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THE STAR | ADVERTISING | ANNOUNCEMENTS | BUSINESS NEWS | CALENDARS | CIRCULATION
FEATURES | NEWS | OPINION | PHOTO | SPORTS | MISCELLANEOUS
THE STAR
Who owns The Star?
The Star is is part of the McClatchy newspaper group. Editorially, The Star operates independently of its parent company.
How often do you publish?
The Star produces at least three editions 365 days a year. Monday-Saturday the editions are: Mid-America (state and region), Johnson County and Metropolitan Final. On Sundays: Mid-America, Metropolitan Missouri,Metropolitan Kansas and Northland editions. In addition, The Star produces Neighborhood News sections for 12 different communities. Some of these sections run every Wednesday, some run Wednesday and Saturday:
- Blue Springs
- Northland
- Shawnee Mission
- City
- Platte County
- Shawnee & Lenexa
- Independence & Raytown
- Wyandotte/Leavenworth
- Lee’s Summit/Southland
- Blue Valley/Leawood
- Liberty
- Olathe
What is a Neighborhood News edition of The Star?
These “zone” editions are tailored to distinct neighborhoods in the Kansas City area. Neighborhood News provides an excellent opportunity for many clubs and community organizations to showcase their news to the rest of the community. Go to The Star’s home page and follow the links to the Neighborhood News Web pages.
ADVERTISING
How can I place a classified ad?
Visit our Classifieds section online by clicking on the tab on the top navigation bar. You can search for ads or place an ad. Or, call (816) 234-4000 between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
How can I place an obituary in The Star?
Obituaries are handled through Classified Advertising and are accepted from and verified through funeral homes. Basic information is printed at no charge, including name, age, date of death, place of residence, place and cause of death, services, calling hours, suggestions for memorial contributions and whom to call about arrangements. Additional information will be published for a nominal charge.
Telephone: (816) 234-4470
Fax: (816) 234-4467
Voice mail messages: (816) 234-4478
What’s that half page (of ads) attached to the comics section?
This smaller sheet of newsprint attached to the comics is called a spadia. It’s an advertising device. Many newspapers use this. It is perforated for easy tearing.
The advertisers find this valuable because it’s eye-catching, full-color and is attached to the front page of a section.
Why are there so many ads in the paper?
Many readers count on The Star to inform them of what’s on sale and where to shop, and those advertisements actually pay most of the expenses for publishing the paper, keeping home subscriptions and single copy prices well below the actual cost of creating the newspaper, printing it and delivering it.
We know that some readers want and use the ads to help save on groceries, find jobs and cars for sale, learn about store sales, or locate service providers. For readers who don’t care about ads, The Star hopes you can keep reading around them until you’re in the market to buy one of the hundreds of thousands of products advertised every year in the newspaper, from cars and houses to garage sale items. The Star offers the largest daily advertising marketplace in six surrounding states.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
How can I place a wedding, engagement or anniversary announcement?
Announcements must be submitted on our form, which may be mailed on request. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. You can pick up a form at:
The Kansas City Star, 1805 Grand, Kansas City, MO 64108. Or e-mail: ggardenhire@kcstar.com.
Completed forms & photos can be brought to The Star or mailed to:
Announcements, The Kansas City Star, 1805 Grand, Kansas City, MO 64108.
Photos cannot be returned. Engagement announcement forms must be received no later than four weeks before the wedding date. Wedding forms should be received at least two weeks before the wedding. We answer questions about weddings, engagements and anniversaries. We do not answer questions about birth announcements or marriage licenses. Our phones are staffed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact Announcements at (816) 234-4390.
How can I place a birth announcement?
Birth announcements run in the Neighborhood News zone publications. Send the names of the baby and parents, city of residence, date of birth, and names and residences of grandparents, great-grandparents and siblings. You may include a photo of the baby, and you must include a phone number for verification. These are printed free of charge.
• For Blue Springs, Independence and Lee’s Summit/Southland, send information to: 14330 “A,” E. 42nd St., Independence, MO 64055.
• For the Northland, send information to: 8320 N. Oak Trafficway 201, Kansas City, MO 64118.
• For all Johnson County zone publications, send information to: 8455 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210.
BUSINESS NEWS
How can I get something published in the Business listings?
