Another MPR executive announces his departure

Another high-ranking executive at Minnesota Public Radio has announced he's leaving the company.

Tim Roesler, senior vice president and chief business development officer for MPR and American Public Media, told colleagues Tuesday that he will depart by the end of the year.

His announcement came less than a month after his boss, CEO Jon McTaggart, revealed that he has set into motion plans to step down.

Roesler served as interim MPR president from November 2019 to April 2020 when Duchesne Drew was hired in that role.

"This decision wasn't made lightly," Roesler said in an internal memo to staff. "It has been my privilege to serve our audience, users and members for the better part of two decades. Having helped lead MPR through a challenging year and handing the baton to its new president has helped me to take a broad perspective view. This is the perfect time to transition to my next set of challenges and ventures."

One of the most high-profile challenges Roesler tackled during his 19 years at the St. Paul-based companies was supervising day-to-day operations of "Live From Here With Chris Thile." That show, an offshoot of "Prairie Home Companion," was canceled this past June.

The planned departures of McTaggart and Roesler come at a time when the company is facing criticism about how it has handled allegations of sexual harassment and racial inequity in the workplace. Like most media corporations, it has also taken a economic hit due to the pandemic and made numerous job cuts.

APM is the country's largest owner and operator of public radio, an empire that includes MPR.

Neal Justin • 612-673-7431

@nealjustin