Dear WABE President Jennifer Dorian, WABE Board Members, Corporate Sponsors, and Fellow Atlantans,
I write as a longtime member of Atlanta's arts community since 1998 and co-founder of the emerging Edgewood Arts District to express profound dismay at WABE's decision to cancel "City Lights Collective" after just three months on air.
While I understand the financial pressures created by the 13% federal budget reduction, this decision represents a devastating blow to a cultural ecosystem that has struggled to establish itself for decades. Atlanta's arts and culture scene has faced many challenges since the tragic 1962 Orly crash, which claimed 121 of our city's most prominent arts patrons and cultural leaders. That catastrophe left Atlanta's cultural development stunted, making it increasingly difficult to compete with cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles as a destination for culture.
Today, Atlanta is a metropolitan area of 6 million people, home to the world's busiest airport, and preparing to host World Cup events in 2026. Yet our arts media infrastructure has drastically declined. Creative Loafing, once a vibrant weekly champion of local culture, now exists as a diminished online presence. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's arts coverage has been slashed dramatically over three decades.
Beyond economics, arts programming serves an essential civic function. Programs like "City Lights Collective" don't merely report on culture - they help create and sustain it. They connect artists with audiences, galleries with collectors, and communities with the creative voices that define a city's character. When we eliminate these connections, we don't just lose a radio show; we lose part of our cultural identity.
I respectfully challenge WABE's leadership to reconsider this decision:
- Could cost savings have been achieved through smaller reductions across multiple programs rather than eliminating an entire arts-focused show?
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Have executive salaries and administrative costs been scrutinized with the same intensity applied to programming?
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What additional fundraising efforts were attempted before resorting to program cancellation?
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How does WABE plan to maintain its commitment to serving the diverse needs of Atlanta's community without dedicated arts coverage?
The transition to having one staff member handle all arts coverage across multiple platforms cannot adequately serve a metropolitan area of our size and cultural significance. This approach treats arts and culture as an afterthought rather than recognizing them as fundamental to Atlanta's identity and economic future.
WABE President Dorian stated that the organization is planning a large fundraising benefit in February and seeking more long-term corporate sponsors. We urge WABE to prioritize the restoration of dedicated arts programming in these efforts and to reconsider whether a 13% budget reduction truly necessitates eliminating an entire program rather than making proportional cuts across all departments.
"City Lights Collective" deserves more than three months to prove its worth. We've heard for over thirty years that Atlanta "has potential" to become a respected arts and culture city. That potential cannot be realized without the infrastructure - including media coverage - to support it.
The heart of Atlanta's culture was lost in 1962, but Atlanta's creative spirit survived and continues to grow. Don't let budget cuts accomplish what tragedy could not: the silencing of Atlanta's cultural voice.
Respectfully,
Shawn Vinson
Co-Founder/Director
The Sun ATL
399 Edgewood Ave
Atlanta GA 30312
On behalf of Atlanta's arts and culture community and "all who truly believe the arts are a continuing effort of the human spirit to find meaning in existence."
This letter is open for signature and endorsement by artists, cultural organizations, business leaders, and community members who support robust arts programming in Atlanta. Please share widely!
WABE Contact Information:
TELEPHONE: 404-685-2400
SOCIAL MEDIA: @wabe90.1
EMAIL FEEDBACK: feedback@wabe.org
CEO - Jennifer Dorian: jdorian@wabe.org
MEMBERSHIP - Glenda Davis: gdavis@wabe.org
RADIO PROGRAMMING Douglas Bell: dbell@wabe.org
SALES - Jared Blass: jblass@wabe.org
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