New Season For 'Prairie Home' Has Big Dose Of Thile

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The upcoming season of 'A Prairie Home Companion' is bumping up the number of guest hosts, not long after creator Garrison Keillor ruminated about transitioning out of his host role.

Mandolin whiz Chris Thile will host back-to-back shows in St. Paul during the 2015-16 season, and he will co-host two shows with Keillor in San Diego and New York.

The lineup announced Monday by Keillor's production company also includes a show co-hosted by Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan and Sara Watkins. Watkins, Thile's sometime bandmate in Nickel Creek, has hosted the show before.

Keillor told the Berkshire (Massachusetts) Eagle last month that he looks forward to eventually leaving the host role. He hasn't responded to requests from The Associated Press for an interview.