When the mainstream media decides to curtail coverage in a
particular area, a golden opportunity may arise for a niche publisher to step
in and dominate the market. That’s exactly what happened when the Kansas City
Star mostly dismantled its arts and entertainment department a few years back
in light of declining advertising and circulation revenues and the need to
reduce staff.
KC Studio, a bimonthly
specialty magazine that covers the arts, saw a chance to expand its coverage to
include more serious, in-depth reporting and critique of the vibrant and
growing KC arts scene, said Alice
Thorson, Editor of KC Studio. Alice talked about the evolution of the
publication, founded in 2008, and the ever-increasing depth and breadth of arts
offerings in the metro area at a meeting of the Kansas City Freelance Exchange.
Breaking with tradition
Alice came on board KC Studio in 2015 with the charge of
continuing to expand the editorial mission of the magazine to cover “what
artists are saying and how it relates to the world, instead of the traditional
focus on arts organizations and what they want to tell the public,” she
explained. The result was an expanded publication with often lengthy and always
meaty articles by experienced arts and entertainment writers about the movers
and shakers who are constantly raising the bar in Kansas City.
At the same time, the magazine was divided into two distinct
parts – at the front of the magazine the Editorial
section, where Alice and the editorial team decides what is worthy of coverage; and
paid Advertorial at the back of the
magazine, where arts organizations can deliver their message to the public and can
control the content because they pay for space in the magazine.
Performing, visual,
cinematic and literary arts
The many arts organizations in the community accepted the
change with good spirits, Alice said. “We told them we will cover them when
they do projects that are worthy of coverage,” she said, and of course, many
projects are deemed worthy. The transition from a focus on organizations to a
focus on artists has proceeded very smoothly, she added. Editorial coverage
encompasses the performing, visual, cinematic and literary arts.
At the same time the magazine shifted its focus away from coverage of organizations, it expanded its online presence, with frequent
articles about current exhibitions and performances, giving the public
up-to-date and relevant information that helps them decide what events to attend.
Online reviews by arts critics of current and past
productions and exhibitions are easy to search and access, providing excellent
resources for the discerning public. “Weekend Picks” by Alice help draw
attention to worthy events and performances that might otherwise be overlooked.
An active presence for KC Studio on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter provide yet more platforms
for arts coverage, sharing and public comments.
As a controlled circulation magazine, a print subscription
is free. Sign up at KCStudio.org.
