For many who have listened to the airwaves over the previous decades, Gary Eichten’s voice is synonymous to Minnesota Public Radio. The retired MPR News editor-at-large Eichten has worn many hats during his 40-plus-year career at MPR, including news director, special events producer, and station manager. He routinely served as host for Minnesota Public Radio's live-special events news coverage, and has hosted all of the major news programs on Minnesota Public Radio, including Midday (which he hosted for more than 20 years!).
It all began on April Fool’s Day in 1967, when Eichten started his career at Minnesota Public Radio as a student announcer at Collegeville’s KSJR, MPR’s first station. He became the station’s one-man news department and quickly found that turning up his headphones forced him to speak more intimately, which gave him that radio voice.
In the fall of 1992, Eichten moved from hosting the regional late-afternoon edition of All Things Considered to hosting Midday. In his new role, Eichten personified the art of hosting, a tradition begun by the program’s previous host, Bob Potter. It also solidified Gary’s distinct tone and insightful questions that listeners came to hear as being MPR.
As Midday host, Eichten let his guests answer those questions and sought to understand their responses. With daily early morning research, his respectful but direct on-air style, and assistance from his long-time producer Sara Meyer, Eichten found himself making memorable radio…from a poignant sign-off of the original regional “All Things Considered,” a live on-air moment with a contentious Governor Ventura, to even a pledge drive.
Among the honors Eichten received during his MPR career is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Award for Best Local News Program and the prestigious 2011 Graven Award by the Premack Public Affairs Journalism Awards Board for his contribution to excellence in the journalism profession. 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.
Simply put, Mr. Eichten is a Minnesota treasure, on and off the air.
This large curation is indicative of the breadth of that work.
June 11, 1992 - A conversation with an educator on the historical background of tribal government and the how that pertains to controversy of White Earth elections.
June 12, 1992 - All Things Considered’s Gary Eichten chats with Bob Starr, a member of the Minnesota Inventors Congress, about the organization’s annual inventors expo. Starr shares some of the current and past inventions.
July 1, 1992 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews clinical professor Rick Kingston on the health concerns revolving around the train derailment in Duluth-Superior, in which benzine and other chemicals spilled into the Nemadji River and created a toxic gas cloud.
July 6, 1992 - Robert Astrup, president of the Minnesota Education Association (MEA), provides his thoughts on hiring men and minorities into lower grade teaching roles and about the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
July 6, 1992 - Former Vice President Walter Mondale details what he sees as the importance of selecting a VP candidate in a presidential contest.
July 9, 1992 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews member of The Rupert’s Orchestra about the closing of Rupert’s Nightclub in Golden Valley.
July 13, 1992 - MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with a member of the organization that hosts Movie and Music in the Park series at Loring Park on the edge of downtown Minneapolis.
July 27, 1992 - All Thing’s Considered’s Gary Eichten interviews Minnesota wrestler John Morgan about Roman Greco wrestling. Morgan details the different styles of wrestling and comments on not participating in 1992 Olympics.
July 28, 1992 - A conversation on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services reintroduction of the Osprey into the southern part of state, including the metro. The bird population dropped dramatically in the area because of shooters and pesticides.
August 3, 1992 - Daniel Farber, University of Minnesota law professor, talks with MPR’s Gary Eichten about his concerns on the process of electing judges.