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.
February 26, 2010 - A day after President Barack Obama gathered top lawmakers in Washington for a bipartisan summit on health care, former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger, Chair of the National Institute of Health Policy, assesses the ideas and accomplishments of the all-day session. Guest: David Durenberger: U.S. Senator, (Republican-MN) from 1978-1995. Author and co-author of major health legislation 1980 to 1993. Chair of the National Institute of Health Policy at University of St. Thomas. Gary Eichten hosts.
February 24, 2010 - Award-winning Minnesota history author Dave Kenney discusses the history of the Boy Scouts in central Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Kenney is out with a new book on that subject, "Honor Bright: A Century of Scouting in Northern Star Council."
January 14, 2010 - Miep Gies, the woman who helped hide Anne Frank from the Nazis and later saved Anne's diary, died this week in Amsterdam. She was 100 years old. Midday features a remembrance of Gies, plus an excerpt from an interview with Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.
January 4, 2010 - What is the future of mainstream media?An "Intelligence Squared" debate features three panelists FOR and three panelists AGAINST the proposition: Good Riddance to the Mainstream Media.
January 1, 2010 - Playwright and humorist Kevin Kling talks about his new book, "Holiday Inn," which he calls "a romp through a year of holidays." Kling spoke at the Minneapolis Central Library as part of the library's Talk of the Stacks program.
December 9, 2009 - Garrison Keillor speaks at the Virginia Street Swedenborgian Church in St. Paul about life, literature, and his new book, "A Christmas Blizzard." Keillor is the host of the public radio program "A Prairie Home Companion" and the author of more than a dozen books.
November 27, 2009 - Playwright and humorist Kevin Kling talks about his new book, "Holiday Inn," which he calls "a romp through a year of holidays." Kling spoke at the Minneapolis Central Library as part of the library's Talk of the Stacks program. Kevin Kling is a Minnesota playwright, humorist and occasional public radio commentator. His new book is called "Holiday Inn."
November 17, 2009 - Environmentalist Lester Brown lays out his plan for saving the planet. Lester Brown, a longtime leader in the environmental movement, discusses climate change, food security, and energy policy. He is out with a new book titled, "Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization."
November 11, 2009 - Minnesota native Richard Moe is retiring as president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. He joins Midday to talk about community revitalization and why it's important to save America's historic buildings and places. Richard Moe: President, National Trust for Historic Preservation. Former chief of staff for Senator Walter Mondale and senior staff for President Jimmy Carter. Chairman of Minnesota DFL Party 1969-1972. Author, "The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers."
November 10, 2009 - An 'Intelligence Squared' debate features three panelists FOR and three panelists AGAINST the proposition: Good Riddance to the Mainstream Media. Guests: Jim VandeHei: Executive editor of Politico. Michael Wolff: Columnist for Vanity Fair and the founder of news aggregator newser.com. Phil Bronstein: Former executive vice president and editor at large of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Carr: Reporter and columnist for the New York Times. Katrina vanden Heuvel: Editor and publisher of The Nation.