Last week, in an effort to shore up its sagging revenues, The Kansas City Star eliminated the position of classical music critic, and with it Paul Horsley.
Clearly, management at The Star does not understand the vibrancy and importance the arts community . Its action ill serves classical music and dance by not having a dedicated reporter covering that beat. As the Lyric Opera, Kansas City Ballet, and Kansas City Symphony anticipate performing in the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in 2010, this decision is tantamount to the Royals making it to the World Series, only to have all the local baseball reporters fired from the sports department.
Will you help support the Lyric Opera by writing a letter to the editor of The Star, as well as the Reader’s Rep and let them know that The Star has a responsibility to cover the full breadth of the vibrant cultural landscape of this community, including music and dance, with a dedicated, full-time critic?
All letters should be made very personal, and should not have the tone or feel of a form letter. When writing to The Star, be sure to let them know:
- Whether you are a subscriber to the paper, and whether a lack of coverage of music and dance will impact your decision to renew your subscription to The Star;
- How the arts in Kansas City contribute $279 million annually in economic impact to the region, and a lack of coverage will have a direct and dramatic economic impact;
- How freelancer writers lack the ability to see the “whole picture” of music and dance in the community, and how a more limited view is a disservice to readers;
- How you use the arts coverage in the newspaper impacts your knowledge and support of Kansas City arts institutions;
- How diverse the readership of arts coverage is.
Please send your letters to both the Editor (letters@kcstar.com) and the Reader’s Rep (readerrep@kcstar.com). Letters can also be mailed to 1729 Grand, Kansas City, MO 64108. Letters should be a maximum of 150 words, include your name, address and daytime telephone number.
Additionally, send your letters to Peter Tira, Communications Director for The McClatchy Company (owners of The Kansas City Star): 2100 Q Street, Sacramento, CA 95816-6899, ptira@mcclatchy.com.
We would love to represent your voices here, on the Lyric Opera blog as well. Just click the comment button to share your letter with us.
Thank you in advance for your continued support of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and for helping us educate the owners of The Star about the importance of music and dance in Kansas City – and in Kansas City’s newspaper.