Biodun.BBC: Garrison Keillor: Radio host fired amid misconduct claim

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Garrison Keillor: Radio host fired amid misconduct claim

by Abdi Kadel and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, St Paul, Minnesota, USA

US author and radio host Garrison Keillor has been fired from his radio station amid a claim of misconduct.

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) said a colleague on Keillor's former show, A Prairie Home Companion, had accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

Keillor told Associated Press he lost his job over "a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard".

The station said it did not know of any allegations involving any other staff.

MPR said it would:

end its contracts with Mr Keillor and his companies
stop broadcasting his syndicated show The Writer's Almanac
stop rebroadcasting highlights from A Prairie Home Companion
change that programme's name
separate from an online catalogue and website associated with him

MPR President Jon McTaggart said: "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.

"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."

Mr Keillor hosted A Prairie Home Companion - a variety show with a focus on the fictional town of Lake Wobegon - for 42 years.

He went on to become a prolific author, writing a series of books set in Lake Wobegon, as well as other fiction and poetry.

He also wrote opinion columns in the Washington Post. On Wednesday he wrote a column saying there was no reason for Senator Al Franken, who is accused of sexual misconduct and was photographed groping a sleeping broadcaster, to resign.

After being fired Mr Keillor told AP: "It's some sort of poetic irony to be knocked off the air by a story, having told so many of them myself, but I'm 75 and don't have any interest in arguing about this.

"And I cannot in conscience bring danger to a great organisation I've worked hard for since 1969."