Posted on 09/11/2020 7:21:41 AM PDT by raccoonradio
American Public Media Group has fired Minnesota Public Radios only Black classical music host Garrett McQueen. McQueen announced his firing on his social media accounts Thursday morning.
McQueen said he was taken off the air after his shift on Aug. 25. He was then given two warnings one of which was about his need to improve communication and the other warning was for switching out scheduled music to play pieces he felt were more appropriate to the moment and more diverse, McQueen told MPR News.
When things happened in the news or when there were hours of programming that only represented dead white men, I would take it upon myself to change that, said McQueen. That always got lots of really positive feedback, but it's not exactly what protocol calls for.
McQueen joined Classical 24 in June 2018. Classical 24 is co-produced by American Public Media and Public Radio International, and provides round-the-clock classical music that public radio stations across the nation pay to carry. McQueen worked the overnight shift Monday through Thursday. McQueen also hosted Classical MPRs first-ever Juneteenth special.
And let's just face it, said McQueen, with [the killing of] George Floyd and all of those things, there was a lot of pressure for me to engage the audience while that's happening. I'm on the air, literally while the 3rd Precinct is being burned down. So, it's my responsibility to make sure that the programming spoke to that and that's what I did.
(Excerpt) Read more at mprnews.org ...
Too woke for public radio?
That’s pretty woke.
Politicization of classical music.
NPR had a phenomenal national host years ago in Karl Hass (spelling?) on “Morning Pro Musica”. His love of music was transmitted with his voice, he made unusual pieces accessible, and he instructed without talking down, while still maintaining that tranquil NPR vibe. The German accent was there, but did not make him less understandable.
I wonder if there is more to the story, for a liberal public radio station, to take a black liberal virtue signaling host off the air.
Was there massive insubordination, or other brazen violation of the work rules? Was he just a bad employee?
I have heard that in the radio business, that DJ’s are not free to play whatever they want. There are playlists approved by management, and that’s what goes out over the air. So maybe he violated a cardinal rule of the radio business.
So, it’s my responsibility to make sure that the programming spoke to that and that’s what I did.
No - its NOT.
Although Im curious what classical music he played instead to speak to the looting Mars, bringer of war?
BUUUUUURRNN BABY BURN!!!
Music for the royal fireworks?
Disco Inferno?
Because if he played 'Disco Inferno', that is grounds for dismissal.
Rush talks about that often; he lost several jobs in his DJ days by playing the wrong stuff. You know it’s all gamed out by statistical MBA types looking for the biggest audience...
Tony, upper crust, rich white Minnesota liberals: “Why is he lecturing us? We aren’t racists like those redneck hillbillies in Seattle. I’m paying that boy to shut up and play me some music, not tell me about those dead people”
I thought classical music, in and of itself, was White Privilege.
Just kiddin’. But then again, we don’t know this guy. No telling what he might do going rogue.
I can see their point. I subscribed to SiriusXM basically because I did not want to hear one more political ad from ANYBODY. Next thing I knew the morning jock on the Soul Town channel was reading off a list of candidates who had been endorsed by Obama.
Exactly how many classical music hosts does MPR have?
Just do your job and promote wokeness on your private time.
Don’t hire jagoffs.
“The Last DJ” - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Well you can’t turn him into a company man
You can’t turn him into a whore
And the boys upstairs just don’t understand anymore
Well the top brass don’t like him talking so much
And he won’t play what they say to play
And he don’t want to change what don’t need to change
And there goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say
Hey, hey, hey
And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
There goes the last DJ
Well some folks say they’re gonna hang him so high
Because you just can’t do what he did
There’s some things you just can’t put in the minds of those kids
As we celebrate mediocrity all the boys upstairs want to see
How much you’ll pay for what you used to get for free
And there goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say
Hey, hey, hey
And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
And there goes the last DJ
[Instrumental break]
Well he got him a station down in Mexico
And sometimes it will kinda come in
And I’ll bust a move and remember how it was back then
There goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say
Hey, hey, hey
And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
And there goes the last DJ
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