Welcome to the Minnesota Public Radio Archive
Below you will find ever evolving curated collections highlighting diverse, historically relevant, and special interest content. Each collection contains audio stories of a particular subject, represented in chronological order. Explore our state and its people!
Click on "About" to find a detailed informational guide on further utilizing this site.
Theme & Variation - Classical interviews
Classical music is more than sound; it’s also a creative human endeavor. Within this collection of MPR classical interviews that spans over five decades, you will find breakfast in a diner with Aaron Copeland; Eric Stokes landing on an electronic sound; Max Rudolf providing simple rules to conduct; and Sharon Isbin giving a guitar lesson…and that’s the tip the baton!
Tim Walz: A Profile
With Minnesota Governor Tim Walz being selected by Vice President Kamala Harris as her Democratic running mate, MPR Archive presents a chronological sampling of Walz news reports, speeches, debates, and interviews spanning the past two decades. In that time, Walz has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms and is currently in his second term as Governor of Minnesota.
Mainstreet Radio
Created in 1987, Mainstreet Radio held a mission of reporting specifically from rural Minnesota to all of Minnesota. With an introductory staff of Rachel Reabe, Leif Enger, and John Biewen, the group developed both long and short form news features as part of MPR Journal and Morning Edition broadcasts. As the years progressed, Mainstreet Radio expanded both in reporter contributions and programming, with memorable work from the likes of Mark Steil and Catherine Winter, amongst others. Beginning in the 1990s, Mainstreet Radio presented a monthly two-hour special, focusing on issues outside the Twin Cities metro. The varied Mainstreet Radio programming ran into the mid-2000s.
Midday
An MPR news program, broadcasting a variety of public affairs programming covering politics, education, business, world affairs, and sports. Shows were a mix of call-in discussions, interviews, speeches, debates, special presentations, live coverage, and documentaries. Longtime home of the popular hosts Bob Potter and Gary Eichten.
Award Collection
Since our beginning, the stations and programs affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio and later American Public Media, have endeavored to create quality programming for the community and audiences we serve, in keeping with our mission of public service. We have been honored that so many of the talented individuals and teams and their programs have won prestigious industry and audience awards; the MPR Archive is proud to highlight and present these winners in a way that celebrate the award recipient along with the subjects, stories, and communities that demonstrate public media's meaning and impact.
Hispanic heritage of 10,000 Lakes
For National Hispanic American Heritage Month 2024, MPR Archive highlights the breadth of culture and history in Minnesota’s Hispanic communities. From the entrepreneurial spirit in South Minneapolis & St. Paul’s West Side to the arts scene of Teatro del Pueblo. From the voices of the migrant workers in the Red River Valley to the music of Mariachi Flor y Canto. This is a wealth of stories of Minnesotans to explore and an appreciate.
