About The Star  

The Kansas City Star Illustration by Tom Dolphens

Our History:
Click above to read more about the history of our newspaper, The Kansas City Star.

THE MISSION OF THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Since 1880, The Star has been our area’s preeminent communications company because of a commitment to one ideal: Building our community through knowledge.

Our Philosophy
LEADERSHIP
A great newspaper forges a union with its community that is both professional and personal. We must continue to nurture that relationship by encouraging and leading the public debate. We must help our customers understand the issues of today, conquer common problems and thereby enrich our shared lives.

OUR CUSTOMERS
Providing superior service means listening closely to our customers – readers, subscribers and advertisers – and dedicating ourselves to their success. We must anticipate their needs and then exceed and their expectations.

OUR EMPLOYEES
Our greatest corporate asset is our people. Therefore we are committed to fostering an open and supportive workplace. We encourage teamwork, initiative and individual growth. We stress accountability and reward good performance. At the same time, we realize that innovation and risk-taking, even failure, is fundamental to our success.

OUR NEWS AND EDITORIAL COMMITMENT
We will be both first and best in covering news and presenting opinion of consequence to our readers. We will be constantly accessible but remain fiercely independent. We will protect the weak, listen to the voiceless and endeavor to make sense of complex events. In our editorial pages we will debate the issues of our day, and we will say where we stand on those issues. We will unmask wrongdoing. We will serve the truth.

DIVERSITY
Our success depends on creating an environment that embraces mutual respect, acceptance of differences and the desire to help all employees reach their full potential. Our product also must reflect the people and concerns of the community we serve.

STEWARDSHIP
We pledge to conduct business in an environmentally safe and sound way. We will continue to support financially and editorially the people, resources and important causes of our community.

ETHICS
We will be honest and demonstrate integrity in everything we do.

INNOVATION
We remain committed to providing our customers their information in whatever form or time they want it, using the most advanced technology available. We pledge to aggressively search for new, more efficient and more versatile ways to serve our customers’ needs.

OUR SHAREHOLDERS
To fulfill our mission, we must continue to set an industry standard for long-term profitability.

The winner of eight Pulitzer Prizes, four Polk Awards and Missouri Press Association Gold Cups in 12 of the last 13 years, The Kansas City Star explores innovative methods of delivering news and information through technology.

The Star, part of the McClatchy newspaper group, completed a $200 million printing and distribution plant in 2006 northeast of its main building at 1729 Grand Blvd. The facility demonstrates a commitment not only to the printed word but also to Kansas City's downtown.

The Star's Press Pavilion at 16th and McGee Streets is sheathed in metal and glass, allowing passersby to watch the presses at work.

Classified Advertising

This is The Star's marketplace for individuals and businesses. Major categories are automotive, recruitment, real estate and merchandise. Ads may be purchased in the traditional, want-ad format -- called in-column -- or as a larger display ad inside the classified section. The section also includes an employment listing called Service Professionals.

Classified ads also are published in the Business Directory of the Sunday Star TV section, the Sunday Real Estate section, Sunday Star Business, the Automotive section on Wednesday and Saturday, the Neighbors section Wednesday and the community newspapers and zoned editions on Thursday.

To place a classified ad, call 816-234-4000.
Customer service: 816-234-4000.
Fax: 816-234-4100.
TDD machine: 816-234-4004.
Outside the metropolitan Kansas City area, call 1-800-366-9688.
Email Classifieds: classfeedback@kcstar.com

Retail Display Advertising

Call the Retail Information Desk at 816-234-4150 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for questions about retail advertising and for rates on church advertising.

Fax: 816-234-4101

The Retail Advertising Secretarial Pool directs calls to appropriate departments and takes messages for retail advertising account executives. From 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, call 816-234-4150. In emergencies after 6 p.m., call 816-234-4105.

Major accounts such as The Jones Store, Dillards and Sears are handled by the Retail Advertising Major Accounts representative. Call 816-234-4169.

Obituaries and Funeral Notices

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 Email: obits@kcstar.com

Getting your news into print

You are the heartbeat of the city...neighborhood groups, religious group, civic and not-for-profit organizations and local sports teams. Your news is important to the city, and that makes it important to us. That's why we've developed this guide. Getting your news into The Star is really a matter of remembering a few facts and following some simple guidelines.

How to report your news

As a rule, it is best to communicate with the newspaper in written form, except on breaking news. If you send your request for news coverage in writing, it will be routed to the appropriate person and evaluated carefully for inclusion in the newspaper.

The press release

The press release is the most widely used and effective means of communicating your newsworthy items to the newspaper. In a single day, we receive more than 100 releases, so it is important to know how to make yours stand out. As a general rule, the best news release is the one that is short, clear and to the point. Each release should answer several basic questions, commonly called "the five W's," in the lead paragraph: who, what, when, where and why. Be certain to use the so-called inverted pyramid style, keeping the most important facts at the beginning, when you are most likely to have the editor's full attention.

Reprinting Articles, Photographs, Graphics or Artwork

To reprint 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. Requests must include enough information to identify the article, photo, 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 email 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, Knight Ridder Tribune, etc. For information on how to contact outside agencies, please call StarInfo.

StarInfo also offers a variety of services to the public including copies of published photos and articles, and research of Star archives. If you would like to know more about these services please contact StarInfo at (816) 234-4741.

For high-quality article reprints, including e-prints & permissions contact Rights & Reproductions at 816-234-4741 or 800-829-0151 ext. 4741, fax 816-234-4777, starinfo@kcstar.com.

The Star in Education.