters which arise.
In my years at The Star the occupation called public relations was widely despised, and even more scorned if practiced by a former newspaperman. To be a mouthpiece for some organization bound on sugar-coating its “image” was considered beneath even the status of a lowly newspaperman–who at that time did not call himself a “journalist” or have any regard for academic degrees in “journalism.” I don’t know Mellinger, but he’s a good sports writer, and I feel sorry about the choice he made.
You and Mark Peavy are thinking along the same lines, Don. I suspect the bigger issue in Mellinger’s case is wanting to stay in this area, which I applaud. I hate it when I see good, talented people leave Kansas City. I think he will continue to be a fairly prominent voice on the local sports landscape, even if it’s limited to “go-go-Royals.”
On the “newspaperman” concept, while there’s still a lot of pride associated with reporting, editing or taking pictures for newspapers, many of those folks have to think more practically now than in the golden age of newspapers: How am I going to make a good salary? What about retirement? Is my publication going to be bought by a hedge fund? All that colors the idyllic concept of being a “newspaperman,” as you put it.
Also, there are just as many “newspaperwomen” now, and that doesn’t have the same alluring ring to it, does it?
My initial thought was that the Star wouldn’t replace Mellinger, but after your thoughts about the importance of the sports coverage (they devote more resources to it than general news coverage for sure), Fannin et al. may feel a need to find someone. I doubt they will be able to land anyone of prominence, but certainly someone could grow from obscurity if given the chance (as Sam was). As for the wisdom of forsaking journalism for p.r., I think that most of those on the Star’s editorial staff would leap immediately to “the dark side” because even if they love working for a newspaper, the last 15 years have taught them that this newspaper doesn’t love them and will cut them loose at a moment’s notice.
Good point about the prospect of being cut loose, Mike. In today’s world, you can quickly become a proud newspaperman or newspaperwoman with a mortgage and no job.
So a government official leaving the public sector to work in the industry the official formerly regulated is an inappropriate or unfair parallel because of the practicalities of having work in today’s decimated journalistic landscape? Ideals must yield to real-life choices, alas.
Glad you mentioned the former Star building. I drive by it a few times a week and there hasn’t been any construction activity for months. Maybe a quick update some time on whether that project is falling apart at your former home base.
Good idea, Dan…The project is in the hands of 3D Development, headed by a guy named Vince Bryant. He’s promising a lot…Consider this from the company’s website…
The Market at Grand Place – The historic and rarely seen press room on the ground floor of the east building will be a European-style market and food hall with 20 kiosk kitchens, a bar, lounge and a coffee cafe with patio overlooking the outdoor plaza. This bustling environment will have a main corner entry from the plaza, with great visibility from the street. Dramatic 30′ high ceilings, original wood flooring and abundant light pouring through two-story windows will make this space truly special.
Boiler Room – Deep in the basement, you’ll find perhaps the most intriguing space at Grand Place, the former Boiler Room. With soaring ceilings, a suspended glass lap pool, and a sauna in the base of the building’s 80-foot boiler tower, the new Boiler Room will be the best escape in the city.
Grand Place Club – Members will have access to the Boiler Room salt soaking tubs and other building amenities including: lounge areas, Clubroom, gym, locker room and more.
I’m very skeptical, especially since he’s had the place four years and very little has happened. I’ll tell you something else: I won’t be going to the Boiler Room for a swim. That sounds like going to the bottom of Lake of the Ozarks.
Can you imagine how history would be different if Bernstein and Woodward had been working from home? I vote for Rustin Dodd. Young, good writer and a great love of everything sports
That’s funny, Casey, the image of the celebrated team working from home. Deep Throat probably would not have surfaced.
Great idea on Rustin Dodd! He’s worked for The Athletic the last three years of so, and I believe he has continued to live in the area — OP, according to whitepages.com. Maybe Fannin can talk the hedge funders into allowing that to happen.
This might be enticing for Rustin. I was just reading yesterday that The Athletic has been cutting salaries and benefits in an effort to get someone to buy them. They’ve lost half of valuation over the past year and are now back talking to the New York Times to try to get them to buy them.
For Sam, unless he really messes up with the Royals, he’s moving into a well paying job he can retire from in 20 years. A good move for both his family and him.
Jim, good for you and Mike for pointing out the realities of newspapermen and women weighing real-life economic and personal choices in a world diminishing the value of print journalism. Those of us who found the need to exit the newspaper business and become a spokesman for an organization often took with us a commitment to honesty, integrity and transparency that was ingrained in our previous career. Too often it brought us close to being fired when we would push back on politics or corporate/agency agendas hell-bent to cover up, deceive or shill. Too often our backbones stood in the way of internal advancement or promotion. I know all too well. Fortunately, I lasted long enough to get a decent pension and had the last laugh. Some of my friends at The Star didn’t exit in time.
Right you are, Steve…If I was starting out now, I don’t think I’d go into the newspaper business, or even the news business. I’m not sure what I would do, but it might be government work.