Media Central Corp. FBOP

Two questions on Friday the 13th

[PitchinPennies]

Did advertisers in the April 2022 issue of NOW Toronto receive invoices and tear-sheets? Because such documents will be evidence should there be any criminal investigation of potential advertising fraud committed by Media Central. NOW implies a print circulation of 75,000 copies on its masthead and ratecards, but observation reveals that the actual number appears to be closer to... zilch. 

Meanwhile, Media Central president Uncle Kirk appears to have no concerns. This morning he's tweeting, as his "Top Story," a photograph of a literal black hole. If anyone else were to do this under these circumstances, you'd assume he'd be offering a wry symbolic comment about his investors' predicament. Uncle Kirk, however, is a proven irony-free zone. Not to mention all the other qualities he lacks.

What he should be tweeting is a photo of his Canadian immigration visa, to dispute those mumblings that he overstayed his work visa after leaving the Toronto Star. According to the rumours, which may be baseless, his residency status is the reason he didn't wish to serve as a director of the publicly traded Media Central. How's about it, Uncle Kirk? R U legal, or ain'tcha?

[NOWemployee]

Kirk didn't want to be a director of a publically traded company because he didn't want to be held responsible.  Marcus Vanmanson was briefly named VP of Operations at Media Central, he also didn't want to be held responsible which is why his name wasn't inlcuded in the managment team even though he was working with Kirk at NOW when Alice Klein was still the owner. You'll

[PitchinPennies]

Thanks for the inside perspective. It adds some valuable puzzle pieces. I'll say that the original idea of consolidating 100 North American alt-weeklies was impractical from the start, and the execution was upended by Covid -- but it really wasn't the stupidest concept ever. It became the stupidest concept ever after the money dried up, Kalish was deservedly deep-sixed, and Kirk started

[NOWemployee]

After Kalish's June 9 2020 letter to shareholders there was massive public backlash. He tried to backpedal and published an open letter to readers in NOW & Georgia Straight. It was an utter disaster and failure on his part. He had to delete his Twitter account because of the barrage of hate mail he was receiving.    Both publications have lost all marketshare. They've

[Tigers22]

"NOWemployee" is clearly an ex-Georgia Straight employee (guessing LM herself). No one has ever heard of 'Stir Vancouver' and no one at Now could even name two writers at the Straight current or ex.

[NOWemployee]

@Tigers22, I'm an ex NOW employee.  I've never worked for the Georgia Straight until Kirk came on board and we became one big disfunctional family.  I re-read your posts and you seem to know a lot about what's going on with Kirk.  Are you a NOW employee?  I know you're not on the editorial team as you would know who Charlie Smith is from Georgia Straight.  

[PitchinPennies]

As colossal a dingbat as Kirk may be, he has left little to compare with the legacy of stoopid created by Mr. Brain Knish. Readers of this thread may need to refesh their memories of Brain Knish's historic climbdown here. I was impressed by the detail of Kirk and his partner-in-slime having chanced upon Brain Knish in a downtown Toronto bar. This could be a plot device out of a novel by