September 8, 1979 - On this regional public affairs program, a preview of the Minneapolis mayoral primary election to succeed retiring Mayor Al Hofstede. Candidates in the DFL primary include Don Fraser, former U.S. Congressman (the DFL endorsed candidate); James Rice, Minnesota state representative; Tim Campbell, gay activist, and others. Candidates in the Independent Republican primary include Mike Barros (Independent-Republican endorsed), and others. Charles Stenvig, former mayor, is the Independent candidate for general election.
September 15, 1979 - On this regional public affairs program, MPR’s Bob Potter talks with Greg Barron, producer of “The Way to 8-A" documentary; and Eric Janus of the Supreme Court Committee on Mental Health, about mental commitment procedures.
September 20, 1979 - American Indian writer Jamake Highwater talks to a group of TV producers, artists and business people attending Minneapolis Conference on Children's Television Programming, sponsored by Action for Children's Television, an advocacy group based in Boston.
September 28, 1979 - MPR's Alan Searle interviews Michael Sherbourne, who has worked as a full-time volunteer since 1969 and is considered the main conduit of information between Soviet dissidents and the western world. Sherbourne discusses his over five thousand telephone calls to friends and relatives of Soviet dissidents and other denied exit visas from the Soviet Union. Sherbourne was interviewed in the Twin Cities before travelling to Washington to speak at a conference on the fate of the dissidents.
October 9, 1979 - Documentary that explores the attempts by South Dakota Native Americans to win more complete sovereignty from state and federal governments. A collection of various interviews. Topics include Sun Dance ritual, treaties, and courts.
October 30, 1979 - John M. Bach, a coworker with Reverend Philip Berrigan, speaking as part of the Prisons and Prisoners lecture series at Moorhead State College, held in the fall of 1973. Bach shared views from a prisoner perspective. Bach spent 35 months in seven federal prisons for refusing induction into military service. PLEASE NOTE: Audio contains disturbing language
November 3, 1979 - MPR’s John Ydstie interviews William Henry Waters, a North Dakota farmer during the 1930s and 40’s, who reflects on the struggles of living through the Great Depression. This program was presented in marking the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Depression.
November 24, 1979 - MPR's Rich Dietman talks with four young foreign journalists about their impressions of the United States, current affairs in their countries, and journalism around the world. The four journalists are Paiter Rotz of the Hungarian News Agency in Budapest; Bruno Lopez of the newspaper Ovaciones in Mexico City; Mohamed Mustafa of the El-Sahafa Arabic Daily newspaper based in Khartoum in Sudan; and Vaiju Mahindroo of the magazine Bombay Today in India. The group are participants in this year's World Press Institute at Macalester College in St. Paul.
November 24, 1979 - MPR Rich Dietman interviews David Hozza, St. Paul City Council president, who has announced he would not seek re-election to the council next spring. Hozza reflects on accomplishments during his tenure and reasons for leaving.
December 18, 1979 - MPR’s Brigid Shea interviews Robert Spaeth, vice-president for sales and marketing for the Corn Products Council (CPC International), who discusses the bright future for corn and sugar products.