After losing power and influence, the head honchos who ran leading daily The Star are now gearing to be media giants on their own.

The former Star Publications (M) Berhad bosses now want to take on the nation’s leading English newspaper. Many have tried and failed in the past.

This comes following the decision of The Star ’s board to do away with the post of executive deputy chairperson (EDC) which costs the shareholders about RM9 million annually. The position was held by a political appointee named by the MCA president, but current president Liow Tiong Lai has decided to scrap the position.

The board is expected to appoint a new chairperson, Fu Ah Kiow, a former deputy minister. Star Publications’ annual general meeting is to be held on May 20.

The latest casualty, The Star ’s former EDC Vincent Lee ( right ), has started another news portal, cilisos.my .

When he was in The Star , he had also initiated dailychilli.com . It has died a natural death since he left. When you click on dailychili.com, its headline reads: “Chilling Chilli.”

The text in the closed-down website states: “Please be informed, that The Daily Chilli , as hot as we are, is taking a break, a chill pill, a cooling down period. You don't want us to self-combust now would you? As such, we’re going on a hiatus, till further notice. We promise, when we eventually get tired of the pina coladas, you'll see an even hotter, and er, chillier Daily Chilli .”

Lee joined Star Publications as a non-independent non-executive director on May 24, 2010 and was re-designated executive deputy chairperson on Jan 3, 2011, and after serving out a three-year contract he concluded his term early this year.

“Currently, I am building a lot of digital verticals to complement Soft Space (a company specialising in mobile payment),” Lee said in an email interview.

Lee has denied meeting The Sun owner Vincent Tan several times in the past three months on negotiations to buy the free daily.

According to media market sources, Tan is hoping to dispose of the newspaper lock, stock and barrel for RM200 million. The Sun , which claims to have about 300,000 readers, has had a tough time to stay afloat after failing to attract new advertisers.

Power and influence

The former EDC prior to Lee, Clement Hii, whose application for a newspaper licence was rejected, now runs three magazines.

They are Focus Malaysia and The Heat , as well as an online news portal, Theantdaily.com . Hii is said to be bidding to buy a private jet after owning a top-of-the-range yacht.

“Obviously, the ex-media barons can’t seem to relinquish their power and influence,” said an advertising firm’s general manager.

The Star ’s former group chief editor June Wong, who was pushed ‘upstairs’, is now chief operating officer (content development). This transfer, decided by the board two weeks ago, is considered as a lateral movement without any promotion.

Leanne Goh has been appointed acting group chief editor, taking over the position held by Wong.

Wong, who was regarded as Lee’s blue-eyed girl, is speculated to join Lee in his digital wing where he is planning to build a media business house.

Wong was promoted to group chief editor four months ago, just before Lee’s exit from The Star .