Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Wednesday April 22 -- Got news or an update?

If you have news or an update, leave it in comments.
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22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just when you think Yael T. Abouhalkah cannot get less professional, he does. The Star is full of bottom feeders, but this guy is the worst, IMO.
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-KC Star: Republicans Afraid of Limbaugh,
Uses Democratic Press Release to 'Prove' It -
NewsBusters - Warner Todd Huston

“Yael T. Abouhalkah is all excited to let the readers of the Kansas City Star know that he's found another Republican politician that has had to grovel at the feet of Rush Limbaugh, apologizing to the radio giant for a slight cast his way. And to "prove" it Abouhalkah used a press release from the Democratic National Campaign Committee that said so. Yeah, nice unbiased source there, Abouhalkah.Seriously,…”

John Altevogt said...

Let me guess, this was on the Midwest Voices blog?

On city issues Yael is highly informed and informative. Take a look at his columns and they're all on the kind of mundane issues that actually do have an impact on a city.

Then there's his blog entries. They are of a different sort altogether. One suspects that these are done to pander to Miriam Pepper's bigotry.

During the election season Yael wrote multiple screeds a day against Sarah Palin and his entries seem to be consistently far more to the left and far more irrational than what one would predict given the lucidity of his regular columns.

Chalk this one up to the kind of ass kissing that must have become a staple of life in an institution where layoffs are a constant and decisions are clearly based on anything but merit.

Kevin Gregory said...

Column where Yael Abouhalkah quotes 2 full paragraphs from Dem press release is here. Looks like a cheap shot by Abouhalkah.

John Altevogt said...

Yep, that's the blog, Midwest Voices. His columns are here http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/yael_t_abouhalkah/

Note the vast difference in topics. The columns are Yael writing what intrigues Yael. Midwest Voices is a different animal. If you listen carefully as you read that section of Midwest Voices you can hear the echo of Yael's lips echoing through the canyon of Miriam's ass.

In addition, that blog is one of the most highly censored blogs on The Star's website, a tribute to Miriam's stalinist inclinations.

It's truly sad that one has to give up one's integrity and reputation to maintain one's position at The Star.

Anonymous said...

When I used to read the Red Star & Sickle, I was always waiting for the full fact-filled story. It never came; the facts were always selected to keep the liberals in power. Only the mentally deficient would consider this sick newspaper as a source for news. I think they have ruined any chance for the online paper to be a success as well. Online, if they allow unfettered comments to their propaganda, they will not be able to use their hit and run journalism style. Readers are just fed up with the old corrupt MSM.
(Marxist Stream Media)

JAT said...

Got a question. Can someone explain "short rates" to me?

I've got a source who claims the Charlotte Observer is playing hardball with small biz customers, hitting them with short rates for ads they do not run and threatening them with a lawsuit if they do not pay.

I know this gets down to the specifics of contract law, but I have no idea if short rate language is something just stuck in there, typically never enforced, or if it is common to invoke the language to get paid something.

It does seem to me, however, that once you do go short rate on someone, you've lost them forever as an ad customer.

IMHO.

Anonymous said...

Why are they even considering running a print ad? That's the most obvious question.

Anonymous said...

Yael T. Abouhalkah should have been fired long ago. Does anyone know what his salary w/bennies might be?

Anonymous said...

'Police Found Freddie Mac CFO Dead by Hanging'

http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=1657033&nid=25

Where were Barney Frank and Chris Dodd when this happened?

John Altevogt said...

I personally believe that newspapers should rid themselves of any opinion material other than readers' letters. Bloggers do it much better and their opinions don't reflect on the newspaper in the same way an editorial board does. (Does anyone know of any paper anywhere where the editorial board has increased respect in the community for the paper? Anywhere?)

However, as long as The Star has one, Yael (in column form, not his blog stuff) is as good, and informed as they have. Barb Shelley surely must be the most corrupt columnist in the country, and Lewis is just stupid, not ignorant, stupid. When she was there, Laura Scott was a joke, alternating between meaningless "water is good" type pieces and out right blasts of hormone induced bigotry. Indeed, one can't help but wonder how much of the editorial output of The Star is influenced by the phases of the moon.

Anonymous said...

Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are probably still ‘Laying in the weeds.’

♫ ♫ Happy Together ♫ ♫

Anonymous said...

Re: “….you've lost them forever as an ad customer.”
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Sort of sounds like the intelligence of imposing more hysterical environmental regulations, and raising taxes while the economy tanks.

Anonymous said...

Here’s a little something you might find interesting:

http://editor.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

It is not "hard ball" to short rate a customer. They signed a contract and it was not fulfilled. They have already been lost so there is no additional harm to the company by charging them what was contractually agreed to. What I will say though is that there are so many options offered to the customer before a short rate in fact does get authorized I have to believe that they won't advertise ever again.

I know that my answer is not in line with you whiney "journalists" (and I use that term very loosely) but it is the correct answer.

Now please, by all means, continue stewing in your low self worth by blaming our current administration for your ills. How about this thought... Maybe you weren't that good of a writer? Nah, let's blame Obama, it's much easier than to accept the truth.

Anonymous said...

Police Found Freddie Mac
CFO Dead by Hanging
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This made me think of several suicides in the Clinton administration, when the deceased person knew too much, and a bad day in Black Rock was on the horizon.

Anonymous said...

Re: “It is not "hard ball" to short rate a customer.”
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I think an ad customer could say, “When I signed the contract, the Scar had x-pages, now it puny, and the remaining departments do not interest my target customers.”

Why should the businessman suffer for the failure of the paper to remain viable?

Anonymous said...

S&P cuts NY Times further into junk territory

Standard & Poor's lowered its credit rating for the The New York Times Co's (NYT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) unsecured debt on Wednesday on concerns about the grim outlook for advertising revenue.

S&P lowered the Times' senior unsecured debt rating by one notch to B-plus, four notches into speculative grade, or "junk" status. It placed the rating on negative watch, meaning it could downgrade it again.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting article on NPR regarding newspaper survival. Sorry naysayers, the smaller, independents will survive this me thinks! http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/04/home_delivery_on_the_range.html#more

Anonymous said...

Re: “It is not "hard ball" to short rate a customer.”

An ad customer could also argue the paper has fewer readers.

Anonymous said...

The dead Freddie Mac CEO sounds a bit like Obami-cide.

Anonymous said...

-'Providence Journal' Outsources Circ Call Center-
By E&P Staff

NEW YORK The Providence (R.I.) Journal is outsourcing all of its circulation customer service calls to the Retention & Operations Group's Surpass.

Surpass handles the call centers for other papers including USA Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Buffalo News, and the Providence Journal's sister [The Dallas Morning News.]

Anonymous said...

Anyone else hear rumors of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram folding at the end of the year?