MPR News editor-at-large and retired host Gary Eichten has worn many hats during his 40-plus-year career at Minnesota Public Radio, including news director, special events producer and station manager. He has served as host for Minnesota Public Radio's live, special events news coverage, and has hosted all of the major news programs on Minnesota Public Radio, including Midday, which he hosted for more than 20 years.
A graduate of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, Eichten began his career at Minnesota Public Radio as a student announcer at KSJR (Minnesota Public Radio's first station). Among the honors Eichten has received during his career is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting award for best local news program. He also assisted in the development of two Peabody award-winning documentaries. In 2007, he was inducted into the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting's Hall of Fame. Eichten has also been awarded the prestigious 2011 Graven Award by the Premack Public Affairs Journalism Awards Board for his contribution to excellence in the journalism profession.
June 14, 2007 - A tour of the delights and the disappointments of the Twin Cities' architectural landscape.
June 8, 2007 - A memorial to the Minnesotans who served in World War II gets its official dedication ceremony at the Capitol Saturday. Midday takes a look at what life was for those Minnesotans -- both in the military and on the home front.
June 8, 2007 - A memorial to the Minnesotans who served in World War II gets its official dedication ceremony at the Capitol Saturday. Midday takes a look at what life was for those Minnesotans -- both in the military and on the home front.
May 18, 2007 - Two Minnesotans touched by World War II; two strikingly different stories. For Frank Ario, World War II was a scene of death and destruction. He fought through and survived the Battle of the Bulge, one of the war's major campaigns. For Rita Stallman, who joined the Signal Corps in Washington, it was an opportunity to broaden her horizons and experience life.
April 27, 2007 - If anything, playwright August Wilson's stature has been growing since his death two years ago. August Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who spent 12 years in St. Paul, died in 2005. The one-time St. Paulite has a Broadway theater named for him. In May, the New York Times will host an event celebrating Wilson's work, and earlier in the year the Kennedy Library honored Wilson, too. The participants at the Kennedy Library Forum were actor Charles Dutton and composer Dwight Andrews, both of whom worked on Wilson's Broadway productions. Dutton got interested in acting while serving a seven-and-a-half year jail sentence for mansluaghter. He eventually won a spot at Yale Drama School, where he was introduced to Wilson's work. From there is was on to Broadway, and Dutton was twice nominated for the Tony Award for his performances in Wilson's plays. Andrews served as music director for six Broadway productions of August Wilson plays. He is a professor of music theory and African American studies at Emory University, and practicing minister.
April 24, 2007 - Speaking hours after the announcement of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin's death, Vladimir Putin, the current president, praised Yeltsin for ushering in "a whole new epoch" for "a democratic Russia." What is Yeltsin's legacy, and what will Putin's be?
April 13, 2007 - On this Midday program, a broadcast of speech by U.S. Representative Tim Walz, who represents Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District in the southern part of the state. Walz says America's foreign policy has become so focused on the goal of security that it has given short shrift to other important goals like human rights. He argues for a broader view of foreign policy and a departure from the "dichotomies" of American politics.
March 28, 2007 - St. Paul native and baseball Hall-of-Famer Dave Winfield is worried about the current state of the national pasttime. In his new book "Dropping the Ball," Winfield proposes changes aimed at appealing to fans, increasing the numbers of African-American players, reducing steroid use and improving union-management relations.
February 15, 2007 - "Dating your mom" and other stories from Ian Frazier. What if the lives of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig were subject to investigative reporting or if children's manners were written as Biblical law? Humorist Ian Frazier has an idea about how those might read. He's also been known to argue that men should consider dating their own mothers.Fitzgerald theater event.
February 12, 2007 - The art of the memoir. Ever thought about writing a memoir? Accomplished memoirists Patricia Hampl and Katherine Lanpher offered some advice in a forum at the Loft Literary Center.