NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Live From Here, the successor to the long-running radio variety show A Prairie Home Companion, has been canceled amid budget and staff cuts at Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media.
The show, which has been hosted by mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile since A Prairie Home Companion’s longtime host Garrison Keillor signed off in 2016, changed its name to Live From Here in 2017 following sexual misconduct allegations against Keillor.
Live From Here was broadcast on Saturday evenings and featured live music with a focus on traditional and folk music, along with tongue-in-cheek radio drama and stand-up comedy.
The show started at Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, but relocated to a new home at the Town Hall in New York City, starting with its 2019-2020 season.
The June 13th edition of Live From Here, which was recorded remotely and featured music from guests Rufus Wainwright, The War and Treaty, and Hawktail, among others, turned out to be the finale for the show.
In a statement, Minnesota Public Radio announced that the show had been canceled due to budgetary restraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the cancellation, MPR and American Public Media announced they have reduced staff by 28 people and implemented cost-savings measures such as substantial cuts to executive compensation, and cancelling FY21 merit pay increases for all employees.
Thile confirmed the cancellation of Live From Here in a series of tweets, writing:
“Not one live broadcast has gone by where I didn’t thank my absurdly lucky stars for your wide open ears and hearts. Over the weekend, I was informed that American Public Media will no longer be producing the show. While this news fills me with sadness, I understand the decision, as my extraordinary teammates and I conceived of Live From Here as a celebration of live, collaborative audible art, and there’s just no telling when it could be that again.”
“Speaking of my teammates, nothing you’ve heard over the last four seasons would have been possible without their boundless ingenuity, and inexhaustible drive. I’ve been in awe of them every step of the way, and will forever be. Though it turns out this past episode of Live From Here was our last new show, I know we’ll have many more music-filled evenings together by and by, and I’d like to propose a toast: to all you listeners out there. Thank you. It’s time for this noise-maker to follow your lead. -C”
