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.
March 24, 2009 - David Plotz, editor of the online magazine Slate, read every word of the Old Testament. He chronicles the experience in "Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible." Plotz is an award-winning journalist and the head editor of Slate, the world's largest online magazine. He's been writing for Slate since the popular site launched in 1996. He's also a contributor to the New York Times Magazine, Harper's, Rolling Stone, and The Washington Post. He spoke recently at the Minneapolis Central Library as part of the library's "Talk of the Stacks" series.
March 17, 2009 - Two senior statesmen reflect on public life and civic engagement. Former Vice President Walter Mondale and former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger discuss their experiences in public life and the need for civic engagement.
March 5, 2009 - Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest, teacher, and author. She is widely recognized as one of America's most eloquent preachers. Ordained an Episcopal priest in 1984, she holds the Harry R. Butman Chair in Religion and Philosophy at Piedmont College in Georgia and is adjunct professor of Christian spirituality at Columbia Theological Seminary. She is the author of twelve books on faith and spirituality, including "Leaving Church" and "An Altar in the World." She lectures on preaching at Yale, Princeton, and Duke Universities and is a regular columnist for The Christian Century. She spoke before an audience at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Her speech was titled, "Downtime: The Sacred Art of Stopping".
February 27, 2009 - Essayist and poet Bill Holm, who was nationally known for his distinctly Minnesotan writing, died at age 65. On this program, Midday features some highlights from Holm's many public appearances and rememberences from those who knew him.
February 18, 2009 - In its latest effort to stem the financial crisis, the Obama administration announced the details of a $75 billion plan to help struggling homeowners. The plan is more ambitious than initially expected - and more expensive. It aims to aid borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth, and borrowers who are on the verge of foreclosure. Afterwards, Ben Bernanke speaks at the National Press Club live here on Midday with Gary Eichten
January 1, 2009 - At the start of the new year, Midday presents some of 2008's most entertaining speeches. Author and humorist Garrison Keillor talked about poetry, writing and his own relationship with the library at the "Talk of the Stacks" series in November at the Hennepin County Library in downtown Minneapolis.
December 25, 2008 - Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of "A Christmas Carol," using a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations.
December 25, 2008 - Midday features three stories of the Christmas season. Garrison Keillor has a special Christmas Day edition of "the News from Lake Wobegon," MPR's Dan Olson reads the famous 1897 New York Sun letter, "Is there a Santa Claus?," and Truman Capote reads "A Christmas Memory."
December 1, 2008 - "Say It Plain: A Century of Great African American Speeches". An American RadioWorks documentary. Featuring speeches from: Booker T. Washington: A former slave and the most influential African American at the turn of the 20th century
November 18, 2008 - Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin examines the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and identifies attributes that distinguish truly great presidents. Goodwin's latest book is "Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln." She spoke in Minneapolis at the annual Planned Parenthood fundraising dinner in October.