Dear President Obama

Dear President Obama,

It seems as though everyone in the whole world is expecting you to solve their problems. As long as you’re at it, could you please give your seal of approval to the arts and the value they have for our kids and our communities? How about a Secretary of Arts and Culture?

Classical music radio got caught up in the same greed that brought down many of the big Wall Street firms. The FCC deregulated radio, and people saw a way to merge and consolidate stations in the hopes of making big bucks, but the only way to make it work was to consolidate the programming, too. All of a sudden niche programming like classical no longer is profitable enough, and the whole industry is threatened.

We have a unique product, one that has lasted for centuries, like the ancient trees in an old growth forest. Our audience isn’t huge but it’s loyal and stable. We add value to our communities by supporting the entire arts industry.

As you’ve been saying, all of us are interconnected. If you help us stabilize our industry, we’ll be able to give back to our communities in ways that will last for generations.

Thank you for all you are doing.

Marty Ronish

Inside the Arts