Minnesota Public Radio
Type | |
---|---|
Ownership | |
Owner | American Public Media Group |
Key people | Duchesne Drew, President |
History | |
Launch date | 1967 |
Former names | Saint John's University Broadcasting Minnesota Educational Radio |
Coverage | |
Availability | Global |
Links | |
Webcast | YourClassical MPR MPR News The Current |
Website | mpr yourclassical |
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest.
MPR has won more than 875 journalism awards, including the
MPR also produces and distributes national public radio programming via its subsidiary American Public Media, which is the second-largest producer of public radio programming in the United States, and largest producer and distributor of classical music programming.[4]
History
Minnesota Public Radio began on January 22, 1967, when
The network began more or less out of necessity. Shortly after KSJR signed on, it became apparent that St. Cloud and surrounding
MPR was a charter member of
In 1974, MPR began live broadcasting of
MPR assisted in 1983 with the formation of American Public Radio - now known as Public Radio International, which merged with Public Radio Exchange in 2019.
Originally, MPR played a mix of classical music and NPR news/talk programming. However, as NPR expanded its offerings, Kling made plans to split MPR into separate classical and news/talk networks. To that end, MPR sought to buy a second FM frequency in the Twin Cities from the late 1970s onward. As a fallback, in 1980 it bought
MPR acquired Marketplace Productions, which produces
In 2004, MPR announced it would buy WCAL (89.3 FM), the classical music station operated by St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. WCAL (and a repeater station, KMSE in Rochester), were sold in a deal valued at $10.5 million, which was approved by the Federal Communications Commission in 2004. The next year, following the acquisition by MPR, WCAL changed its call letters to KCMP and was transformed into MPR's third service, "The Current".
In 2008, a WCAL advocacy group took St. Olaf College to court for breach of trust in selling the radio station. (A June 2008 judge's opinion described the station as a charitable trust and therefore, not the college's property to freely dispose of. [1] MPR's General Counsel and three attorneys took part in the proceedings.[2] However, a 2009 court found in favor of MPR due to its ruling that the statute of limitations on the matter had expired, nullifying the advocacy group's standing.)
Today, MPR serves a regional audience of one million listeners through 43 stations presenting three broadcast network services.
Original materials from Minnesota Public Radio have been contributed to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.[10]
Services
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2022) |
With the addition of later stations, MPR originally offered a mix of classical music and NPR news/talk programming on a single service. Beginning in 1991, MPR's programming split in two, forming separate news and classical music services (although one station in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan still carries a combination of those two services). The 2005 acquisition of WCAL in Northfield, Minnesota, which covers the Minneapolis–St. Paul and Rochester areas, provided the opportunity to launch another music service, "The Current." This third service has gradually expanded to most of southern eastern Minnesota.
MPR News
MPR's news and information service includes a mix of locally produced programs and national/international shows. The flagship station is
The MPR newsroom has garnered international acclaim, most recently earning the inaugural Knight News Innovation EPpy Award in 2008.[11] MPR's newsroom is known for its Public Insight Network, a database of citizen sources who contribute their expertise on a wide array of topics. The Public Insight Network grew to 140,000 sources in 2011 and partners with other news media, journalism schools, foundations and community groups.
As of 2022, 24 full power stations carry MPR's News and Information service and various translator signals around the state offer additional coverage.
MPRNews.org is a non-profit news website maintained by MPR. This online news source covers issues that affect the state including politics, business, education, health, environment and the economy. MPR News offers headline news, video, blogs, audio and multiple ways for readers to become involved in the news-making process.
YourClassical MPR
MPR's classical music network is carried on 18 full power stations and various translators offer additional coverage. The flagship station is KSJN (99.5 FM) in the Twin Cities. In April 2021, the station rebranded as YourClassical MPR, aligning it with the umbrella branding used for American Public Media's digital classical music platforms and nationally-distributed programming.[12][13] Most of the network's schedule is a simulcast of APM's Classical 24 network, although statewide morning and afternoon shows air Monday-Friday and the network airs various specials and live broadcasts. The HD 2 signal of KSJN-FM offers a 24 hour feed of the Classical 24 network.
