Greg Klein, who worked at The Daily Star from 2013 to 2021, has returned as its new sports editor.
Klein was born in Syracuse while his father was at Upstate Medical, was raised in the Washington D.C. suburbs and moved to the Cooperstown area in 2011.
He attended Auburn University, where he earned a degree in journalism with a double minor in radio/tv/film and philosophy, graduating in 1992. He wrote for his college newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, acting as sports editor and managing editor.
From 2011 to 2013, Klein worked as a clerk for The Cooperstown Crier, a publication of The Daily Star. Shortly after that, he became The Crier’s editor, a role he held until 2018 when it was made a reprint. He then did general assignment at the Daily Star until 2021.
“I am honored to take on this challenge to present sports coverage to The Daily Star readers,” Klein said Tuesday. “I learned how to publish a daily newspaper in the Star office, watching and helping Dean Russin and Rob Centorani do their sports work for years. I hope I can live up to their standards and traditions.”
He said moving into the sports editor role feels natural because he already knows the newsroom, the community, the schools and the teams. It was something he felt he could contribute to and help to “change the product in a very positive way.”
“The way that I balance my dreams of grandeur with my day to day life is that I just try to be a community servant in what I do,” Klein said.
He said when you grow up loving sports and did not get enough as a kid, it makes sense to gravitate toward a job that immerses itself in the sports world. He added that he has been working on a Cooperstown sports blog over the last three years since leaving the Star.
In deciding what position to take on next, Klein said he asked “what would be the simplest, truest thing that I could do where I still had time to do all of the things I love, but was also supporting my family by using my skillset.”
Stepping into the sports editor role now, Klein said it will take some adjusting under the limitations of a one-person staff. He said he hopes to put together more sports features and bring back season-end athletic awards.
Outside of journalism, Klein has dabbled in acting and producing and has written three books. He also was president of the Cooperstown Sports Booster Club and won their Ken Kiser Award in 2021 for dedication to Cooperstown athletics.
Klein also serves as the Film Otsego film commissioner, a role he began in 2020, be coming certified in 2021.
“I have a lot going on in my life, with the TV and movie projects, the books and the film commission, but I think this challenge is the next step for me,” Klein said. “Whether I am here for a short spell or the long term, my goal is the same, to revamp the sports section in a way that leaves The Daily Star and its readership with a lasting formula for continued sports coverage.”