Gary Eichten has spent more than 40 years with MPR, serving in a variety of roles including station manager, news director and his current role as host of Midday.
Eichten began his career at Minnesota Public Radio as a student announcer at Collegeville’s KSJR, MPR’s first station. Among the honors Eichten has received during his career is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Award for Best Local News Program. He also assisted in the development of two Peabody award-winning documentaries. In 2007, Eichten was inducted into the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting's Hall of Fame. Most recently, Eichten was awarded with the prestigious 2011 Graven Award by the Premack Public Affairs Journalism Awards Board for his contribution to excellence in the journalism profession.
July 11, 1968 - A conversation with Eugene McCarthy at St. Johns, in Collegeville. Gary Eicthen and Pat Smith asked McCarthy questions as he was taking a break from his presidential campaign.
January 16, 1974 - Minnesota Governor Wendell Anderson gives his State of the State address, the "Energy Crisis" being his highest priority. He supports a separate Department of Energy to address this issue. He also supports the federal 55 MPH bill to save on gasoline usage. Campaign finance reform is another issue he supports.
February 27, 1974 - MPR’s Gary Eichten reports on caucus results in relation to abortion rights debate.
March 4, 1974 - Explanation of divorce legislation. Senator Spear's no-fault divorce bill is a compromise, measure only deals with grounds for divorce. Traditional grounds replaced by "irretrievable breakdown of marriage", other terms also changed.
June 6, 1974 - Architect Jim Wengler talks about the preservation of the Grand Ave. neighborhood and about the Grand Old Days celebration. Grand Ave. represents what they consider a solution to energy and problems by renovating existing urban areas rather than building out the suburbs. Discussion of the positive and negative aspects of the neighborhood including the impact of putting in 35E highway.
November 4, 1974 - Jesse Jackson is part of group called PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) which encourages minority business ownership. Jackson's in the Twin Cities for a groundbreaking on an inner city shopping complex, one of first in country conceived and developed by minorities. He talks about the criminal mind, and criminality as a way of life. He speaks about the need for spiritual and economic regeneration. He says tomorrow will be a good day for blacks in upcoming elections. There's a movement toward voting on issues, not on race or gender.
November 5, 1974 - Deputy director of the Minnesota Energy Agency, Phil Getz, says heating costs will go up, even though energy companies aren't short of coal (yet). But as coal supplies dwindle, utility companies will have to switch over to oil. Also, a coal strike looms on the horizon.
August 25, 1975 - MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with columnist and author Jim Klobuchar, who reflects on immigrants to the Iron Range and how they made their living.
August 25, 1975 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews columnist and author Jim Klobuchar, who discusses diversity, immigration, and racism in Minnesota.
August 26, 1975 - Jim Klobuchar comments on Hubert Humphrey's "bleeding heart politics" and how it affected the national picture of American politics.