On September 10, 2020, Garrett McQueen, the host of Classical 24's
The Current
MPR's third service, The Current, debuted on January 24, 2005, and airs an adult album alternative format.
Several people on The Current's initial staff are well known in the area for previous work at stations that highlight music from Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. Many of the staffers and on-air personalities came from other similar stations, such as the University of Minnesota's KUOM, community-oriented KFAI, and commercial alternative rock outlets REV 105 and Cincinnati, Ohio's WOXY.com.
Programming on The Current is mostly locally produced. The flagship station is
Additional services
Minnesota Public Radio also programs several other music services, all available online, with a few offered on HD Radio in the Twin Cities area.
Carbon Sound is the newest MPR service, focused on R&B music and Black artists. In addition to streaming online, it is available on the HD 2 subchannel of KCMP in the Twin Cities.
Local Current is a service programmed by the staff of The Current, and features music from Minnesota artists. The service streams online.
Purple Current is an R&B and Hip-Hop service inspired by Prince.
Rock The Cradle is also programmed by personnel at The Current, and airs a variation of their AAA format, with music geared toward children and parents. It is available via a separate webstream.
Radio Heartland features an eclectic mix of acoustic, Americana and roots music. The service can be found on the HD2 subchannel of KNOW-FM and also via a separate webcast. KNOW-FM also features an HD3 subchannel consisting of programming from NPR and the BBC World Service. The signal carries additional hours of Morning Edition and All Things Considered not available on KNOW's main signal. Several other NPR and APM shows air on the service.
MPR owns
Programs
Minnesota Public Radio regional programs:
|
American Public Media programs heard on Minnesota Public Radio:
|
Other programs heard on Minnesota Public Radio:
|
Revenue and expenses
Minnesota Public Radio is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization.
MPR's funding comes from listener contributions (membership dues), foundations, corporate and private contributions, government grants, advertising, education partners and publicly traded securities.
The for-profit Rivertown Trading Company, once a subsidiary of MPR's parent company, was sold in 1998 for $124 million. Profits went toward creating MPR's endowment, a percentage of which contributes to MPR's overall annual budget. [19]
Annual expenses
Total expenses for MPR in 2023, as shown in the MPR Board of Trustees audit, was 117 million dollars.
The above total includes 17.7 million dollars spent on fundraising and is distributed among all the categories in the table below. [20]
Category | Millions of dollars |
---|---|
Salaries and wages | 47.7 |
Employee Benefits and Payroll Taxes | 10.7 |
Professional Fees and Marketing | 27.3 |
Production and Acquistion | 13.6 |
Office and Occupancy | 1.1 |
Interest | 0.2 |
Dereciation and Amortization | 3.0 |
Financial | 1.2 |
Other Expenses | 2.1 |
Total | 117.1 |
On MPR's federal 2021 tax form (the most recent available), total expenses are shown as $112,380,820.
On their federal 2021 tax form, MPR entered 9.2 million dollars for "Fees for services (nonemployees)" under the category of "Other". Since that amount is less than ten percent (it's 8.2 percent) of their total expenses, they are not required to provide any details on Schedule O, and none were provided. [21]
Compensation for officers, directors, trustees and key employees
The table below shows MPR's highest compensated employees, as listed on MPR's 2021 tax return. [22]
Person | Position | Compensation (dollars) |
---|---|---|
David Kansas | Former EVP & President, APM | 652,287 |
Jon McTaggart | President & CEO. APMG | 558,767 |
Kai Ryssdal | Host | 469,760 |
Kevin Gilman | National Account Executive | 465,520 |
Duchesne Drew | President MPR | 452,712 |
Michael Lewis | Senior Vice President & GCO | 452,105 |
David Brancaccio | Host | 423,104 |
Morris Goodwin JR. | Senior Vice President & CPO, AMPG | 420,185 |
Revenue details
The amounts listed in this section are from MPR's most recent available tax return (2021). [23]
Total revenue in 2021 was $174,153,779.
