In the Arts: Smithsonian Eyes Movie Windfall, More Layoffs at N.Y. Radio Stations
May 22, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Smithsonian Institution is anticipating a financial boost from the Hollywood comedy “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” reports The Washington Post
Under a deal with Twentieth Century Fox, the institution could get up to $1.25-million in licensing and location fees and other payments if the film matches the box-office success of the first “Night at the Museum.”
In other arts news, the New York public television stations WNET and WLIW announced an additional 50 layoffs, bringing total job cuts this year to about 130, nearly a quarter of the staff, according to The New York Times.
WNET.org, the station’s parent company, will go into the next fiscal year with a $144-million budget, down 23 percent from current spending, under a plan approved this week by its board.
Also, the Arts & Science Council, in Charlotte, N.C. voted this week to cut its grant to the Charlotte Symphony by more than half for the 2009-10 season, from $1.95-million to $900,000, and demanded that the orchestra provide a restructuring plan to receive the funds, says The Charlotte Observer.
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