MN Radio: Duchesne Drew Named President At MPR

Duchesne Drew

Duchesne Drew, a former Minneapolis Star Tribune journalist and editor who more recently worked in a leadership role at the Bush Foundation, will be the next president of Minnesota Public Radio.

Drew will be working under the same roof as his wife, Angela Davis, a former television news reporter and anchor who now helms a daily call-in news show on MPR. Drew is scheduled to start May 4.

“I’m delighted to be joining MPR,” he said in a statement released by the St. Paul-based public radio broadcaster, which has 46 member stations across the state. “Minnesotans are relying on MPR now more than ever. Our music and news services are proving their importance in people’s lives. I’m honored to lead these talented teams and I look forward to helping us serve even more Minnesotans.”

Drew spent the majority of his career at the Star Tribune, where he started as a summer intern. He was the paper’s managing editor of operations when he left in 2015 to join the Bush Foundation as the St. Paul-based organization’s community network vice president.

Once at MPR, he’ll take over from interim president Tim Roesler, who is chief business development officer for American Public Media Group.

MPR comprises three regional services — MPR News, Classical MPR and The Current — as well as an online news site and streaming music services. It reports an audience of 1 million listeners per week for its broadcasts.

Drew was selected by MPR CEO Jon McTaggart after a national search. “Duchesne is absolutely the right leader for our regional services — especially during this extraordinary time. He has terrific leadership and news experience, and his commitment to using public media to inform and inspire people is a perfect fit for MPR,” McTaggart said in a statement. “Duchesne has a wonderful ability to connect with people and welcome new ideas. He brings passion and curiosity about how MPR can serve our audiences even better.”