Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio is a nonprofit public-media network operating news, classical-music, alternative-music, and digital services across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a nonprofit public-media organization and radio network based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It operates three principal services: MPR News, a news and public-affairs service; YourClassical MPR, a classical-music service; and The Current, an adult-alternative music service. Together, these services are distributed through a regional network of full-power FM stations, translators, HD Radio channels, websites, podcasts, and online streams. MPR also produces and distributes programming nationally through American Public Media, the public-media distribution organization associated with its corporate group. The organization traces its origins to January 22, 1967, when KSJR-FM began broadcasting from Saint John's University in Collegeville. Saint John's president Colman Barry viewed FM radio as a way to extend the university's cultural and educational mission, and appointed recent graduate William H. Kling to lead the station. The original signal did not reach enough listeners in the Twin Cities to support the operation, so a Minneapolis–Saint Paul repeater, KSJN, was added in 1968. Financial and operational pressures led Saint John's to transfer the station's assets to a community corporation. That organization became Minnesota Educational Radio and later Minnesota Public Radio, with Kling serving as its long-term president and chief executive until his retirement in 2011. MPR moved its operations from Collegeville to Saint Paul in 1971 and became a charter member of National Public Radio. During the 1970s it expanded its Minnesota station network and developed a respected newsroom. It also became an important producer of cultural programming. In 1974, MPR began carrying live broadcasts of Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion from Saint Paul. In 1980, it originated Saint Paul Sunday, a classical-music program that later achieved national distribution and won a Peabody Award. For much of its early history, MPR combined classical music with NPR news and talk programming. The organization ultimately separated these formats into distinct services. The acquisition of WLOL's AM facility in 1980 and later frequency changes helped establish the news service on KNOW, while the 1991 purchase of WLOL-FM enabled a dedicated classical network under the KSJN call sign. In 2004, MPR agreed to acquire WCAL and its Rochester-area repeater from Saint Olaf College. The following year, the service was converted into The Current, a locally focused adult-alternative music network. MPR has also played a wider role in American public radio. It helped form American Public Radio in 1983, later known as Public Radio International, and in 2004 began distributing its own programs through American Public Media. MPR-related production and distribution activities have included Marketplace and Marketplace Morning Report, as well as public-media operations outside Minnesota. The organization remains funded through a mix of listener support, foundations, corporate and private contributions, government grants, underwriting, education partnerships, and investment income. Its journalism and programming have received hundreds of awards, including Peabody, Edward R. Murrow, and duPont-Columbia honors.
History
Minnesota Public Radio began broadcasting on January 22, 1967, when KSJR-FM signed on from Saint John's University in Collegeville. Colman Barry, the university's president, believed FM radio could extend Saint John's cultural and educational work beyond campus. He recruited William H. Kling, a 23-year-old Saint John's graduate, to direct the operation. The initial station quickly encountered a basic market problem: the population around Saint Cloud and Stearns County was not large enough to support a financially sustainable noncommercial station. KSJR's power was increased in an attempt to reach the Twin Cities, but the resulting coverage remained uneven, particularly in Saint Paul and the eastern metropolitan area. In 1968, Saint John's added the low-power KSJN repeater in the Twin Cities. Debt and limited institutional resources nevertheless made it difficult for the university to continue operating a full public radio organization. In 1969, the station assets were transferred to a community corporation that later adopted the names Minnesota Educational Radio and Minnesota Public Radio. MPR relocated its operations to Saint Paul in 1971, received support from a Corporation for Public Broadcasting news-programming demonstration grant, and became a charter member of National Public Radio. Its Minnesota network expanded during the 1970s, while its newsroom developed a reputation for regional reporting and received national recognition. The organization simultaneously built a cultural-programming identity. It began live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion in 1974 and created Saint Paul Sunday in 1980. The latter became a nationally distributed classical program and won a Peabody Award. MPR's early schedule combined classical music with NPR news and talk. As both areas grew, the organization sought additional frequencies so that it could operate separate networks. It acquired the AM station WLOL in 1980, later changing its call sign to KNOW and using it to expand NPR news and information programming. A 1991 purchase of WLOL-FM finally allowed MPR to separate the services more fully: the news and talk identity moved to the 91.1 FM frequency under the KNOW call sign, while the classical service adopted the KSJN identity on 99.5 FM. The organization broadened its national role in the 1980s and 2000s. It helped establish American Public Radio in 1983, later known as Public Radio International, and acquired Marketplace Productions in 2000. It also helped create Southern California Public Radio, which operated KPCC in Pasadena. In 2004, MPR began distributing its own programs through American Public Media rather than Public Radio International. This strengthened its role as both a regional broadcaster and a national public-media producer. In 2004, MPR announced the purchase of WCAL, the classical station operated by Saint Olaf College, together with its Rochester repeater KMSE. The transaction was valued at $10.5 million and was approved by the Federal Communications Commission. In 2005, WCAL was converted into KCMP and relaunched as The Current, giving MPR a third major service centered on adult-alternative music and Minnesota artists. A later legal challenge by a WCAL advocacy group argued that the station had been held in charitable trust. The case ultimately failed in 2009 on statute-of-limitations grounds. MPR's services now combine terrestrial radio with websites, digital streams, podcasts, HD Radio channels, and national distribution. MPR News provides local, national, and international reporting, while YourClassical MPR offers classical programming and The Current emphasizes alternative music and regional discovery. Additional online and HD services include Carbon Sound, Local Current, Purple Current, Rock the Cradle, and Radio Heartland. MPR also supports emergency-alert infrastructure and distributes accessible audio services in cooperation with Minnesota State Services for the Blind. It remains a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported primarily by listeners, foundations, corporate and private donors, grants, underwriting, and related public-media activities.
