Featured Collections
MPR Archive staff maintains curated collections to highlight diverse, historically relevant, and special interest content. New collections are routinely created for a fresh perspective upon return visits to the MPR Archive portal.
About the MPR Archive
Welcome to the MPR Archive Portal, an informational site designed to provide public access of historical audio materials that highlight the thoughts, stories, and sounds that represent the many aspects of our region and community. Click on “About the MPR Archive” for further details.
Peter Ostroushko
With the sad news of Peter Ostroushko passing away this week, the MPR Archive team has put together a selection of wonderful interviews and stories from Ostroushko himself as a way to fondly remember this genuine Minnesota music personality.
Josie Johnson
In our continued celebration of Black History Month, each week the MPR Archive portal is highlighting a prominent Black Minnesotan. Presented here is a glimpse at the words and activism of renowned advocate Josie Robinson Johnson.
Black life in Minnesota
In celebration of Black History Month, this Black Life in Minnesota collection is an auditory sampling of the millions of stories on the black experience in the North Star state; one of warmth, joy, anger, sadness, and strength. Within the collection you will hear Josie Johnson’s social activism, Alan Page’s legal/philanthropic mind, Lou Bellamy’s artistic force, and innumerable others that give voice to their own story and community.
Alan Page
In celebration of Black History Month, each week the MPR Archive portal is highlighting a prominent Black Minnesotan. Presented here are stories, reports, interviews, and speeches of renowned athlete, jurist, and local philanthropist: retired Supreme Court Justice Alan Page.
Lou Bellamy
In our continued celebration of Black History Month, each week the MPR Archive portal is highlighting a prominent Black Minnesotan. This week’s collection presents the words and art of Lou Bellamy, founder of famed local arts institution The Penumbra Theatre.
Minnesota Politicians
From controversial to influential, Minnesota politics has never been dull. The state is home to numerous “political firsts”, half a dozen presidential candidates, and important social and fiscal discourse. Minnesota politicians Walter Mondale, Hubert Humphrey, Paul Wellstone, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Pawlenty, Jesse Ventura, Keith Ellison, Michele Bachmann, R.T. Rybak, Eugene McCarthy, and Arne Carlson are just a handful of the political figures highlighted in this political audio collection presenting issues addressed and debated in years past.
Classical Interviews
MPR studios host an array of interviews and broadcasts with the world's master musicians, composers, and conductors. A guitar lesson from Sharon Isbin or advice from Van Cliburn are just a few of the musical gems to be found within this collection.
Mainstreet Radio
An MPR rural-news project, with the mission of reporting from rural Minnesota to all of Minnesota. For decades, this series has provided insight into Minnesota’s small towns, land use, and farming communities.
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.
Spectrum
An MPR regional public affairs program, which hosted discussions on Twin Cities politics, education, health, and arts & culture. An interesting time-capsule on the local subject matter of the day for Minnesotans in the 1970s.
Voices of Minnesota
An MPR interview series with the prominent and historically relevant voices in Minnesota politics, business, and the arts. Series provides intimate conversations with figures such as Miles Lord, Ann Bancroft, and Lou Bellamy, among many others.
Healthcare
MPR news and documentary programming highlighting medical and political commentary on the changing landscape of American healthcare. Minnesota is not only home to Mayo Clinic, UCare, and Hazelden, it has been at the forefront of the health discussion, from the state’s historic tobacco settlement case to the idea of prepaid health plans (later known as HMOs).
Minnesota Books and Authors
For decades, MPR has been an important space for regional authors to connect with their readers. This collection includes Sigurd Olson, Tim O'Brien, Robert Bly, Louise Erdich, August Wilson, and other Minnesota authors reading and discussing their works. Numerous visiting non-Minnesotans author’s speeches and interviews also make up this collection as part of our greater literary experience.
Cultural Legacy Digitization Project
This initial MPR archive digitization project contains an assortment of news reports spanning from 1972 to 2004 and was made possible via the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
The many faces, voices, and cultures of a Minnesota holiday season
The Archive has gathered some Minnesota winter “gifts of seasons past” for all to collectively enjoy.
The sound of Wounded Knee from the inside
In observance of Native American Heritage Month, a presentation of audio and a first-hand account of a significant moment in contemporary Native American history - the Wounded Knee Occupation in 1973.