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Minnesota Public Radio fires Garrison Keillor
KEILLOR'S DAYTONA BEACH EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED; CHRIS THILE'S SHOW RENAMED 'LIVE FROM HERE'
ORLANDO, Dec. 19, 2017 -- Garrison Keillor’s contract with producer Minnesota Public Radio was canceled Nov. 29 after allegations of inappropriate work behavior. His Florida event was canceled a couple weeks later.
Keillor is the former host of the nationally syndicated public radio show A Prairie Home Companion, which airs on 90.7 WMFE. The show — hosted by Chris Thile since 2016 — was given a new name on Dec. 16. Keillor was currently producing The Writer’s Almanac, which WMFE aired until about 2010.
Keillor's Daytona Beach event canceled
Keillor was scheduled to be in Daytona Beach for a show on Feb. 8 at the Peabody Auditorium. On Friday, Dec. 8, the show's sponsor, City of Daytona Beach, announced that the show had been canceled.
If you got tickets through Ticketmaster, please call 1-800-745-3000 for a refund. If you need additional information, please call the Peabody's box office at 386-671-3462.
WMFE was offering tickets to the event as part of our spring fundraiser. If you got tickets through WMFE, you can get a refund or transfer your donation to another WMFE show. For details, contact wmfe@wmfe.org or call 407-514-1750.
Shortly after the news broke Nov. 29, the show’s sponsor, City of Daytona Beach, canceled an ongoing sponsorship contract with WMFE for on-air spots to promote the show.
Show Renamed 'Live from Here'
Chris Thile announced to audiences on Dec. 16 that the new name for his weekly variety show is Live from Here. "My hope is that this name captures the energy and enthusiasm that is really at the core of this show," Thile said. "Live from Here is about people making beautiful things and sharing them with our audience in real time. The fact that the show is live – where anything is possible – is part of what makes it so special."
The popular weekly show with Chris Thile will continue, with some exciting changes. Since its relaunch last fall, the program has been owned solely by APM and has had no direct association with Keillor or his private media companies beyond the show's name, a few legacy sketches, sponsors and themes. Starting Dec. 2, APM began to implement changes they've been developing for some time, and you'll hear new ways that Chris is continuing to shape the program for a new generation of listeners.
"Over the coming weeks and months, APM will change the name of the show, drop the Prairie Home-related brands (e.g. Powdermilk Biscuits), and change the program in many ways. While these changes are being accelerated by an unexpected and disappointing turn of events this week, the program has been constantly evolving and we're incredibly excited about its future," Shona Koester, Vice President for Distribution & Content Partnerships at APM, wrote in an email to stations on Wednesday.
About 90.7 WMFE:
90.7 WMFE is a non-profit, member-supported, community-based public broadcasting company that operates 90.7 WMFE-FM, metro Orlando’s primary provider of NPR programming; and 90.7-2 Classical. Part of the community since 1980, WMFE focuses on providing quality national and local news and programming. Visit wmfe.org for more information.
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MEDIA INQUIRIES: Please contact WMFE Communications & Marketing Specialist Jenny Babcock at jbabcock@wmfe.org or 407-273-2300 ext. 112.