A Note on Garrett McQueen

MPR President Duchesne Drew and APM President Dave Kansas address the departure of Garrett McQueen.

Yesterday, American Public Media parted ways with Garrett McQueen.

Our organization’s values guide our decisions, and one of those values calls on us to hold one another accountable for our actions. While we typically do not discuss the details of employee departures, the experience we’ve seen described publicly does not accurately describe what has occurred.

Our decision was not sudden and came after several conversations with Garrett over the past year regarding programming changes. The warnings presented to Garrett were not tied to his choice of music or the reasons for his unauthorized changes to playlists. He was able to make changes to the playlist, but the manner in which he made changes is what caused an issue. We have a process in place for changing playlists, and that process exists to maintain our more than 200 partner stations’ compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and to ensure royalties are properly paid for the music played.

We value Garrett’s work and his distinctive contributions to our shared commitment to increase diversity and inclusion in classical music. And we remain steadfast in pursuing that commitment. Across Classical MPR, 24 percent of the music we play features a composer, conductor or soloist who is a woman and/or a Black person, Indigenous person, or Person of Color. We are committed to increasing this number.

We know that there is still more work needed to further expand our catalog and increase representation in our programming. We are committed to doing this work.  

Duchesne Drew                Dave Kansas
President MPR                  President APM

Election 2020: Turn to American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio for News

As November 3 approaches and America gears up for a Presidential Election, Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media are delivering political coverage and the latest in local, state and federal elections to keep you informed. 

In a new investigation released this month, APM Reports found that U.S. Postal Service delivery scores in five battleground states are missing targets as mail voting increases. Among the 13 postal districts serving key presidential battleground states, four failed to meet any on-time service goals handling first-class mail between April 1 and June 30, and six districts achieved only one.

Subscribe to email updates to receive the latest in investigations from APM Reports.

Find complete 2020 election coverage to help you feel prepared for the polls by tuning in to MPR News and following updates online. We want to hear from you - ask your Election questions at #AskMPRNews or share your story about what motivates you to vote at #TellMPRNews. 

American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio Produce Coverage of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media are dedicated to ensuring you have the latest news, resources, guides and tips to help you stay up to date on the coronavirus pandemic. From regional coverage collections to in-depth reports and critical data, you can find and share our coverage online. 

As their months-long Color of Coronavirus project continues, APM Research Lab now includes an age-adjusted analysis of the race and ethnicity mortality data their staff collects and analyzes from across the country. These new figures paint a more nuanced — but equally fraught — picture of the toll COVID-19 is taking across specific communities in the United States. Adjusted for age differences in the groups, Black, Indigenous, Pacific Islander and Latino Americans all have a COVID-19 death rate of roughly triple or more White Americans. The data is available for all states to guide policy and community responses.

MPR News produces a daily a.m. newsletter and a podcast. You can also find key information such as the Minnesota mask order FAQ, info within the stay-safe order FAQ, a spot to submit your questions plus much-needed tips for parents. Don’t forget to share your experience!

The COVID-19 coverage collection from Marketplace provides global and personal perspectives, producing not only the numbers, but the human voices behind the stories. Whether it's about the housing market, supply chains, or how businesses are doing business during this unprecedented time, Marketplace has information you need.

The coronavirus pandemic represents the greatest challenge to American higher education in decades. Some small regional colleges that were already struggling won’t survive. Other schools, large and small, are rethinking how to offer an education while keeping people safe. APM Reports explores how institutions are handling the crisis, and how students are trying to navigate a major disruption in their college years. Learn more about COVID on Campus from APM Reports.

Call to Mind Mental Health Resources are online. You can find ways to manage your health and well-being during COVID-19.

Budget Hero – Sequester Edition

Contact: Angie Andresen, Director of Communications
651.290.1373
Email: aandresen@americanpublicmedia.org

Budget Hero – Sequester Edition
Popular game updated in anticipation of fall fiscal debate

Aug. 28, 2013, WASHINGTON – The creators of "Budget Hero" have updated the popular news game to reflect the budget impact of decisions related to the ongoing spending cuts known as the "sequester."

The latest edition, created by American Public Media (APM) and the Wilson Center and made possible by funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, also includes updated cost projections of federal spending in 2014 and beyond. In addition, it features new policy options to overhaul U.S. immigration policy, expand states' Medicaid programs and reverse the effects of the sequester cuts on defense and non-defense spending.

The update comes as Congress and the president are framing the fall debate over the budget and debt ceiling, an acrimonious and partisan process that previously paved the way for this year's sequestration cuts.

Budget Hero experienced big spikes in play during past budget debates. Even when the attention of pundits and politicians is focused elsewhere, the game garners upwards of 40,000 plays a month, according to Linda Fantin, who directs APM's Public Insight Network and the development of Budget Hero.

"Clearly the American people haven't forgotten about the budget, and they still crave the kind of credible, non-partisan information about the nation's finances that Budget Hero delivers," Fantin said.

Budget Hero launched in May 2008, four months before Lehman Brothers collapsed, triggering the worst U.S. financial crisis and economic downturn since the Great Depression. Five years and five versions later, the interactive game continues to engage and educate people of all ages about the trade-offs involved in the budgetary process, drawing praise from economists, educators, lawmakers and the public – regardless of political persuasion.

