WAMC/Northeast Public Radio has been notified of Garrison Keillor's termination by Minnesota Public Radio. The longtime host of A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer's Almanac is facing allegations of inappropriate behavior, and American Public Media is ending its contracts with him. That means the Chris Thile-hosted A Prairie Home Companion will be rebranded and The Writer's Almanac is no longer being distributed.
Keillor is accused of “inappropriate behavior” by a person who worked with him. Details were scarce, but Keillor told the Associated Press the story is “more complicated” than the version his employer heard.
WAMC is no longer participating in Keillor’s performance tonight at The Colonial in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. At roughly 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, DSP Shows cancelled the Pittsfield show. Berkshire Theatre Group runs The Colonial. BTG Communications Manager Madelyn Gardner released the following statement Wednesday.
"Per DSP Shows, the show with Garrison Keillor tonight, Wednesday the 29th ,at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield has been cancelled," Gardner said. "You can contact Berkshire Theatre Group's box office at 413-997-4444 for refund information."
Here is the text of the letter APM Vice President of distribution and content partnerships Shona Koester sent stations on Wednesday:
We've decided to terminate our current contracts with Garrison Keillor and his private media companies. This decision will directly impact many of you, so it's important that you know of our plans to support you during this time. Beginning today, APM will no longer distribute The Writer's Almanac or The Best of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, or any other content produced by Garrison's private media companies.
I want to reassure you that our 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 Mr. Keillor or his private media companies beyond the show's name, a few legacy sketches, sponsors and themes. Starting this Saturday, December 2, we will begin to implement changes we'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, we will change the name of the show, drop the Prairie Home-related brands (e.g. Powdermilk Biscuits), and change the program in ways many of you have suggested. 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. I hope you are too.
Starting tomorrow, APM will no longer distribute The Writer's Almanac and we will offer temporary programming over the next two weeks to help you through the transition. If you carry The Writer's Almanac, you'll receive additional information via email and Content Depot alerts shortly.
Beginning this weekend, we will no longer offer The Best of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor from the APHC archives. We strongly encourage you to repeat Chris Thile episodes instead.
Thank you for your continued support. We're saddened by the circumstances, but feel strongly that the decisions we've made and the steps we're taking are the right things to do for our programs, for your audiences and your stations. As always, please don't hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.