KMUW issues apology for pulling commentary after museum director’s complaint

Following a social media firestorm, KMUW, 89.1-FM, has issued an apology to Wichita artist Curt Clonts for removing one of his regular “An Artist’s Perspective” commentaries from its website Friday after a complaint from outgoing Wichita Art Museum director Anne Kraybill.

“I just think it’s really unfortunate that it exploded the way it did, but social media affords us as humans that option to say things we normally might not say if we were talking to someone,” said KMUW general manager Debra Fraser.

The station has reposted the commentary on its site with this disclaimer:

“On Friday, December 29, we were notified there was incorrect information in this commentary. The commentary did air four times, as scheduled. We informed all parties involved that the post would be removed from the web until we could fact-check when management returned on Wednesday, Jan. 3. We have found that the commentary contained no misstatements of fact and has been reposted to the website as promised. We regret that the post was removed and apologize to Mr. Clonts.”

So as not to add more fuel to the social media fire, Fraser said she’s not posting the statement to social media at this time.

“We’ve seen how easily something can become a frenzy, and that is not the character of KMUW. It’s not how we want to run our business.”

Kraybill, who is leaving WAM after less than a year and a half — during which some decisions created controversy, such as selling a Henry Moore sculpture and suggesting moving the museum downtown — called the station Friday shortly before the fourth time the commentary aired and said there were inaccuracies in it.

KMUW director of content and assistant general manager Lu Anne Stephens made the decision to pull the commentary from the site following the last time it aired.

“This was all happening as I was, like, on I-70 in Missouri,” Stephens said.

Fraser also was traveling, and Stephens said she could not reach her.

“I support Lu in the decision she made with the information she had at that moment, and it did not have anything to do with who was making the call or someone’s influence,” Fraser said. “It was purely about fact checking.”

Clonts said he wishes KMUW had stood by him from the start.

“You stand by your people first and foremost, up front and right now.”

He said the commentary should have remained online until management determined if Kraybill’s claims were true.

“Frankly, I was a little angry.”

KMUW director of marketing and digital content Beth Golay informed a disappointed Clonts of the decision, and he responded by saying to “just tell them I quit.”

Kraybill didn’t return a call for comment for this story but did share a previous note she sent to KMUW rebutting Clonts’ commentary, which didn’t contain much about WAM but did lead with it:

“I wish for a new director at the Wichita Art Museum who will stay with us for years. One who will start a winning culture and continue to grow the museum in new and exciting ways, while maintaining and honoring the collection. I want a director who won’t sell pieces of the collection to fund new ideas,” Clonts said.

Kraybill wrote: “The Board did not sell the Henry Moore to fund new ideas. We are bound by our collection policy and CANNOT use those funds for anything other than the purchase or conservation of art. PERIOD.”

Clonts continued: “One who will find creative ways to raise money. One who will continually show the dustier pieces in the collection which rarely see the light of day.”

Kraybill replied: “We just reopened the permanent collection of WAM featuring works that haven’t seen the light of day in decades. The collection had not been reinstalled since 2015.”

The station did not inform Kraybill it was reinstating the commentary.

“No, there’s no reason we would do that,” Fraser said.

She and Stephens both said they know how the situation looks — that people can complain about something aired on the station and get it removed.

“Yes, we are concerned with that, and that is why we got to this as quickly as we could today,” Fraser said.

Stephens said there were comments about KMUW being in WAM’s pocket, but she said the museum no longer gives the station money — it already had stopped last fall — and it wouldn’t make a difference if it did.

Fraser said the point of the volunteer community commentaries the station runs is to share information and have a bit of fun. She said they are not intended to be negative.

“Commentaries are not news, and if this had been a breaking news story, it would have been . . . handled completely different.”

Had it been news, she said, “You get right on it, and you jump into action in a different way, but this is not that.”

Still, she said it’s important that the commentaries are factual.

“Our thinking was it not being on the website for a few days wouldn’t . . . become such a big deal,” she said.

“We kind of regret how we handled it.”

A lot of the people who responded to what happened with Clonts are KMUW supporters and fans and were disappointed in the station.

Fraser said KMUW is independent and only chooses not to air something if station management doesn’t think it should air. She said that even extends to Wichita State University, of which KMUW is an outreach service.

“WSU is remarkable with its availing KMUW editorial independence,” Fraser said.

Stephens invited Clonts to meet on Thursday. Fraser said it’s an opportunity to apologize in person.

Clonts said he has a few more thoughts he’d like to hash out. He said he loves the idea of the commentaries and likes to write and broadcast, but he’s not sure how he feels about going back or if the station would even want him.

“They may just want to put all this behind them.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2024 at 8:44 PM.