Minnesota Public Radio was founded in 1967 by Bill Kling and Colman Barry, president of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. After the first station, KSJR 90.1-FM, went on the air, Kling began building a statewide network. Here's a sampling of some early recordings found in the MPR Archive.
April 1, 1971 - 1971 excerpt of Wolfman Jack (unfortunately no audio found of Fat Daddy Washington, Arthur Hoehn's radio name). Station logo, brief Wolfman voice, no ID, mostly an ad for Cold Power detergent. Audio from highlight CD created in October 2010 when Hoehn was inducted into Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame. CD track 1. Date is an estimate, other than the year the exact date is unknown.
October 7, 1971 - MPR's first live broadcast of Minnesota Orchestra, October 7, 1971. Excerpt from broadcast of concert with host Arthur Hoehn.
October 7, 1971 - Pre-intermission break from MPR's first live broadcast of the Minnesota Orchestra, October 7, 1971. As the orchestra finishes "The Flying Dutchman" conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, MPR’s Arthur Hoehn speaks in the interval before it begins William Schuman's Symphony No. 3.
May 1, 1972 - MPR’s Paul Gruchow interviews Father Larry Gavin, of Wilmont Minneosta, about his sexuality and his vow of celibacy.
May 11, 1972 - A news feature of the "Eight Days in May" - anti-war demonstrations known as the Dinkytown riot. McCarthy is sympathetic to the protests.
July 21, 1972 - MPR’s Paul Gruchow interviews Phil Easton, the publisher of the Stillwater Gazette, about giving furloughs to inmates of Stillwater Prison.
August 23, 1972 - A news feature about "The Military Order of Cooties," a group that disrupts military discipline. A parody by Dudley Riggs and the Brave New Workshop.
September 8, 1972 - A statement by member of the Twin Cities People's Blockade: part of national blockade effort, a nonviolent protest against Vietnam War and the war's continuing destruction. Two people were arrested for blocking the train track leading into Twin Cities Arsenal. This underscores Nixon administration's intent to continue the war at the same if not greater level of destruction as the Johnson administration. Group of seven protestors vigiling on railroad tracks since August 28 to highlight our responsibility to end the war in Vietnam. Arriving 15 minutes before train came US Federal Marshals who removed for second time a nine foot cross and olive tree on the track, read a statement ordering people off the tracks. They refused and sat down in front of oncoming train, and were then removed from the ordnance track. The train went into arsenal. When the train boxcars come out, they will be loaded with ammunition destined for use in what almost everyone considers an immoral and illegal war.
November 15, 1972 - MPR’s Connie Goldman reports on the work of Sigurd Olson, and his book "Wilderness Days." Report also presents a question and answer period with Olson from an appearance at the Minnesota Press Club, where he called Minnesotans to protect the environment. This recording was made available through a grant from the National Historical Publications & Records Commission.
November 24, 1972 - Teacher and poet Don Luther Lee, later known as Haki R. Madhubuti, performs poetry reading and speaks on the importance of language to some African American poets.