The Announcements run in Star Business on Tuesday. To have a promotion or appointment printed in Personals, send a news release with a contact name, telephone number and photograph to Dee Dee Russaw (Tuesday Business), The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.
Corporate Ladder runs in Tuesday Business. Send suggestions for Corporate Ladder subjects to Greg Hack, deputy business editor, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.
The Business Calendar appears in Tuesday Business. Send contributions to Business Calendar, Business Desk, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108. Items must be received at least two weeks before publication.
Real estate leases and sales runs in Tuesday Business. Send contributions to Roxi Taylor, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108. Items must be received at least two weeks before publication.
The Small-Business Adviser is a weekly feature in Tuesday Business. To submit a small-business question, call (816) 234-4879.
Business conventions and Chamber of Commerce notes: Send submissions to Rick Alm, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.
Send contributions on new businesses to Dee Dee Russaw; on real estate, to Kevin Collison at The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.
CALENDARS
How do I get an event listed in a newspaper calendar?
Call (816) 234-4788 to hear How-To information.
Calendar items are accepted only by mail, email and fax (no phone calls). Calendar listings are free. Send the information in writing two weeks before publication date. For Entertainment-related items, send by fax to (816) 628-3828. For Community and Specialty calendars send by fax to (816) 234-4925, or e-mail all types of calendar information to calendar@kcstar.com, or mail to The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108. Please include a description of the event: the time; date; and place, including the street address; and a name and telephone number for verification. Also specify in which category the item should be listed: theater, festivals, shows, music, nightlife and so forth.
CIRCULATION
How can I subscribe to The Star?
Go to The Star’s subscription Web page or call (877) 962-STAR (7827) from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Outside the Kansas City area, call (800) 726-2340.
Whom do I call if my paper wasn’t delivered, is damaged. etc.?
Call (877) 962-STAR (7827) from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Outside the Kansas City area, call (800) 726-2340.
Why should I subscribe? I buy it from a box when I want one.
You can save money and not have to leave your house if you get a home subscription to The Star. With the full-week subscription, you’ll never miss out on stories, consumer tips, entertainment news, calendars of events, community news in your Neighborhood News section, and much more. And it’s easier and cheaper than buying it at the box. And as a subscriber, you’ll be eligible for special discounts on products featured in The Star or produced by The Star’s staff, including lower prices on Star books and special offers from our advertisers.
Why do I need to take the paper when I can get it for free on the Internet?
The paper version and the Web version work hand in hand. You miss out on many benefits by only using the Web version. Many popular Star features are not on our Web site — including some syndicated columnists, crossword puzzles and many of the photographs that we run in our daily paper. You also miss most of the advertising. That means you won’t be able to see what’s on sale locally, and on Sundays you’ll miss the big coupon day, which offers potential savings that offset the cost of a subscription.
FEATURES
How can I search for a recipe I saw in The Star on The Star’s Web site?
The Star does not provide a searchable online recipe database. You may access recipes accompanying staff bylined stories during the week that they appear in the newspaper. Syndicated material such as 7-Day Menu Planner and Desperation Dinners do not appear on the site.
How else can I find a lost recipe?
If you know the date a recipe appeared, you may call Star Info at (816) 234-4636
How can I submit a question to the Handyman panel in the House & Home section?
Send e-mail to home@kcstar.com or a letter to Handyman, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.
How can I submit an idea for the Steal This Idea feature in House & Home? Should I send a photo? Will my photo be printed?
Send e-mail and a jpeg photo to home@kcstar.com or a letter and a snapshot to: The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108. If your idea is chosen, a staff photographer will contact you to take a photo to run in the paper. Snapshots cannot be returned.
How and when is the airfare chart put together?
The airfare chart is researched Wednesday by travel agents in Kansas City who are members of the American Association of Travel Agents, a professional organization. The Travel section is printed on Thursday for Sunday’s newspaper.
The fares we publish on Sunday are real fares that were available to the public when they were researched. But they are intended to be a guide to current airfares, not a guaranteed price. Here’s why:
• The airlines change fares every day. What’s available on Wednesday may be higher or lower by Sunday. We can’t control this.
• The fares are heavily restricted, often requiring an advance purchase of two weeks or more. The fares may be good for travel only on certain days of the week, say Tuesday and Wednesday. They also may require an overnight stay on Saturday.
• The airlines may have set aside only a small number of seats available at that price. Once those seats are sold out, the price goes up.
