Big news today that Garrison Keillor announced he will retire — in 2013, after he finds a replacement host for the "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show he introduced in 1974.

Head shaker: The scoop comes from the AARP Bulletin.

Another head shaker: Bill Kling, the CEO of MPR who himself is stepping down June, doesn't seem to believe the Keillor news.

Chatting with MPR's Marianne Combs, Kling seemed not worried at all:

"I don't consider it news because Garrison has been talking about things like this for the last couple of years and when Garrison says it, it doesn't necessarily mean anything more than that morning's musings," said Kling.

"I've known him for 44 years and I don't think there is a version of Garrison that you could call 'retirement.' So you can't sit down and say 'well there's a date given, he's going to retire on that date, that will be the last show, a search firm will be engaged to find a new Garrison Keillor' — none of that fits."

Instead Kling imagines there's going to be a very long transition as Keillor tries out new and different ideas for the show, and gradually cedes more artistic control to people he trusts.