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Kennedy Center Changes

T

TheBigA

For over 50 years, the Kennedy Center Honors has been a holiday staple for CBS-TV. The Kennedy Center itself is the home of the National Symphony Orchestra and many other artistic ventures. On Friday, the president announced that he is personally taking over the Kennedy Center, firing the chairman and installing himself as chairman.

apnews.com

Trump says he's firing Kennedy Center board of trustees members and naming himself chairman

President Donald Trump says he's firing members of the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and naming himself chairman.
apnews.com apnews.com

There's a discussion going on if he can do that. There's a message on the Kennedy Center website:

The Kennedy Center is aware of the post made recently by POTUS on social media. We have received no official communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees. We are aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration.

Per the Center’s governance established by Congress in 1958, the chair of the board of trustees is appointed by the Center’s board members. There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board.
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Obviously any changes would affect the annual Honors event and TV show. The current president avoided attending the Honors during his first administration. Apparently he's looking to change that now. Here's an analysis of the situation from the Washington Post:

 
CTListener said:
Country music just lost one of its annual awards shows. This may replace it.
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Doubtful. The country show you're talking about is the one on CBS. They ran the Kennedy Center Honors during the week between Christmas and New Years. They also just lost the Grammy Awards to ABC. These kinds of live music shows are very expensive to produce. My sense is that the expenses for doing this show exceed the ad revenue they receive. I don't know how many years are left on their deal, but if this becomes a big political show, they'll just drop it.

This show typically honors veteran artists from classical music, popular music, Broadway, dance, and movies. The honorees are usually in their 70s or 80s. Not an audience sought by advertisers.
 
TheBigA said:
Doubtful. The country show you're talking about is the one on CBS. They ran the Kennedy Center Honors during the week between Christmas and New Years. They also just lost the Grammy Awards to ABC. These kinds of live music shows are very expensive to produce. My sense is that the expenses for doing this show exceed the ad revenue they receive. I don't know how many years are left on their deal, but if this becomes a big political show, they'll just drop it.

This show typically honors veteran artists from classical music, popular music, Broadway, dance, and movies. The honorees are usually in their 70s or 80s. Not an audience sought by advertisers.
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I thought I was was being facetious until I read your dead serious response. After all, I love country music as a genre, despite the attitudes of some of its performers.

But think about it. Why would a Trumpian ministry of culture want to honor modern dance, modern movies, Broadway? And why wouldn't advertisers support a televised concert featuring Jason Aldean, Kid Rock, Justin Moore, Travis Tritt and, most likely, other politically and socially conservative artists in the genre who support MAGA's ideals and like Trump but haven't done so openly? Has backing MAGA concepts hurt Aldean's career the way opposing them has hurt, say, Maren Morris's? And if advertisers don't want to support programming that appeals to elderly devotees of theater and dance and Broadway, why wouldn't they prefer that the Kennedy Center gala feature more performers who appeal to younger people who are devotees of a musical genre that has been growing exponentially in desirable demos for the past 30 years?
 
CTListener said:
why wouldn't they prefer that the Kennedy Center gala feature more performers who appeal to younger people who are devotees of a musical genre that has been growing exponentially in desirable demos for the past 30 years?
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I'm sure they would, but that's not what the show is about. The concept of the show is to honor artists for a lifetime of work. The other part is the artists they honor represent women and minorities, not just white men. That part doesn't fit with the current agenda. The purpose of the Kennedy Center itself, as well as the Honors show, is to represent ALL Americans.

Taks a look at last year's show.


The 2024 class includes: acclaimed director and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola; legendary American rock band Grateful Dead (Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Bobby Weir); blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt; jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer Arturo Sandoval; and The Apollo, receiving a special Honors as an iconic American institution.
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When you look at that list, you can see why he wants to change it.
 
The existing "they" (the trustees, some of whom have already been asked to quit) aren't the ones who'd be deciding whom to honor or who will perform. Their preferences won't matter. The puppet trustees put in place in their place will.
 
CTListener said:
The existing "they" (the trustees, some of whom have already been asked to quit) aren't the ones who'd be deciding whom to honor or who will perform. Their preferences won't matter. The puppet trustees put in place in their place will.
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Maybe. Like public broadcasting, the Kennedy Center is a public-private partnership. Government funding makes up only about 16% of the revenue. That amounts to about $46 million. The rest comes from memberships, ticket sales, and venue rentals. The drag shows mentioned by the president were paid venue rentals, not supported by tax money. The chairman and the board members represent major contributors to the center, not political friends. Any politicization of the Center will likely hurt its ability to raise money from private contributors. If so, it's possible that the Center might forego its federal contribution in order to maintain its independence.

At one time, the Kennedy Center was part of the National Park Service. Over the years, numerous administrations have sought to cut that responsibility from NPS. In 1994, Congress removed the Kennedy Center from the Park Service responsibilities. Currently, the trustees have full responsibility over the center.

www.nationalparkstraveler.org

Pruning the Parks: It Took the Park Service Over 20 Years to Get Out from Under the Kennedy Center (1972-1994)

When Congress added the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the National Park System on June 16, 1972, the Park Service acquired a difficult and expensive set of managerial obligations not fitting well with its traditional functions. Abolishing this NPS unit in 1994 was the right thing to do.
www.nationalparkstraveler.org www.nationalparkstraveler.org
 
The president has named an ally to lead the Kennedy Center:



“So we took over the Kennedy Center. We didn’t like what they were showing and various other things,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday evening, adding, “But we have, I guess, a whole new group of people going in. ... I’m going to be chairman of it, and we’re going to make sure that it’s good and it’s not going to be woke.”
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The Kennedy Center is now under control of the white house. Previous board members replaced, and they voted the potus to be the new chairman:

variety.com

Trump Announces He’s Been ‘Unanimously’ Elected Kennedy Center Chairman; Shonda Rhimes Steps Down as Treasurer

President Trump completed his takeover of the Kennedy Center, announcing he's been "unanimously" elected chairman of the board.
variety.com variety.com

time.com

Trump’s Kennedy Center Takeover Will Reverberate in Hollywood

Trump is now the Kennedy Center's board chairman, giving him control over a beloved arts institution that regularly interacts with Hollywood
time.com time.com
 
TheBigA said:
The Kennedy Center is now under control of the white house. Previous board members replaced, and they voted the potus to be the new chairman:

variety.com

Trump Announces He’s Been ‘Unanimously’ Elected Kennedy Center Chairman; Shonda Rhimes Steps Down as Treasurer

President Trump completed his takeover of the Kennedy Center, announcing he's been "unanimously" elected chairman of the board.
variety.com variety.com

time.com

Trump’s Kennedy Center Takeover Will Reverberate in Hollywood

Trump is now the Kennedy Center's board chairman, giving him control over a beloved arts institution that regularly interacts with Hollywood
time.com time.com
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"Everything is perfectly normal"
 
rosecitymedia said:
77,302,580 is no small number.
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Huge leap you made there. Lots of folks vote for someone without being a huge fan. I was not a huge fan of Hillary or Kamala, but I voted for the policies they stood for. At least a percentage of these folks voted because they always vote R, and another percentage voted becuase they believed his campaign promises. None of those folks are "loyal fans" necessarily. It will be fascinating to see what electoral trends look like in a few years when he is no longer a force, likely due to death or old age.
 
Agreed. Just making the point that Trump's numbers weren't so small, as was stated. I am one of those that isn't a big fan, but his stance on certain issues fell in line with my own, moreso than the party of whom I've claimed affiliation for the majority of my adult life. Plus, I am quite happy to see RFK Jr. as a part of his administration. I still won, even though my candidate of choice did not. He'll still be able to implement the much needed changes to our health system that he desires, and in my opinion, the entire system will be better off from the resulting changes in direction.
 


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