Key Points
• Arts leader Shawn Vinson has created a petition to save cancelled “City Lights Collective” program on WABE.
• Local NPR affiliate said Trump administration’s cutting of public broadcast funding forced cancellation.
• Vinson asks WABE leadership to reprioritize existing funding, look at executive salaries, and hold additional fundraising.
Local arts leader and art gallery owner, Shawn Vinson, has started a petition urging WABE to rethink its decision to end the “City Lights Collective” program.
The local NPR affiliate announced on Sept. 17 that it was cutting the afternoon arts program, hosted by Kim Drobes and Jon Goode, due to the Trump administration’s funding cuts to public media. The show had only been on the air since July, succeeding “City Lights with Lois Reitzes” after her retirement.
In the petition, Vinson, who operates The Sun ATL gallery in the Sweet Auburn Historic District, encourages WABE management to look more closely at cost savings with smaller reductions across programs, scrutinize executive salaries, and consider additional fundraising efforts.
“If this show has meant something to you, or if you believe Atlanta needs more spotlights on local artists and creative voices, I’d be grateful if you’d take a moment to read my letter and sign the petition,” Vinson said in an email to his followers. “Even better, consider reaching out to WABE directly to let them know how you feel about keeping the show alive.”
Vinson said having one contributor – Arts & Culture Editor Sherri Daye Scott (who is also the curator of Rough Draft’s weekly Sketchbook newsletter) – handle all arts coverage across multiple platforms cannot adequately serve a metropolitan area of Atlanta’s size and cultural significance.
“This approach treats arts and culture as an afterthought rather than recognizing them as fundamental to Atlanta’s identity and economic future,” Vinson said. “We urge WABE to prioritize the restoration of dedicated arts programming in these efforts and to reconsider whether a 13% budget reduction truly necessitates eliminating an entire program rather than making proportional cuts across all departments.