Thank you for visiting the MPR Archive Portal. It was made for you, and all those interested in the historical material provided. The portal consists largely of original news reporting and programming from MPR News and related programs, as well as recordings of regional classical music performances made in partnership with orchestras and symphonies from around the state. While these recordings date back to MPR’s founding in 1967, there are only a handful of recordings from 1967 to 1971. Analog tape of MPR daily news (known as day reels) were saved regularly starting in 1972. As years progressed, Individual analog program recordings and early digital format recordings followed, all of which encompass this collection.
There are numerous options for navigating site, including “Topics” drop-down, “Featured” collections, and a keyword “Search” function. Audio story pages are listed in chronological ascending date order. When possible, contributor name(s), and program source are included. Some audio pages have transcription as an additional reference for user.
Please note that only content that has been cleared for public use or rebroadcast is posted to this site; if the license to use the content does not belong to Minnesota Public Radio or it was broadcast as part of our national partnerships originally (such as NPR), it will not be part of this public archive. In cases where the content is not available you will see an option to contact us for more information; someone will follow up with you on your inquiry as soon as possible. Most digital content that appeared on MPR News, Classical MPR or The Current can be accessed or searched from those sites if the content is still available for streaming or viewing.
Thanks to generous support from the Comer Science & Education Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the American Archive, and the Minnesota Legacy Amendment, MPR was able to create the backbone of the Archive, leading to the preservation infrastructure you see here. Through the generosity of granting organizations, we continue the process of digitizing, preserving and presenting tens of thousands of stories recorded over the past 50 years on MPR News, Classical MPR, The Current and our affiliated programs. Our dedicated archive staff, funded in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment, focuses on content related to Minnesota’s cultural heritage, Minnesota's literary history, specific programming, and tape digitization requests by MPR News, APM services, and the general public.
If you would like to request use of our content for publications, broadcast or educational purposes, please use this form to submit your request. General comments or questions may be submitted here.
Thank you for visiting. Enjoy exploring the sounds of Minnesota’s past.
Minnesota Public Radio® (MPR) is one of the nation’s premier public radio stations producing programming for radio, digital and live audiences and operates a 46-station radio network serving nearly all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states. Reaching one million listeners each week, MPR and its three regional services (MPR News, Classical MPR and The Current—produce programming for radio, digital and live audiences. A complete list of stations, programs, and additional services can be found online.
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