MPR/APM Cuts 28 Jobs, Cancels National Show

Minnesota Public Radio and its parent organization, American Public Media Group, have cut dozens of jobs, frozen pay, and cancelled a national radio show amid the continued economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The network announced Tuesday that its staff is being reduced by 28 people, on top of previous voluntary separations and furloughs. Remaining employees will face reduced work hours and a freeze on merit pay increases, and executives have taken pay cuts of 20% to 35%.

Meanwhile, “Live from Here” with Chris Thile has ended production immediately. The show aired live Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and was the successor to “A Prairie Home Companion,” though the show’s host, name, format, and location had all changed in the last four years.

The podcast “The Hilarious World of Depression,” hosted by John Moe, has also been cancelled.

CEO Jon McTaggart said in letter to donors and listeners that MPR is facing “a large and unexpected financial challenge” due to the pandemic.

“We’ve carefully weighed all our options to ensure that the programming, staffing and operational changes we’re making are sustainable, and will help to make our most important services even stronger and more relevant,” McTaggart wrote.

The cancellation of “Live from Here” will force many public radio stations to find a new show for its Saturday timeslot for the first time in decades. The show says it has nearly 600 affiliates, with Wisconsin Public Radio running it on both of its networks simultaneously, for example.