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.
May 16, 1990 - As part of a series on Bemidji race relations, Mainstreet Radio reporter Leif Enger looks at difficulties Native Americans face in finding housing.
May 18, 1990 - As part of a series on Bemidji race relations, Mainstreet Radio reporter Leif Enger talks with several individuals about how members of the Native American community and it’s supporters used a boycott to fight back against racism in the town of Bemidji.
May 25, 1990 - Mainstreet Radio’s John Biewen interviews renowned classical double bassist James VanDemark about the formation of Upper Midwest Chamber Music Festival being held in Owatonna.
July 2, 1990 - Mainstreet Radio’s John Biewen reports on the shortage of rural foster homes and a community alternative in Worthington…the creation of the Bridgeway Center, a group home for emergency foster kids.
September 24, 1990 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger profiles the St. Cloud baseball team The Rox, which in 1946 became part of the old Northern League that stretched from Wisconsin to Manitoba. The team dissolved in 1971, but Enger finds many locals still have fond memories.
October 10, 1990 - Jon Grunseth, I-R candidate for governor; and Rudy Perpich, incumbent DFL governor of Minnesota, speaking to the endorsing convention of the SHOW Minnesota Education Association. Grunseth and Perpich shared their differing views on education issues and answered audience questions. Following debate, program presents a Mainstreet Radio education report.
October 11, 1990 - Midday presents a Mainstreet Radio special broadcast on rural schools…both their problems and successes. John Biewan visits Rothsay, a small western Minnesota town. People in Rothsay say their school, far from being a dinosaur, should serve as a model for education reform.
October 29, 1990 - On this Mainstreet Radio program, MPR’s Leif Enger reports on the attempts for a truce on the border of the BWCA since the 1978 Boundary Waters Wilderness Act.
November 29, 1990 - Mainstreet Radio’s John Biewen looks at the changes taking place in Minnesota law enforcement after the Minnesota legislature created the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST), which in part requires college degree for police officers…including the local sheriff. The state is the first in the country to require two-year degree for beginning peace officers.
December 13, 1990 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger takes a look at the potentially precarious situations that thin ice on Lake Milles Lacs Lake present…for both fisherman and the lodge businesses of the area.