Courtesy Kansas City Star

(June 30, 2009) Things have been awfully quiet over at Fox 4 lately. In part that's because Kansas City's oldest TV station, started 60 years ago by The Star, is now held by private equity, which doesn't have to say a thing to Wall Street, the press or the public if it chooses. It can neglect its weirdly vandalized "About Us" page for months at a time. It just doesn't matter.

Also, the folks at Fox 4 are a little busy these days. The station just had one of its best ratings books in a long, long while (see below), but who's got the time to celebrate? News director Bryan McGruder is working with about 10 fewer bodies in his newsroom than he was a year ago. But, "we’ve been making it work," he told TVB today. "We expand responsibilities, expand duties. We have a great staff here. They're picking up work and not complaining."

In mornings, for instance, there used to be an anchor-team handoff midway through. But that was eliminated along with the second anchor team. And yet in the May book, Fox's morning show widened its lead over its rivals.

Well, soon there's going to be even more work to pick up, specifically in sports, where longtime anchor Frank Boal is retiring — and won't be replaced.

"He is the consummate professional and will be sorely missed," McGruder said.

This week is the deadline for Fox 4 employees to accept corporate's buyout offer. All employees age 55+ with at least 15 years' tenure at the station are eligible. Photographer John Roach took the buyout when it was offered to union members earlier this year. And now, Boal and director Jerry Matz have told management they're getting out, too.

"We’re not in a position to replace Frank and go back to a three-man sports department," McGruder said. "We’re going to have to do something different, but I haven't talked to Al (Wallace) or Jason (Lamb) to get their input.

"I don't imagine it will be anything different."

Boal announced on Monday's 6 p.m. sportscast that today would be his last day at WDAF-TV.

“It was a close call,” Boal said Monday, adding that Fox 4 management “did everything they could to keep me here. It was just one of those things where, being 62 and at the very end of my contract, and with the uncertainty of the future, that had a lot to do with taking the buyout.” Local TV LLC, the private-equity firm that owns WDAF, offered a lucrative buyout to all of its employees age 55 or older with at least 15 years' service. The deadline for taking the offer is this week.

The sudden decision has left Boal unsure about his future. He'll continue to do on-air work for WHB-AM (810), though “how many hours a week is still being determined,” he said. And he intends to return to the Rocky Mountains to take up his recent hobby of hiking peaks 14,000 feet and higher.

“This summer I think I'll knock off a few mountains,” Boal said.

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