NEWS
Do you cover the news objectively?
The news staff, which operates independently from the opinion department, works to make sure stories are complete and fair, with accurate headlines and a balanced placement of stories. All of the editors at The Star welcome catches from readers or questions about fairness, and the readers’ representative team is available to handle reader questions, criticisms or tips, too. Just call (816) 234-4487.
How do I get my event covered, or contact The Star with a story idea?
First, ask yourself: What’s the subject matter or geographic area? Is it a metrowide story or community (Neighborhood News) story? Neighborhood News editors are listed on Page 2 of every issue. Metro editors can be reached by calling (816) 234-INFO and asking for the Missouri or Kansas desk. Or, call the readers’ representative at (816) 234-4487.
How can I talk with the reporter of a story?
At the end of most stories is the reporter’s contact information: name, title and phone number and e-mail address.
How do I find the police report information for my city?
Online, go to local news and find the Neighborhood News section for your city. For example: If you live in Leawood, click on the Blue Valley/Leawood Neighborhood News. Scroll down until you find the police report. In the paper Neighborhood News, the “Safety Net” is toward the back of the section.
Can I buy a news article for my organization’s upcoming event?
No, you can’t. Assignment and placement of news articles are determined by editors. Only advertisements are paid content.
How do you decide what’s on the front page?
Front-page stories are decided by a group of editors from various departments — text, photo and graphics — who meet several times a day. Editors reflect on the day’s paper at a morning meeting at 10 a.m. Editors also pitch ideas for the next day’s paper at that meeting. Various meetings are held interdepartmentally throughout the day. At the end of the day, editors meet at 4 p.m. to discuss stories, photos and graphics being offered for the next day’s front page, as well as for The Star’s Web site, kansascity.com. The final lineup is decided shortly after that meeting.
How do corrections get in the paper?
Readers and sources may call or e-mail the reporter of the story (contact information is at the bottom of most stories) or they may call the readers’ representative team at (816) 234-4487.
When do you update the Web site?
The Web site is updated throughout the day. National and local breaking news immediately is posted on the kansascity.com Web site. Special original content, such as the “Midday Business Report” by members of The Star’s Business staff appears at various times weekdays. Overnight, the site changes at 2 a.m. with fresh content from the next day’s newspaper.
What’s your deadline?
Our deadlines vary depending on subject matter and edition. Feature stories are due in advance — sometimes a full 24 hours before the paper arrives on your doorstep and in boxes, sometimes even earlier. News stories for the first edition are due at 8 p.m. Sports editors need scores by 10:30 p.m. For the Metropolitan edition, deadline is no later than 11 p.m. Of course, we make every effort to get in late-breaking news.
What do I do if I was misquoted?
Contact the reporter of the story, using the contact information at the end of the story. Or call the readers’ representative at (816) 234-4487.
Who writes headlines?
One of three copy desks (features, news and sports) writes the majority of the headlines that appear in The Star. Reporters and writers, for the most part, do not write headlines. Sometimes, editors suggest headlines.
OPINION
The Star is too liberal (or too conservative).
The Star strives for balance, fairness and accuracy in all of its pages, and yet many readers believe we are either too liberal OR we’re too conservative. That’s because we feature conservative, moderate and liberal voices in the paper on purpose, to accurately reflect our community. The Star itself is politically independent, and historically we have endorsed both Republican and Democratic candidates for office — occasionally even third-party candidates. Our columnist mix is constantly under review and the editorial page editor is sensitive to readers’ desires for balance. We encourage and welcome all suggestions. We also publish a full page of reader letters daily — and a column each day that is written by a reader.
Why are editorials unsigned?
Editorials are unsigned because they are the group opinion of The Star’s 10-member editorial board and reflect the paper’s official position. The author is usually a board member with the most knowledge on a particular topic and he or she is expected to incorporate others’ views. The board meets daily to discuss positions and in most cases, the majority rules. However, the publisher may outvote the board, if he chooses. The board welcomes informational materials on issues by mail, fax or e-mail. In addition, frequent meetings are held with newsmakers, groups and individuals who want to advocate their position before the board.
How can I get a letter to the editor in the paper?
