APMG President McTaggart Stepping Down
• Jon McTaggart, the President & CEO of American Public Media Group, parent company of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and American Public Media (APM) announced Tuesday he will be stepping down from his position as soon as his replacement is hired. MPR News reports the announcement of McTaggart’s impending departure came on the same day a group of MPR and APM employees published an open letter describing a lack of faith in senior leadership, saying the company has “fostered a harmful working environment for women and journalists of color” over its 53-year history. “We are tired of company leadership paying lip service to these issues without taking concrete action to do better,” the letter stated. “We are tired of yet more listening sessions, tired of repeating ourselves. We are tired of watching the company’s reputation continue to suffer.” Mary Brainerd, Chair of the Minnesota Public Radio and APMG board told MPR News Wednesday that critics didn’t force out McTaggart, claiming that he had already indicated he wanted to leave the company, so there’s that.
McTaggart’s resignation caps off a tense few weeks for the organization — earlier this month, MPR came under scrutiny for firing Garrett McQueen, the company’s only Black classical music host. McQueen told MPR News he was given two warnings by his superiors to improve communication after switching out scheduled music with offerings from more diverse composers. Company officials said McQueen’s changing of the playlists raised copyright concerns and that he had been warned repeatedly over the past year.
And last week, MPR News reporter Marianne Combs, a 23-year company veteran resigned after accusing newsroom leadership of dragging their feet on reporting about misconduct related to an unnamed host of MPR’s Twin Cities’ Triple A station, The Current. The next day, after several Current hosts tweeted in support of Combs, the company fired DJ Eric Malmberg.
• In the letter sent to employees late Tuesday, Brainerd and McTaggart addressed those employee concerns, stating, in part, “We are deeply saddened by the pain felt by individuals within our organization. The Board and the entire leadership team are committed to continuing to listen carefully, learn from others, and take actions — guided by our shared values — that ensure a work environment where everyone is truly safe, welcome, respected and appreciated.” [McTaggart photo credit: Caroline Yang]