-- Contributions, gifts and grants ------ | |
Category | Dollars |
---|---|
Membership dues | 92,201,208 |
Related organizations | 11,840,216 |
Government grants | 7,782,345 |
Other contributions | 32,556,823 |
Publicly traded securities | 2,321,333 |
-- Program service and other revenue -- | |
Category | Dollars |
Program service | 15,541,055 |
Advertising | 4,594,444 |
Other earned | 2,830,605 |
Royalties | 5,456,642 |
Other | 1,350,441 |
Total revenue | 174,153,779 |
Broadcast coverage
Minnesota Public Radio broadcasts on several dozen stations that serve Minnesota and its neighboring communities and various
Most areas are served by both a classical music station and a news and information station. Duluth and Rochester are served by a classical music station, a news and information station, and The Current.
MPR's newest service, The Current, is available in
.Minnesota Public Radio also broadcasts all three of its services – News, Classical and The Current – on HD Radio in several communities throughout the state of Minnesota. In the Twin Cities, MPR multicasts Classical 24, an additional news service and Purple Current.
Public Insight Network
Public Insight Network (PIN) a newsgathering and networking initiative founded by MPR, was created by American Public Media in 2003. Through the PIN initiative, a community of citizens were able to consign their insights, personal experiences, and first-hand knowledge to journalists they trusted. This shared knowledge could then be included in printed materials, broadcast on live news, or shared on the Internet.[25] PIN contributed to national shows such as Marketplace.
See also
- Independent Public Radio(another public radio network in Minnesota, known as AMPERS)
References
- ^ Peabody Awards for MPR. Retrieved September 2014.
- ^ "Workform: Peabody Awards Collection Archives". dbs.galib.uga.edu.
- ^ Arganbright, Valerie (September 2011). "Plugged In: You Create a Legacy Member Letter" (PDF). Minnesota Monthly. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- ^ American Public Media website
- ^ Profile of Colman Barry at MPR's 50th anniversary site
- ^ a b Adelson, Andrea (April 5, 1999). "The Business of National Public Radio". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
Begun in 1966 by William H. Kling at a small, troubled college station, the St. Paul-based organization is now a $32 million, six-state media empire of 30 stations with a $110 million endowment.
- ^ Founding Minnesota Public Radio — Saint John's of Collegeville Archived June 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Van Denburg, Hart (September 10, 2010). "Bill Kling retires: Live blogging". City Pages. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ "MPR to rep its own shows, mainstays of PRI catalog | Current". Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Public Radio". americanarchive.org. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. May 24, 2007.
- ^ "Minnesota Public Radio, American Public Media Unite Regional, National Classical Brands Under 'YourClassical' Brand". All Access. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ "American Public Media Combines Classical MPR And National Programming Under YourClassical Brand". RadioInsight. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ a b "MPR's only Black classical host Garrett McQueen fired after being taken off air". MPR News. September 10, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Wyllie, Julian (September 11, 2020). "Garrett McQueen exits Classical 24 after disagreements over changing playlists". Current. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ "The Current – Great Music Lives Here". minnesota.publicradio.org.
- ^ Abraham, John (August 21, 2014). "Scientist in focus – meteorologist and climate communicator Paul Huttner". The Guardian. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Public Radio Airing Weekly 'Climate Cast' Program". Yale Climate Connection. February 6, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ Conciatore, Jacqueline. "Minnesota net endows itself with sale of mail-order firm". Current. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Allen, Clifton. "Consolidated Financial Report June 30, 2023" (PDF). Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax" (PDF). Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax" (PDF). Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax" (PDF). Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Minnesota Public Radio (August 6, 2014). "Regional network map with coverage areas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ "Public Insight Network". American Public Media. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
External links
- Minnesota Public Radio Web site, including history and list of stations
- Terry Fiedler and Deborah Caulfield Rybak (October 24, 2004). MPR chief 'sings his own song' in creating a national powerhouse. Star Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2004.
- MPRNewsQ – Online news service launched in 2009.