Los Angeles, April 12, 2004 - 89.3 KPCC will host the return of the popular radio program “A Prairie Home Companion” to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday, June 18th at 8 p.m. for one night only. The “live” performance will be taped for national broadcast June 19.

Following two successful shows last season, Host Garrison Keillor is bringing “Prairie Home” back to LA for one show featuring vocalist speaker Jearlyn Steele and the Hopeful Gospel Quartet. The show also features “Prairie Home’s” usual cast, along with Keillor’s signature monologue, “The News From Lake Wobegon.”

“Prairie Home” airs on KPCC Saturdays at 3 and 6 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m. It can also be heard on KCLU 88.3 (Santa Barbara/Ventura) Saturdays at 5pm, and repeated at 10 am on Sundays.

Currently in its 30th season, “A Prairie Home Companion” has made Minnesota’s way of life and its fictional small town, Lake Wobegon, part of American pop culture. Besides airing on KPCC, the show is heard on more than 550 public radio stations nationwide, with a weekly audience of more than 4 million listeners. The program can also be heard on the Armed Forces Network Europe, the Far East Network, and in dozens of European cities via the Astra satellite network.

Garrison Keillor’s signature monologue, “The News From Lake Wobegon” is the heart of each week’s broadcast. The lights go down, Keillor steps into a spotlight and says, “It’s been a quiet week in my hometown -- Lake Wobegon, Minnesota…” For the next 15 to 30 minutes, Keillor weaves tales of the Chatterbox Café, Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery, the Sidetrack Tap, the Lake Wobegon Whippets, and all the people who live, love, work and play in this small, mythical town located somewhere between the mind and heart of its creator. By the time Keillor ends the monologue with “…and that’s the news from Lake Wobegon, where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all the children are above average,” the audience has been transported to small-town America amidst the Ingqvists, Krebsbachs, Tolleruds and Bunsens.

In addition to “A Prairie Home Companion,” Keillor hosts “The Writer's Almanac,” a daily five-minute radio program discussing writers and literature, and he is a frequent contributor to Time magazine. He is the author of 14 books and the winner of numerous awards for his broadcasting and literary work.

KPCC is the flagship station of Southern California Public Radio. In the past three years KPCC has won more awards for excellence in journalism than any other radio station in Southern California. KPCC is also the fastest-growing public radio station in the country, airing the signature public radio news and talk programs from NPR, along with Air Talk with Larry Mantle weekdays from 10 a.m.- 12 Noon, and Talk of the City with Kitty Felde weekdays from 2-3 p.m. Visit www.kpcc.org for more information.

Tickets, $44-89, to “A Prairie Home Companion” at the Greek Theatre are on sale beginning April 18 at all Ticketmaster outlets including Tower Records, Wherehouse Music, Tu Musica, Robinsons-May and Ritmo Latino. To charge by phone, call (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000. Tickets can also be purchased online at TicketMaster or at the Greek Theatre box office after April 22. For more information, visit www.kpcc.org or The Greek Theatre's web site.

89.3 KPCC-FM is Southern California's most listened to public radio station, featuring the most NPR news, award-winning local news and signature public radio programs. The KPCC newsroom has garnered more awards for journalistic excellence than any other local station public or commercial. Each week a half-million listeners tune-in to KPCC's AirTalk with Larry Mantle, Patt Morrison and Off-Ramp with John Rabe for local news and cultural programming; as well as public radio favorites Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Marketplace, Car Talk, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me and A Prairie Home Companion. Listeners from around the globe can tune in to a 24/7 live stream and explore KPCC podcasts, archives and more at kpcc.org.

Southern California Public Radio is the member-supported non-profit organization that operates 89.3 KPCC in Los Angeles and Orange Counties and its repeater station, 89.1 KUOR in the Inland Empire. Bureaus are maintained in Downtown Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, and on the campuses of the University of Redlands and Pasadena City College.

American Public Media is the nation's second-largest producer of public radio programs, reaching 14.2 million listeners nationwide each week. National programs include A Prairie Home Companion,® Weekend America,® Saint Paul Sunday,® Marketplace,® Marketplace Money,® The Splendid Table,® Speaking of Faith® and special reports produced by its national documentary unit, American RadioWorks.® American Public Media is the national production and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio.® Minnesota Public Radio, along with its sister company Southern California Public Radio, belongs to a larger family of companies within American Public Media Group, a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to develop resources, services and systems to support public media for public service. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at < www.americanpublicmedia.org.