The newspaper welcomes readers’ opinions in letters to the editor, Voices, As I See It columns and op-ed submissions. Information about how to submit pieces for publication appears daily on the bottom of the Editorial Page. Reader submissions may be published by The Star electronically. Send submissions to The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108, or to letters@kcstar.com.
PHOTO
Can I get one of the extra pictures that the photographers took?
If your photo appears in the newspaper, you can buy a copy of it. Call Star Info at (816) 234-4636.
If it did not appear in the newspaper, you cannot get photos from staff photographers (the credit line will read “The Star”) because we do not release outtakes. If it was taken by a freelancer (the credit line will say “Special to The Star”), you can contact freelancers, who are free to release unpublished images at their discretion. Many freelancers also follow The Star’s policy to not release outtakes.
SPORTS
Why is sports so prominent in The Star?
Sports is prominent in The Star because we live in a great sports town with great fans, and we want to give those fans the coverage they deserve. There’s a lot going on here with the always-popular Chiefs, the Royals, great college teams, the Big 12 title game in football and the conference tournament in basketball, Kansas Speedway, not to mention our 100-plus high schools, UMKC, the Wizards, the T-Bones, the Comets, the Explorers, the outdoors and more. Sports can be especially meaningful because our teams represent our entire city. It’s one of the only things that can bring everyone together and get people on the same side. KC’s fans have a lot of passion. So we at The Star take our jobs very seriously in bringing them a comprehensive level of sports coverage.
How can I get columnists Jason Whitlock or Joe Posnanski to speak at an event?
They handle their own speaking engagements. Call (816) 234-INFO and speak their names into the voice mail prompt. You’ll be transferred. Or send an e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com or jposnanski@kcstar.com.
How late can teams play for you to get scores in the paper?
The sports desk needs scores by 10:30 p.m. to get into the next day’s paper. We also run late scores and daytime scores on kansascity.com.
MISCELLANEOUS
How can I get a reprint of an article, graphic or artwork published in The Star?
To get a copy or reprint of any of the above that were published in The Kansas City Star, send your request in writing to: StarInfo, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108. Or call (816) 234-INFO (4636) and say operator.
Requests must include enough information to identify the article, graphic or artwork being reproduced and a detailed explanation of how The Star material will be used. There is a copyright fee connected to request for republication. For fee information please contact StarInfo at (816) 234-4741. StarInfo can also be reached by e-mail at starinfo@kcstar.com.
The Kansas City Star does not hold the copyright to any material generated outside of The Star and will not provide permission for use. This would include material from The Associated Press, Bloomberg Business News, McClatchy-Tribune, etc. For information on how to contact outside agencies, please call StarInfo. StarInfo also offers a variety of services to the public including research of Star archives. If you would like to know more about these services, please contact StarInfo at (816) 234-4741.
Can I reprint news articles, editorials and editorial cartoons?
Send your request to The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108 or call (816) 234-4741..
How can I get a back issue of The Star?
Call the Tearsheets department, which is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at (816) 234-4110. Give the date, section and page number you want. A fee will be charged. Issues of The Star are kept for one year. Neighborhood News sections are kept for about three to four months.
Does The Star sell commemorative press plates?
Press plates used to print The Star make good keepsakes for anniversaries and other events. For a small charge, you can get the plate you want. Call (816) 234-4110. Press plates and color keys are available from the date of publication through two weeks following publication.
Whom do I contact about The Star’s special projects?
To inquire about Project Warmth or KC Day, call Diane Scott, (816) 234-4140. For Excellence in Teaching call Jim Sajevic, (816) 234-4799.
Where can I get Red Friday editions?
The Star doesn’t sell Red Friday. That’s another newspaper in Kansas City. However, we do publish an extra section in the paper on Mondays after a Chiefs game. Our weekend subscribers (Friday-Sunday) get a paper on Mondays when we have this section.
I don’t have time to read the paper.
Editors are very aware of the time pressures facing all of us today. That’s why we are constantly meeting with readers to explore ideas on how to make The Star easier and faster to read. Meanwhile, we certainly don’t expect you to read everything in the paper — actually hardly anyone reads the entire paper front-to-back. Instead, our readers find plenty of value in one important story on the front page or on the metro front, a mind-challenging word puzzle or an entertaining comic or horoscope. Or maybe they just enjoy an interesting feature on a local person or seeing their neighbors pictured in Neighborhood News. Just one helpful restaurant or movie review can save you time and money.
