From COLORADO MEDIA PROJECT

The arts are flourishing in Colorado –- but many Coloradans feel they are not getting the news and information they need, according to an extensive Colorado Media Project survey and subsequent interviews.

With traditional advertising models for journalism broken, and local media forced to cut back severely on staff and resources, arts coverage has shriveled over the past decade.

At the same time, with consumer habits changing toward digital and social media, there’s a glut of largely disorganized information about events available. This reality leaves people feeling overwhelmed, and at a loss about where and how to connect.

• Read 10 key takeways from the Colorado Media Project study.
• Read the survey data.
• Read what the people said.

Over the past five months, with support from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and Gates Family Foundation, the Colorado Media Project has been working with Colorado Public Radio/Denverite and Rocky Mountain Public Media to explore these questions:

• How do Coloradans want to know about and engage with arts and culture in our state and how can media outlets and art organizations serve those needs?
• How do underrepresented communities in particular feel they are being served by arts and culture organizations and media coverage of arts and culture?

The answer: It’s complicated. People feel overwhelmed by information yet feel they aren’t getting what they need from current sources. They long for a sense of community among artists, arts audiences, and arts funders, but struggle to figure out how to build it.

Conducted together with our partners, insights from research and community conversations suggest some ways forward.