When Two Become One! Saint Louis Arts Groups Hopeful of Merger Impact

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Detail of "A Prince Meeting a Muslim Holy Man" (1610) at the Saint Louis Art Museum

Many believe, including me that nonprofit news partnerships are the future for arts journalism. On Monday another sign of that hopeful change was the merger of the St. Louis Public Radio and the St. Louis Beacon to become one news organization. "Commercial media have no interest in the arts," said one Saint Louis arts administrator (and friend). "Today, when I send a press release or an email pitch, I get a call-back from the advertising department." The consolidation of the two nonprofit news organizations will significantly improve their business capacity; and the arts community is hopeful it will also result in more depth explorations of arts issues; and stories about artists in the community.

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Arts Journalism Grants Awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

The critical role of journalism gets lost in many of the national, and local discussions about arts audience development, and that's why yesterday's NEA arts journalism announcement was so significant. This latest round of recipients of Art Works grant awards named Indianapolis as one of only four communities nationwide receiving Art Works grant awards. The four communities are: Ann Arbor, MI ($45,000); Detroit, MI ($30,000); Fort Lauderdale, FL ($25,000); and Indianapolis, IN ($35,000). The awards are a partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and were announced as part of a webinar/press conference led by Sasha Anawalt, associate professor and director of arts journalism programs at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications.

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Arts Journalism--A New Opportunity for Nonprofit & Commercial Partners

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Independent News Networks Fill Void

A new model for arts journalism in Middle America is needed, and I propose the development of innovative regional partnerships between commercial newspapers, arts groups, universities, and nonprofit media organizations. At a time when Americans appear to be abandoning the fine arts, part of the blame is a corresponding decline in arts journalism. Traditional media is failing the Arts, and during the past decade as jobs were slashed, content thinned, and arts criticism lost its emphasis, more Americans began getting their news online (21%), according to Pew’s biennial study.

The journalism landscape is changing, and one emerging trend has been the rise of nonprofit news organizations. These new entities however, with minimal staffs and modest budgets of less than $50,000 will not be able to compete outside of the coasts. The new arts journalism model for Middle America will empower bloggers, students and/or professionals, and non-arts journalists by offering perspectives that go beyond mere branding by increasing the levels of interactivity among audiences including postings and online conversations. Critically, it will also provide the business fundamentals of marketing, sales, and fundraising that are needed.

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