Roland Klose's first paid writing gig was right here in St Louis in the early days of the Riverfront Times; he is now the Enterprise Editor for the St Louis Post-Dispatch. Working inside and out of the St Louis area over the course of his career has provided Klose with great insights into the business of media and journalism.
The conversation went a little something like this:
Chapter 1. Journalism has been in a state of decline for 30-40 years, but so have other industries. The media has been in a constant state of restructuring for decades. (0:00-14:45)
Chapter 2. Cable news is a "poor imitation of news." The consolidation of media companies and the public's insatiable appetite for so-called "breaking news" has changed the way we consume information. While today's papers may be thinner than they were last century, there's still good content in there. (14:45-35:00)
Chapter 3. In the age of Facebook and Twitter, journalists feel the need to cover all of the big stories, but "how do you pick and choose?" Klose also takes a look at the transformation of journalists into psuedo-celebrities with their own personal brands. (35:00-44:30)
Chapter 4. Where's media going and what's the outlook for aspiring journalists? As long as newsmen keep asking "how did things get this way?" there will be hope for modern media. (44:30-54:00)
Thanks again to DJ's family who have helped him get back into the studio after several months away. Also, many thanks to Hank Thompson, who has been keeping Wilson's seat warm. Look for a new show from Thompson coming out in late March 2018 - right here at Podcasts.KDHX.org.
Andy Heaslet is the engineer for Collateral Damage.