- 2021
Classical service becomes YourClassical MPR
[1]MPR aligns its classical broadcast branding with American Public Media's YourClassical platform.
- 2005
The Current launches
[1]Following the WCAL acquisition, MPR launches The Current as its third principal radio service.
- 2004
MPR begins distribution through American Public Media
[1]MPR starts distributing its own programming through American Public Media.
- 2000
MPR acquires Marketplace Productions
[1]MPR acquires the production operation behind Marketplace and related programs.
- 1991
News and classical services separate
[1]Frequency and call-sign changes establish distinct MPR news and classical networks.
- 1983
MPR assists in forming American Public Radio
[1]MPR helps establish the national public-radio distribution organization later known as Public Radio International.
- 1980
Saint Paul Sunday is created
[1]MPR originates the classical-music program Saint Paul Sunday, which later receives national distribution and a Peabody Award.
- 1974
A Prairie Home Companion begins live MPR broadcasts
[1]MPR starts carrying live broadcasts of Garrison Keillor's program from Saint Paul's Park Square Theatre.
- 1971
MPR moves to Saint Paul and joins NPR
[1]Operations move from Collegeville to Saint Paul, and MPR becomes a charter member of National Public Radio.
- 1969
Community corporation takes over the stations
[1]Saint John's transfers the station assets to a community organization that later becomes Minnesota Public Radio.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit, listener-supported public-media network combining regional journalism, cultural programming, classical music, and locally distinctive music discovery.
News and public affairs radio
MPR News
MPR News is the organization's principal news and information service. It combines reporting from the MPR newsroom with NPR, BBC, and other public-media programming. Its coverage focuses heavily on Minnesota politics, government, business, education, health, the environment, and the economy while also providing national and international news. The service is anchored by KNOW-FM in the Twin Cities and is extended through stations, translators, online articles, audio, video, blogs, podcasts, and audience-participation tools.
Classical-music radio · 1991
YourClassical MPR
YourClassical MPR is MPR's classical-music network, carried by a statewide group of full-power stations and translators. Its schedule largely uses American Public Media's Classical 24 service, supplemented by locally produced weekday programming, special broadcasts, live performances, and cultural features. The service adopted its current name in 2021 to connect its terrestrial identity with American Public Media's national and digital YourClassical offerings.
Adult-alternative music radio · 2005
The Current
The Current is MPR's adult-alternative music service, launched after the acquisition of WCAL and its Rochester repeater. Based at KCMP, it emphasizes locally produced programming, independent and alternative artists, music discovery, and performers from Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. The service also supports related digital feeds, HD Radio channels, and music-focused editorial features.
Digital news
MPRNews.org
MPRNews.org is MPR's nonprofit digital news publication. It extends the broadcast newsroom through written reporting, headlines, audio, video, blogs, explainers, and interactive opportunities for audience members to contribute knowledge and perspectives to coverage.
Digital music service
Carbon Sound
Carbon Sound is an MPR music service focused on R&B, Black artists, and related musical traditions. It is available online and through an HD Radio subchannel associated with KCMP in the Twin Cities.
Roots and Americana music service
Radio Heartland
Radio Heartland presents acoustic, Americana, roots, and related music. It is distributed through digital streaming and an HD Radio subchannel associated with KNOW-FM.
Brand decisions
2021
Rebrand the classical network as YourClassical MPRGeneration changeBackground
American Public Media was using YourClassical as an umbrella identity for its classical digital and nationally distributed programming.
Action taken
MPR renamed its classical broadcast service YourClassical MPR.
Aftermath
The rebrand connected local terrestrial broadcasting with the broader YourClassical digital ecosystem.
2005
Launch The CurrentProduct launchBackground
The WCAL acquisition gave MPR the additional signal needed to introduce a music service distinct from its established news and classical networks.
Action taken
MPR changed the station's call sign to KCMP and launched The Current as an adult-alternative service with substantial local programming.
Aftermath
The Current became MPR's third principal broadcast service and a platform for Minnesota and Upper Midwest music discovery.
2004
Acquire WCAL from Saint Olaf CollegeM&ABackground
MPR sought an additional FM platform to support a third service and agreed to purchase WCAL and its Rochester repeater KMSE.
Action taken
MPR completed the acquisition after Federal Communications Commission approval. The transaction was reported as valued at $10.5 million.
Aftermath
WCAL was converted into KCMP and relaunched in 2005 as The Current. A subsequent legal challenge to the sale was rejected in 2009.
Transaction value. $10.5 million (2004)
1991
Separate news and classical radio servicesStrategyBackground
MPR's original combined schedule had become difficult to scale as NPR news and talk programming expanded.
Action taken
After acquiring WLOL-FM, MPR moved the KNOW news identity to 91.1 FM and placed the KSJN classical service on 99.5 FM.
Aftermath
MPR established distinct news and classical networks that became the foundation for its later three-service structure.
1980
Acquire an AM frequency to expand news programmingStrategyBackground
MPR needed additional spectrum to separate its growing news and classical services but had not yet secured a suitable second FM frequency in the Twin Cities.
Action taken
MPR acquired WLOL-AM 1330, later changed its call sign to KSJN-AM and then KNOW, and used it to develop a broader NPR news and talk schedule.
Aftermath
The move provided a temporary platform for expanded news programming and preceded the eventual full separation of the news and classical networks.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/minnesota-public-radio · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled