It's not nearly as forward as Open Platform's objection to today's news that a selection panel wants a culturally bankrupt revenue-generating Chihuly museum at the Seattle Center, but KEXP—which is also vying for the land—says it's "disappointed" and insists that this is not the final step. They "await a decision from the mayor."
KEXP's full statement is after the jump.
KEXP responds to Review Panel recommendation
STATEMENT FROM KEXP — We are disappointed about the Review Panel's recommendation and we continue to believe that KEXP at the Mural Amphitheater would be an enormous benefit to our community.
We remain very committed to seeing this process through, and we are eager to hear from Seattle Center director Robert Nellams as well as the Mayor and City Council about how they plan to proceed.
For the past two years, we have considered our relocation very carefully and we have explored the benefits and feasibility of several different locations — on and off the Center’s campus — for KEXP's new home. The Arcade building at the Mural Amphitheater is the ideal location. While we await a decision from the mayor, we will need to examine more closely non-Seattle Center alternatives. Our ultimate goal is unchanged: to provide better service to thousands of artists and hundreds of thousands of music lovers.
We are grateful for the outpouring of support we and our proposal have received from our listeners, donors, and the community.
About KEXP Public RadioKEXP is an influential, non-commercial radio station based in Seattle and supported through financial contributions from listeners and businesses worldwide. Over the last three decades, KEXP has built a reputation as a champion of new and emerging artists and musical forms. Today, KEXP programs a rare mix of music spanning multiple genres and the station brings listeners more than 500 live, in-studio performances each year.
KEXP has a mission to enrich people’s lives by providing a wide array of music and by exploring, developing and applying relevant technology to deepen and extend musical experiences. Listeners enjoy KEXP at 90.3 FM in Seattle and around the world at KEXP.org.
The station is governed by the Friends of KEXP, a nonprofit organization that operates the station on behalf of the University of Washington, which holds the FCC license. A partnership with Vulcan Inc. provides facility support and programming collaboration. The University of Washington’s information technology group provides KEXP with the development and application of streaming services, technical expertise and other relevant technology to extend the music experience.
