Created in 1987, Mainstreet Radio held a mission of reporting specifically from rural Minnesota to all of Minnesota. With an introductory staff of Rachel Reabe, Leif Enger, and John Biewen, the group developed both long and short form news features as part of MPR Journal and Morning Edition broadcasts. As the years progressed, Mainstreet Radio expanded both in reporter contributions and programming, with memorable work from the likes of Mark Steil and Catherine Winter, amongst others. Beginning in the 1990s, Mainstreet Radio presented a monthly two-hour special, focusing on issues outside the Twin Cities metro. The varied Mainstreet Radio programming ran into the mid-2000s.
Mainstreet Radio presented a breadth of topics, providing an avenue for individuals from all walks of life to be heard. These efforts garnered numerous journalistic awards, including 65 national and regional awards in its first 10 years (1987-97).
Award-winning material in “special programs,” “series,” or “documentary” categories include Meth in Minnesota; Against the Grain; Dancing on Beat: Portrait of a Reservation Family; After the Flood; An Education in Diversity; Rekindling the Spirit: The Rebirth of American Indian Spirituality; Wilderness Truce: Ely 10 Years Later; Making the Grade: Rural schools the work; The Rural School Challenge; Broken Trust: Civil Rights in Indian Country; Gold: New Prospects on the Iron Range; and Articles of Faith.
Award-winning material in the category of “reporting” include Frog Music; Pumpkinland; Four Winds Treatment Center; Deer Hunting Weekend; Border Check for Poachers; Mille Lacs Fishing Launch; Loon Habitat; House Call Doctor; Geritol Frolics; Cartwright's Calendar; Ice-Fishing on Mille Lacs; Mercury Fillets; and A Place for the Wolf.
July 9, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger interviews Wayne Johnson, author of the crime novel "Don't Think Twice." The hero of book, Paul Two Persons, is a Ivy-League educated Chippewa, and owns a remote lodge on Lake of the Woods. Two Persons finds himself in serious trouble when he returns to the reservation he grew up on. The book relies heavily on the land and waters of northern Minnesota, and the traditions of the Indians who live there.
July 28, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from the International Wolf Center in Ely. Rachel Reabe hosts a discussion about wolves with Bill Route, a wildlife biologist at the International Wolf Center; Ron Refsnider, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist; Mike Don Carlos, wildlife specialist with Minnesota DNR; and State Senator Gary Laidig.
July 28, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from the International Wolf Center in Ely. Rachel Reabe hosts a discussion about black bears with Dave Garshelis, of the Minnesota DNR; Lynn Rogers, a bear researcher; and Bill Lea, president of American Bear Association. Program begins with a report on bears in Minnesota from MPR's Leif Enger.
August 5, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast of Minnesota Citizens’ Forum, live from FarmFest in Redwood Falls. In the first hour of program, Minnesota Farm Radio Network’s Tom Rothman hosts a discussion of the importance of a strong rural economy to Minnesota.
August 5, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast of Minnesota Citizens Forum, live from FarmFest in Redwood Falls. In the second hour of program, Minnesota Farm Radio Network’s Tom Rothman hosts a continuing discussion of the importance of a strong rural economy to Minnesota.
August 6, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio's Brent Wolfe reports on a national referendum sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which looks to change the current system that sets different minimum prices for milk in different parts of the country. The new pricing system would reduce the disparity in minimum prices around the nation.
August 6, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio’s Marissa Helms reports on two brothers in central Minnesota that are taking the family dairy farm in a new direction.
August 10, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio visits several towns, each trying a different technique to make sure they are "wired." On this segment, MPR’s Mark Steil reports on how the town of Windom is considering a local phone service. City officials in Windom in southwest Minnesota are considering launching the state's first new municipal telephone business in more than 75 years.
August 11, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio is visiting several towns, each trying a different technique to make sure they are "wired." Just as small rural communities once competed for rail lines, now towns see telecommunications as the vital link which will keep them flourishing.
September 3, 1999 - Bison burgers, Buff dogs…bison's becoming the 'other' red meat for health conscious Americans. Mainstreet Radio's Marisa Helms reports that cattle ranchers across Minnesota are starting to raise the nearly once extinct animal in increasing numbers. Some of these new bison ranchers try to mimic the natural prairie setting, grazing their herds on native grasses.