Keillor and cast during a live production of A Prairie Home Companion in 2007
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Genre | Comedy–music variety |
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Running time | 2 hours |
Country | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Home station | Minnesota Public Radio |
Syndicates | American Public Media |
Starring |
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Produced by | Garrison Keillor |
Executive producer(s) | (KSJN) |
Air dates | since July 6, 1974 |
Opening theme | Tishomingo Blues |
Website | prairiehome |
A Prairie Home Companion is a live weekly radio variety show hosted by musician and songwriter Chris Thile. The program was created in 1974 by Garrison Keillor, who hosted it until 2016. It airs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota; it is also frequently heard on tours to New York City and other US cities. The show is known for its musical guests, especially folk and traditional musicians, tongue-in-cheek radio drama, and relaxed humor. Keillor's wry storytelling segment, "News from Lake Wobegon", was the show's best-known feature during his long tenure.
Distributed by Minnesota Public Radio's distribution arm, American Public Media, A Prairie Home Companion was heard on more than 700 public radio stations in the United States as of 2005 and reached an audience of over four million U.S. listeners each week. The show has a long history; it has existed in a similar form since 1974 and borrows its name from a radio program in existence in 1969, that was named after the Prairie Home Cemetery near Concordia College, in Moorhead, Minnesota. The radio program inspired a 2006 film of the same name, written by Keillor, directed by Robert Altman, and featuring Keillor, Kevin Kline, Lily Tomlin, Meryl Streep, and Lindsay Lohan.