Dear supporter of the Kansas City Ballet,

I am writing to you to ask your support in a matter critically important to the arts community in Kansas City, and the Kansas City Ballet specifically.

Last week, in an effort to shore up its sagging revenues, McClatchy, the third largest newspaper chain in the country and owner of The Kansas City Star, announced the elimination of 1,400 jobs company-wide, or 10% of its workforce. As part of the local layoffs, The Star has eliminated the position of classical music and dance critic, and with it Paul Horsley.

This decision is incredibly uninformed and short-sighted on the management team at McClatchy, who obviously do not understand the vibrancy and importance the arts community has here in our community, and diminishes the art forms of classical music and dance by not having a dedicated reporter covering that beat. As the Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Opera, 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 Kansas City Ballet by writing a letter or sending an email 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 focus on some combination of the following:

• 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 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 - It has been suggested that The Star believes that music and dance coverage is elitist content, and not applicable to a non-white, non-affluent audience - nothing could be further from the truth;
• The impact lack of coverage will have on emerging music and dance organizations, as well as the impact of the loss of coverage for the Ballet, Symphony, and Opera;
• 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 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.

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, please include your name, address and daytime telephone number.

We also invite you to take a moment to share your letter with the Kansas City Ballet community on our myspace.com/kcballet site by adding a comment under the blog “KC Star Eliminates Dance Critic.”

Thank you in advance for your continued support of the Kansas City Ballet, 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.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey J. Bentley
Executive Director
Kansas City Ballet