March 4, 2008

 

Contacts:

Lois Bent, KEMC/Yellowstone Public Radio general manager, 657-2988
Dan Carter, University Relations, 657-2269

 

MSU BILLINGS NEWS SERVICES — Marvin Granger, a veteran public broadcaster and one of the most recognizable voices at KEMC/Yellowstone Public Radio, left the airwaves on Feb. 29, marking the end of a nearly five-decade career in public broadcasting.

 

As general manager and program director, Granger worked for 24 years in Billings, where he spearheaded the development and expansion of KEMC-FM into the region-wide service of Yellowstone Public Radio, which serves listeners across two-thirds of Montana and northern Wyoming.

 

“It’s going to be quiet without him,” said Lois Bent, the current general manager at KEMC/Yellowstone Public Radio.

 

Bent, who worked with Granger for more than 20 years, said the longtime commitment of the local staff to quality programming is due in large part to Granger’s mutual respect for those with whom he worked.

 

“He surrounded himself with people who he could trust and were committed to being here for the long haul,” Bent said. “That satisfaction was a real important part of working here.”

  
When Granger officially retired as YPR General Manager in 2006, the staff and board members of Friends of Yellowstone Public Radio, honored him with a trip to England, his ancestral home. He continued in post-retirement as host of “Sunday Morning Classics,” various public affairs programs, and “Your Opinion, Please,” a live call-in conversation between listeners that encouraged interaction on everything from Yellowstone Public Radio’s program schedule to politics.

 

Given the unique personality and perspective that Granger brought to “Your Opinion, Please,” the management of Yellowstone Public Radio has elected not to continue it with other hosts.  Bent said, however, that other public affairs programming with appropriate content will fill those Thursday and Friday evening time slots.
  
KEMC/Yellowstone Public Radio’s award-winning programming is due in large part to Granger’s advocacy for making the station an outlet for civic discourse and a broader appreciation of the arts, Bent said. To demonstrate that fact, Granger was recognized as a recipient of the Jeannette Rankin Civil Liberties Award from the American Civil Liberties Union, and the 2007 Montana Governor’s Humanities Award.