Midday, the longest running MPR news program, began as an extension of a daily half hour noon newscast called “Midday Report.” In September 1971 it expanded into various longer iterations, running weekdays, as well as encompassing some weekend programming. During this period, it was described as: “A program of news and information, a calendar of the day’s cultural events and the environmental report.” In January 1972 the name changed to Midday, and a month later it was described as: “A program of news, consumer and environmental information, discussion of public issues, and reports by the MPR and NPR news staffs."
Separate MPR public affairs programming were featured, such as Spectrum, Sportfolio, MPR Special, Insight, Weekend, Forum, and MPR’s Mainstreet Radio, among others. Local programming was also featured, including Westminster Town Hall Forum, Carlson Lecture Series, Minnesota Meeting, Minnesota Press Club, and Mondale Policy Forum. National outside programming included Options, Horizons, Communique, National Press Club, Chappaqua Lecture, Ford Hall Forum, Commonwealth Club, among others; and interview shows from the likes of Studs Terkel, William F. Buckley and Nancy Fushan.
As the years progressed, the “Interview” and “Call-in” would become a regular format for Midday. Beginning in the mid-1970’s until 1992, Midday was hosted by Bob Potter, after which, Gary Eichten became the permanent host. Many guest hosts also participated over the years. During the Eichten era, Midday became a daily two-hour program staple, running from 11AM-1PM. Midday ended its run in January 2012, when long-time host Eichten retired.
October 16, 1986 - William Raspberry, a former Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated American public affairs columnist, speaking at Minnesota Meeting. Raspberry talks about issues facing the black family, including single parent homes and joblessness. After speech, Raspberry answered audience questions. Raspberry was also the Knight Professor of the Practice of Communications and Journalism at the Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University. An African American, he frequently wrote on racial issues. Minnesota Meeting is a non-profit corporation which hosts a wide range of public speakers. It is managed by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. This was the first live broadcast of Minnesota Meeting presented by MPR.
October 22, 1986 - Charles Atkins, commissioner of welfare for the state of Massachusetts, speaking at Itasca Seminar held in northern Minnesota. The seminar’s topic was "Self Sufficiency: Is It Possible?", and Atkin’s addressed his state's efforts to place welfare recipients into jobs. After speech, Atkins answered audience questions. Mr. Atkins has developed a program in Massachusetts to move women off the welfare rolls and into jobs. 25,000 women have become employed through the Education and Training Choices program since 1983. Prior to becoming welfare commissioner, Mr. Atkins served as deputy commissioner of the addiction services agency in New York City during the early '70s. In that position, he created a program to find employment for ex-drug addicts. In 1973 and '74, he was manager of employment operations for Citibank in New York, where he found other employment within the organization for low-level employees whose jobs had been eliminated by automation. When he was in Boston's Employment and Economic Policy administration, he succeeded in obtaining a 23-million-dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to reduce youth unemployment in Boston.
October 27, 1986 - Jim Klobuchar talks about his book, Eight Miles without a Pothole, a collection of his columns from the previous ten years.
October 28, 1986 - Tony Bouza, Minneapolis police chief, discusses various police matters. Topics include challenges in terminating officers, his views on civil service, privatization, rise in crime, and age/fitness of officers. Bouza also answers listener questions.
November 1, 1986 - Al Sicherman, food writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, talks about his columns and answers listener questions on food.
November 5, 1986 - Mitch Snyder, homeless advocate, speaking at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth and sponsored by the College's Center for the Study of Peace and Justice. Snyder’s address was titled, “The Hungry and Homeless in America." Snyder is a member of the Washington D.C. based community for creative non-violence, which provides food, shelter and other help for about two thousand Washingtonians each day. Snyder has received attention for several acts of civil disobedience on behalf of homeless people and he is perhaps best known for his highly publicized fifty-one day fast in 1984. That fast reportedly helped convince President Reagan to release almost one million dollars in funds to begin converting an unused, federally owned building into a one thousand bed shelter for the homeless.
November 5, 1986 - Election recap program, highlighting the results of the Minnesota legislative races. The big news of election was the DFL taking control of the State House of Representatives.
November 10, 1986 - Minnesota poet and storyteller Robert Bly, answers listener questions about his writing and his relatively new interest in men's groups. Bly also reads some of his poetry.
November 14, 1986 - Jane Kretzmann, state director of Refugee Services and former Southeast Asian refugee Rene Pon answer listener questions about their recent trip to Thai refugee camps and implications for refugee services in Minnesota. Includes Tom Meersman report from Kampuchea and Khao-I-Dang Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand.
November 18, 1986 - Paul Loeb, author of "Hope in Hard Times: America's peace movement and the Reagan era" answers listener questions about anti-nuclear activism during a general period of defense build-ups.