"Players have told us that playing Budget Hero has benefitted them – and that its benefits are shared both by people interested in 'the big picture' and those who like nuance," said Diane Tucker, director of the Wilson Center's Serious Games Initiative. "Played more than 1.7 million times, Budget Hero has made many feel more equipped to participate in, and make decisions about, national policy debates. It brings surprises even to those who consider themselves well informed."

Read What Budget Hero Players are Saying About the Game

How it's Played
"Budget Hero" invites players to explore the financial and social impact of proposed cuts and expenditures as they create, test and compare their own federal budgets. Players can earn "badges" by "playing" policy cards that correspond with their values.

Player Data
Since its 2008 launch, Budget Hero has been played more than 1.7 million times, with 75 percent of players finishing a complete game. Demographic data from the game shows wide support among players across age, household income, gender, and party affiliation for reforming and simplifying the tax code and increasing the amount wealthy seniors pay for drugs.

Some of the most frequently played cards in the past year include:

 Rapidly cut troop numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan
 Reform and simplify the tax code
 Slow the increase of Social Security benefits
 Raise the eligibility age for Social Security
 Increase drug costs for wealthy seniors

Players across all demographics – including those in the 65+ age range – demonstrated a willingness to reduce the benefits going to the elderly including increasing the cost of drugs for wealthier seniors, raising the Social Security age, and slowing the increase of Social Security benefits.

More Analysis of Budget Hero Data available upon request.

Media Contacts:

Aaron Lovell
Science & Technology Innovation Program, Wilson Center
202-691-4320
aaron.lovell@wilsoncenter.org

Angie Andresen
Director of Communications
American Public Media
651-290-1373
aandresen@mpr.org

American Public Media™ is one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio reaching 17 million listeners on more than 900 radio stations nationwide each week. Programs include A Prairie Home Companion®, BBC World Service, Marketplace®, Performance Today®, The Splendid Table®, On Being™, The Dinner Party Download®, Wits™, American RadioWorks® and many others. American Public Media's 200,000 member-strong Public Insight Network promotes deep connections between journalists across the country and the communities they serve. American Public Media is the parent organization for Minnesota Public Radio, Southern California Public Radio and Classical South Florida. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be found at americanpublicmedia.org.
Source: Data are copyright Arbitron, Inc. Arbitron data are estimates only.

The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world.

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GARRISON KEILLOR ANNOUNCES A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION'S 2010 TALENT CONTEST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: David O'Neill
Prairie Home Productions
Phone: 651-999-1095
E-mail: davido@prairiehome.us

February 24, 2010

GARRISON KEILLOR ANNOUNCES A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION'S 2010 TALENT CONTEST

Bands that can get a crowd dancing will duke it outon APHC's April 17th broadcast from Newark, New Jersey.

(SAINT PAUL, Minn.) — A Prairie Home Companion has announced this season's talent competition — a battle of the bands. But not just any bands. APHC is looking for bands that know a thing or two about bringing an audience to its feet and dancing.

Groups with at least three players are invited to submit their most lively, toe-tapping, foot-stomping, get-folks-off-their-duffs-and-dancing tunes for a chance to showcase their skills on APHC's April 17th live broadcast from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

Here are the specifics and submission guidelines:

• For this contest, "band" is defined as a group of three or more members. There is no limit to the number of people in the band, as long as there are at least three. Vocals are optional.

• Contestants will be judged on ability to make people want to get up and dance, so keep it up-tempo.

• Enter the piece you will perform if your band is chosen. List the names of everyone in the band and what instrument he or she plays. This will be the lineup that will, if chosen, perform on the show. Sorry, no personnel substitutions.

• Songs/instrumentals may be originals or covers of previously published works; there are no copyright restrictions for this performance.

Your act must be self-contained; APHC will not provide any accompanying musicians.

• All finalists chosen to appear on the April 17th broadcast will receive round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations for the nights of April 16th and 17th in Newark, New Jersey.All participants must be available from Friday morning, April 16tth, until Sunday morning, April 18th.

• Submissions must be received by 5:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on Monday, March 8, 2010.

• Digital entries will be accepted at www.prairiehome.org. If digital is not an option, you can send a CD instead. Mail to:Battle of the Bands submissions
APHC
611 Frontenac Place
St. Paul, MN 55104

NOTE: Mailed submissions will not be returned.

Filling out the submission form offers no guarantee of participation in the program.You must be 13 or older to submit information to American Public Media. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to contact you about your audition.

Currently in its 36th Anniversary season, A Prairie Home Companion has made Minnesota's way of life and the fictional small town of Lake Wobegon part of American popular culture. The show is heard on close to 600 public radio stations nationwide, with a weekly audience that tops 4.3 million listeners. The program can also be heard on XM Radio, the Armed Forces Network Europe, the Far East Network, and in dozens of European cities via the Astra satellite network. Garrison Keillor's signature monologue, The News From Lake Wobegon, is available via podcast/iTunes.

A Prairie Home Companion is produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public Media. The show is sponsored nationally by General Mills, Inc. and by Ford. Audio clips, scripts and more information on A Prairie Home Companion can be found online at www.prairiehome.org.

WHAT: A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor presents this season's talent contest — a battle of the bands

WHEN: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 5:45 p.m. (broadcast live 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

WHERE: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102

FOR MORE INFORMATION: go to www.prairiehome.org, or contact David O'Neill at 651 999-1095

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