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.
November 2, 1999 - Governor Jesse Ventura's first year, and a look ahead. We hear from former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson, Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe, Ventura campaign Media Chair Gerry Drewry, MPR listeners and more.
November 1, 1999 - Bill Wareham, MPR Editor, and Jay Weiner, StarTribune/MPR Sports Commentator, will field the questions about the St. Paul ballpark vote. Other guests include Erich Mische of Vote Yes, and Brishan Rogers of Progressive Minnesota on "Get-out-the-vote" efforts underway.
November 1, 1999 - A discussion of the issues involved in the St. Paul billboard vote on Tuesday with John Mannillo, chair of Scenic St. Paul; and Lee Ann Muller, regional president of Eller Media, who debate the issue and answer questions from listeners.
October 27, 1999 - Best-selling author Roger Kahn will be in the MPR studios to talk to Gary Eichten about his new book, A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring 20's.
October 27, 1999 - Best-selling author, historian and Pulitzer Prize-winner Doris Kearns Goodwin will be in the MPR studios to talk to Gary Eichten about presidents, history and baseball.
October 8, 1999 - On this hour of Midday, a discussion about Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad signing a letter of intent to sell the team, pending approval of a new ballpark in downtown St. Paul. If the deal goes through, sports moguls Glen Taylor and Robert Naegele will head up the new ownership group.
September 29, 1999 - On Wednesday morning Garrison Keillor and August Wilson receive the National Humanities Medal from President Clinton. They, and the other recipients of this year's medal spoke at the National Endowment for the Humanities on Tuesday, and you can hear their remarks on Midday.
September 27, 1999 - A Carlson Lecture by NBC-TV News Anchor Tom Brokaw. He is speaking at Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota
September 27, 1999 - As the Minnesota Literacy Summit gets underway in Minneapolis, a talk about the ways kids learn to read with Rosemary Miller, conference co-chair and coordinator of early literacy programs at the University of Minnesota.
September 24, 1999 - September edition of MPR's Voices of Minnesota series, featuring St. John's University football coach John Gagliardi and music arranger Red McLeod (he arranged the Minnesota Rouser as a student, arranged 1812 overture for U of M band for conductor Eugene Ormandy, wrote for Whoopee John polka band).