May 12, 2008

California State University, Fresno’s radio station, 90.7 KFSR, will add “A Prairie Home Companion”® – a two-hour, live, weekly variety program hosted by bestselling author and National Humanities Medal winner Garrison Keillor – to its weekend broadcasting schedule starting Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006.

The program will air each Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. “A Prairie Home Companion” is produced by Prairie Home Productions and is distributed nationwide by American Public Media™. The station will also rebroadcast the program each Sunday at noon.

90.7 KFSR will celebrate the occasion with a special local launch event called Homecoming at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Fresno Art Museum’s Bonner Auditorium. The program will feature live music from acclaimed mandolinist and violinist Eva Scow and her trio, and well as appearances by KFSR personalities. Following the performance, fans will be encouraged to attend a special reception and enjoy the inaugural KFSR broadcast in the lobby of the museum.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to answer the pleas of local listeners, and bring one of America’s best loved radio programs to Fresno,” said Joe Moore, KFSR station manager. “This is a great addition to our lineup, and reflects our commitment to offering a full spectrum of quality non-commercial programming to our audience.” The local broadcast of is made possible with support provided by Eye-Q Vision Center in Fresno.

“Our launch event Homecoming is going to be a great opportunity to welcome this program back to the heartland of Central California, celebrate the occasion with Garrison’s many fans, and recognize the sponsors who have helped make this happen,” said Moore. And the programs producers have something special in store for Fresno as well. “We are told that Garrison will be taking a moment out of the show’s normal musical and comedy routine to welcome Fresno listeners, while they perform the show live on location from New York.”

At the heart of “A Prairie Home Companion” is Keillor's humor-writing talent and unrivaled ear for great radio. He is the creator of hilarious skits like the weekly adventures of "Guy Noir, Radio Private Eye" and "The Catchup Advisory Board," and his signature monologue, “The News from Lake Wobegon,” weekly dispatches from the little town where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."

The program is carried coast-to-coast on more than 580 public radio stations, with a nationwide audience of over 4 million. It is also broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio and can be heard overseas on American One and the Armed Forces Networks in Europe and the Far East. The program is underwritten by Toyota and Select Comfort.

For more information, contact Moore at 559.278.2598 or joem1@csufresno.edu.