Most people know Bill Seitz as a local artist and gallery director for Covington's Carnegie Center. But during the past few months, since his Nov. 15 announcement of a "Petition drive to request an Arts section in The Cincinnati Enquirer," he's become the arts community's most popular messenger. The community's response to his petition has been overwhelming. Finally, The Enquirer has responded. On Feb. 19, Enquirer Editor Ward Bushee and Sara Pearce, assistant managing editor for features, met with Seitz to hear what he had to say. For many members of the arts community who have supported Seitz's petition, it was surprising to hear he even got in the door.
"When I first walked into the room, I think they (Bushee and Pearce) were a little hesitant," Seitz says. "I think they expected a confrontational situation. But I told them I want constructive criticism. I wasn't about to sic the entire arts community after them."
There was a lot of information Seitz wanted to share with Bushee and Pearce. But one core message directed the conversation: It's amazing how many people are disgusted with the arts coverage in Cincinnati's morning daily.
"Ward Bushee kept trying to explain to me that arts was part of the title in Tempo," Seitz says. "He pointed to the small oval in the middle of the title with the word 'Arts' inside it. I told him that oval wasn't being representative of the arts community. It's important to make it part of the headline alongside Tempo. Why not call the section Arts & Tempo?
"When you look at arts coverage in The Enquirer, it's clear that it's being de-emphasized. What I'm trying to say is that the arts is as important as the other things The Enquirer reports on."
Seitz wants The Enquirer's arts coverage to be comparable to other Midwestern dailies. Basically, he and the arts community want a separate Arts & Leisure section.
Recently, The Louisville Courier-Journal's Arts & Leisure section ran a front-page profile of Cincinnati artist Jay Bolotin. In Seitz's opinion, it's a story that should be in Cincinnati's morning daily.
"How is it that a Cincinnati artist is getting a huge play in Louisville, but Cincinnati never hears about him?" Seitz asks. "If I know Jay Bolotin or most arts people, they're not wasting their time sending press releases to The Enquirer. They're going to talk to papers in other cities where they get more respect."
For Seitz, simply meeting with Enquirer editors qualifies his petition as an unexpected success. More importantly, the meeting occurred because the local arts community united behind his petition.
Talk about Enquirer readership surveys and hiring freezes led to a commitment by Bushee and Pearce to schedule a series of small meetings with various people from the arts community, Seitz was told.
Seitz will help The Enquirer facilitate the meetings. He's invested too much energy into the process to walk away now.
"If the arts community is as passionate about this as they've shown me in e-mails, I think this petition can become a reality," he says. "We want a color page like the Wednesday food section. We want to be featured. This drive will continue until we can hold up an arts section in this town."
I hope members of the arts community take advantage of The Enquirer's offer and attend one of these meetings. It's a rare opportunity to tell the morning daily what you really think about their arts coverage.
Send your name and requests to attend upcoming Enquirer meetings to Bill Seitz, 455 Milton St., Cincinnati, OH 45210, 513-421-7272 or billseitzart@yahoo.com.
contact steve ramos: sramos@citybeat.com
