A.V. Club
Kevin Kling, "that other, far less famous Minnesota storyteller, humorist, and author," has been hired by Minnesota Public Radio for a three-year residency, prompting speculation that he's being groomed to take over "A Prairie Home Companion" after Garrison Keillor retires. Jason Zabel writes:

This new set-up with Kling, who already provides commentary for NPR’s All Things Considered, now features Kling on Minnesota radio more frequently, as part of the residency involves some very Garrison-esque duties: "On the air, Kling will deliver exclusive commentaries that feature his personal stories with a timely take on current events."

The Star Tribune wrote of Kling in a profile a several years ago that "Kling is transcending his stature as a long-beloved Minnesota storyteller" and describes a career built on "telling strong sense-of-place stories about ice fishing, 1960s Twin Cities suburbia and riding the Lake Street bus. But six years after surviving a near-fatal motorcycle crash, his tales have moved from hilarious nostalgia to something weightier and more spiritual." || Earlier: Keillor says he’s leaving “Prairie Home Companion” in 2013 || Related: Kling spins some tales

CityPages.com
"You can have all the blogs, all the Huffington Posts, and Twitter feeds, and any other way of distributing content, but if you don't have the content, none of it's worth anything," says MPR president Bill Kling. "That comes from reporters, which I believe we have to step up." The man who put Garrison Keillor on the air ("Keillor got the job, mostly because he was willing to show up at 6 a.m.," according to this story) is retiring on July 1, but he isn't walking away from public radio, reports Andy Mannix.

Kling plans to take his show on the road and use his influence to build up public radio stations across America. Other than MPR, he's eyeing Chicago's WBEZ, New York's WYNC, and KPCC in southern California. Ultimately, Kling hopes to take on all the top public radio markets in the country.

He plans to employ his influence to raise $5 million a year for five years, which will be used by four public radio stations to hire more reporters. Another $5 million per year will be donated to the greater public radio system.

Most recently, he's been on MPR advocating against a congressional bill that would cut federal funding to public radio. [He recently wrote in The Hill that "public media is Congress’s best friend."] Some say Kling overstated the threat to bring in more donations. He was also criticized for using his taxpayer-funded radio station to push a political message.