Minnesota Public Radio programming and projects supported by Legacy Amendment Funds

Jan 15, 2010

Minnesota Public Radio's broadcast signal is available to 95 percent of the population of the state. Every week, more than 900,000 people tune into MPR's three regional services (News, Classical Music and The Current) for an average of eight hours -- Minnesotans spend 7.2 million hours listening to MPR each week.

$1.15 million in Legacy Amendment Arts and Cultural Heritage funds were appropriated to MPR for fiscal year 2010 to "to create new programming and events, expand regional news service, amplify Minnesota culture to a regional and national audience, and document Minnesota's history through the Minnesota Audio Archives."

MPR has launched seven projects using this funding:

Broadcasts of performances by regional arts and cultural organizations on Classical Minnesota Public Radio:
Legacy funding supports broadcast partnerships with the Shubert Club, Minnesota-based choral ensemble Cantus, the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Opera. Upcoming performances by The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus in Saint Paul and the Parker Quartet in Duluth and Bemidji will also be recorded for broadcast on MPR's classical music service.

The creation of new national programming to originate in Minnesota:
Legacy funding supports the development of new Minnesota-based programming aimed at a national audience. The aim of this project is to bring the state's cultural richness and ideas to listeners across the US, to connect Minnesota to the national dialogue, and to create national broadcasting jobs in Minnesota. We will launch at least one new national program by the end of the two year grant period.

New content sharing partnerships between MPR News and Greater Minnesota media organizations, providing better coverage of local and statewide issues and cultural events:
MPR will launch a new program service, Minnesota Today, providing comprehensive news, information and cultural coverage for the entire state. Legacy funding supports Minnesota Today's partnerships with Greater Minnesota media organizations and the creation of its statewide cultural events calendar. Still in its pilot phase, Minnesota Today has already shared more than 16 stories with outstate newspapers; the Minnesota Today website is scheduled to launch this spring.

Documenting Minnesota's history through audio archives:
MPR is partnering with the Minnesota Historical Society to create a comprehensive digital audio archive, including news and music spanning 30+ years of Minnesota history. Legacy funding supports this invaluable audio archive, documenting news and cultural events ranging from local reaction to the Iranian hostage crisis to the opening of Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. The archive will be made available to all Minnesotans through a portal on the MPR website.

Extending the reach of The Current to new audiences in Minnesota:
Legacy funding supports the start-up costs to make The Current, MPR's acclaimed music station, available to more than 350,000 new listeners in Stearns, Pope, Todd, Morrison, Benton, Sherburne, Wright, Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties on digital radio. The Current will provide Central Minnesota listeners with the best new music alongside the music that inspired it, from local to legendary, indie to influential, new to nostalgic, including a heavy emphasis on Minnesota-based musicians, composers and musical groups.

Creating new events to benefit all Minnesotans:
Legacy funding supports new MPR presentations at the Fitzgerald Theater including: Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry contest for students; a free performance of A Prairie Home Companion for high school students; Wits, a four-part national author series, and many others.

Funding Small-Scale Partnerships and Innovative Projects:
MPR has created the Legacy Innovation Fund to incubate and support emerging projects that originate both from partnerships with other Minnesota cultural organizations and from within Minnesota Public Radio. The Fund targets innovative and unique ideas that will benefit Minnesota.

If you have any questions, please contact mprlegacyprojects@mpr.org.