Bill Kling

Bill Kling is the founder and president emeritus of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and American Public Media (APM), and a pioneering leader in public broadcasting. Over a career spanning decades, Kling helped shape the national public radio landscape—founding not only MPR but also Southern California Public Radio, Public Radio International, and serving as a founding director of National Public Radio. Starting in 1967 with KSJR-FM, the station he was invited to build after earning his economics degree from Saint John’s University and a master’s in communications from Boston University, Kling went on to grow a network of 46 public radio stations serving millions from Minnesota to California and Florida. Under his leadership, APM became the nation’s second-largest producer of public radio programming, home to beloved shows like Marketplace and A Prairie Home Companion. His vision also extended to innovative for-profit ventures that financially sustained nonprofit media, exemplified by the Greenspring Company.

Kling’s impact has been recognized with numerous honors, including induction into the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame, honorary doctorates, and election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Both the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press named him among the “100 Most Significant Minnesotans of the Century,” and MPR’s headquarters now bears his name as the Kling Media Center. Beyond broadcasting, he served on the boards of major corporations, universities, and philanthropic organizations, always with a focus on strengthening journalism, expanding access to quality programming, and building sustainable institutions.