Report: Garrison Keillor Fired By Minnesota Public Radio Over ‘Improper Behavior’

Garrison Keillor (credit: Eric Hagerness)

The ASSOCIATED PRESS is reporting that “A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION” creator and former host GARRISON KEILLOR has been fired by MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO due to claims of “improper behavior.”

KEILLOR told AP that he was fired due to “a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard.” He had been producing and hosting “THE WRITER’S ALMANAC” for MPR since retiring from “A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION” last year.

In a statement released in the wake of AP’s report, MPR said that it “will end its business relationships with Mr. KEILLOR’s media companies effective immediately. By terminating the contracts, MPR and AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA (APM) will:

* end distribution and broadcast of THE WRITER’S ALMANAC and rebroadcasts of THE BEAT OF A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION hosted by Garrison Keillor;
* change the name of APM's weekly music and variety program hosted by CHRIS THILE; and,
* separate from the PRETTY GOOD GOODS online catalog and the PrairieHome.org website.”

"GARRISON KEILLOR has been an important part of the growth and success of MPR, and all of us in the MPR community are saddened by these circumstances," said MPR President JON MCTAGGART. "While we appreciate the contributions GARRISON has made to MPR and to all of public radio, we believe this decision is the right thing to do and is necessary to continue to earn the trust of our audiences, employees and supporters of our public service."

”Over the last several weeks, the special Board Committee has worked closely with MPR President JON MCTAGGART and legal counsel to review the facts as we know them and carefully consider the implications of the various options," said DAVID MURPHY, Chair of the MPR Board of Trustees. "The Board Committee concluded that terminating the KEILLOR relationships was the appropriate decision and the Board and JON are aligned in this action. Fortunately, MPR is one of the strongest public broadcasting organizations in the country. We are confident MPR will continue to innovate with programming and content that ensures MPR will remain one of the most valued sources of news, information and entertainment for decades to come."

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