As Minnesota Public Radio takes stock of where we stand at the end of our fiscal year, I’m proud to tell you that this remarkable organization is stronger today than it has ever been.

Hello, I’m Bill Kling, President of Minnesota Public Radio.

We’re strong today not only because we serve 900 thousand listeners every week, but because more than 100 thousand of you contributed over 17 million dollars last year to make our services possible - including more than a million dollars contributed to the MPR endowment via individual estate gifts. Suffice it to say we’re truly amazed by the trust you place in us.

In a tough economic and political climate, you and your neighbors turned to Minnesota Public Radio last year more than ever before as a valued source of news and cultural programming. In turn, MPR News broadened and deepened its regional focus both on-air and online. The Current drew capacity crowds to its live events like Rock the Cradle at the MIA and Rock the Garden at the Walker.

Classical MPR continued to innovate through initiatives such as Play It Forward, which put more than 600 used musical instruments into elementary and secondary classrooms across the state. We brought live performances that weren’t heard in major cites like San Francisco and Boston to Sandstone and Fosston. And we brought yet another season of entertaining and thought-provoking shows to MPR’s own Fitzgerald Theater.

I plan to leave Minnesota Public Radio as CEO in June. Happily, I can assure you that the succession will be smooth, thanks to a strong management team and a forward looking, supportive board. I care deeply about the future of public media in this country, and I hope you will continue to support MPR – and keep it safe and growing.

Thank you for listening to MPR, and thank you for your support of Minnesota Public Radio.