American Public Media CEO Plans To Step Down

TWIN CITIES, MN — Jon McTaggart, the CEO of American Public Media Group, announced Tuesday that he will step down from his position. The follows recent controversies involving high-profile employees at Minnesota Public Radio.

American Public Media is the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio, American Public Media, and Southern California Public Radio in Los Angeles.

"For the past two years, Jon has been discussing CEO succession with leaders of the board and he believes now is the time to begin the transition to new leadership for APMG," American Public Media said in a statement emailed to Patch.

"Jon has asked the board to begin the search for the next CEO of the organization. The board understands and supports his decision, has confidence in the leadership team in place, and will soon outline more specifically the plans to move forward with the succession process. Jon will remain CEO of APMG until his successor is in place."

Last week, MPR fired Eric Malmberg, a DJ who was employed by 89.3 The Current. The firing took place days after longtime reporter Marianne Combs resigned from the station.

Combs said MPR did not allow her to fully investigate accusations of sexual misconduct against a DJ, who she did not name.

The departure of Combs and the firing of Malmberg came less than a week after Garrett McQueen was fired from the MPR classical music station. McQueen was the state's only Black classical music host. He was fired because he repeatedly made unauthorized programming changes, the company said.

In a letter demanding several changes related to racial and gender equality, MPR employees wrote that staff and the listeners have lost trust in the station's "senior leaders" during the tumultuous month.

"Our company culture and our news coverage routinely prioritizes white audiences and their stories, neglecting communities of color," the letter reads. "The company, over its 53-year history, has also fostered a harmful working environment for women and journalists of color."

Editors note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that CEO Jon McTaggart has resigned. He plans to step down in the near future.