WCCO Radio parts ways with its program director

John Hanson, who grew up in the Twin Cities, returned home in 2018 for the WCCO programming position.

January 22, 2021 at 5:00PM
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John Hanson, left, in 2008, shown with KSTP “Twin Cities Live” producer Taylor Cisco and Hanson’s co-host Rebekah Wood. (David Brewster, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

WCCO Radio has informed staff that its program director has left the station.

"Reaching out this afternoon to notify the staff that John Hanson is no longer with the Company, effective today," said Thursday's note from Shannon Knoepke, the senior vice president and Twin Cities market manager for Entercom, which owns the station. "More to come as we move forward and work to fill this position."

WCCO management and Hanson have not returned calls for comment.

Hanson was first introduced to the area as co-host of KSTP-TV's "Twin Cities Live" when the afternoon talk show debuted in 2008. He left the show in 2012 and joined the Entercom family in 2013 to program sports radio stations in Kansas City.

Hanson, who grew up in the Twin Cities, returned home in 2018 for the WCCO programming position.

WCCO morning-drive personality Dave Lee announced this month that he will retire in April.

Neal Justin • 612-673-7431

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Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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