Keep an eye on the weather

Posted at 11:32 AM on January 15, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

Luckily our weather managed to impersonate winter enough for the Red Bull Crashed Ice event in St. Paul, Minn.

What's next? Keep up on the forecast with our own Paul Huttner's weather blog, Updraft.

Attending A Prairie Home Companion on Saturday Jan. 14?

Posted at 8:23 AM on January 14, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

If you're planning to be downtown St. Paul this weekend (perhaps to attend A Prairie Home Companion?) be prepared! There's plenty happening, and traffic will affected by street closures and detours for the Red Bull Crashed Ice event.

Learn about the traffic obstacles before you head to the Fitzgerald Theater!

MPR News has the photos to see

Posted at 3:38 PM on January 13, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

We're seeing some great feedback about the Photos: Red Bull Crashed Ice slideshow. Here's an example:

Impressed? Don't be. You need to see the image in full size.

Discover these images and more of Minnesota in Photos, a collection of slideshows of some of the most revealing, beautiful photos from MPR News.

Photographers, you can also send MPR News your photos.

Do you have a message or well wishes for Gary Eichten?

Posted at 1:51 PM on January 12, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

In the MPR Member email newsletter Gary shared a message to those who support MPR:

"For 45 years, I've covered the news of Minnesota, and you've been with me every step of the way. Before I say "so long," I want to say "thanks" for being a member. You've made Minnesota Public Radio what it is today -- the news source you trust and depend on. It's humbling to know that you value the work we do so much, that you are willing to foot the bill. Thanks for your support now and for years to come."
-- Gary Eichten

Do you have a message for Gary? Share it now and read notes from others at mpr.org/Eichten.

What does public broadcasting mean to you?

Posted at 3:20 PM on January 11, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

Share what public broadcasting means to you in the Public Broadcasting Is... Giveaway from 170MillionAmericans.org. What does an entry look like?

"My dad and I. We took it on December 23rd in our home in River Falls Wisconsin. I have grown up listening to WPR and NPR. My over all favorite radio station is The Current!" - Colin from River Falls, Wisconsin

See more photos on facebook.com/170Million and share your own!

The Current partners with Slacker Radio

Posted at 8:33 AM on January 11, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

From The Current Music Blog: The Current partners with Slacker Radio:

"We're proud to work with Slacker and offer some of our most popular programming via Slacker Personal Radio," said APM/MPR President and CEO, Jon McTaggart. "The Current is one of America's top non-commercial Triple A music stations, cited frequently in Billboard and Rolling Stone magazines. We are pleased to offer Slacker users easy access to this award-winning programming."

Simply put, it's going to be one more great way to listen to The Current.

Explpre Slacker Radio (slacker.com) and discover how you can take it everywhere.

Looking for a story you heard on MPR News? Here's how to find it.

Posted at 6:55 AM on January 9, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

Our Member Services team supports new and existing members with many types of questions or concerns. We're posting common questions with answers from our Member Services Representative Jess Horwitz.

Dear MPR,

I can't find a story I heard on MPR. Your website is really frustrating. How do I find the story? It's not in the archive.

Our website has A LOT of content and we know it's sometimes hard to find a story you just heard on the air.

All our stories are organized by date and time, so it's helpful if you know when you heard the story. View our news schedule to see what program you were listening to. Popular programs include Midmorning, 9-11am M-F, and Midday 11-1pm, M-F.

When you've figured out what program you were listening to, you can find the story you heard. Visit the program homepage and use the calendar function to toggle between dates. This is also a good way to catch up on stories you may have missed. (Due to the copyright holdings of certain stories, we may not be able to post audio.)

If the story came to MPR from a national program, such as NPR's Talk of the Nation or Fresh Air, visit their official program pages that are linked from the MPR News schedule. Those program pages use a similar calendar function to organize their stories.

If you're still not getting the desired results, another option is contacting our friendly Member Services team. They are real people who can assist you in the search or provide more information. You can also call them at 1-800-228-7123, Monday-Friday from 8:30am-6pm.

The MPR Archive is home to nearly 5,000 stories dating back to 1972. These stories were digitized from reel-to-reel tapes. This project is by no means complete, and our archivists are regularly adding content.

What can you do with the MPR Archive? For starters, you can listen to a recording of The Morning Show with Garrison Keillor or take some time to explore the Gary Eichten Collection, highlighting Gary's 40 years with MPR. It's a great tool for research and reminiscing.

Use the Archive contact form to let us know how you've been using the Archive.

Photos of the year

Posted at 7:16 AM on January 8, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

If you didn't catch this showcase of MPR News' best photojournalism from 2011, take a moment to scroll through the images. It is a terrific way to revisit the big stories and important moments in life last year.

Music with Minnesotans: Sam Hiti

Posted at 6:56 AM on January 7, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

Classical MPR presents Music with Minnesotans each week. Host Alison Young brings in notable Minnesotans to talk about the Classical music that moves them, and the results can be surprising, interesting, and intimate.

This past week she talked with Sam Hiti, a cartoonist and creator of graphic novels. She writes:

"Sam actually says his work is like a composer, he's composing images and words together to create a narrative. He think of musical pace as he builds tension from panel to panel, almost like a fist closes then opens again as the page turns."

Catch Music with Minnesotans on Classical MPR each Wednesday.

Running towards your resolutions

Posted at 7:02 AM on January 6, 2012 by Julia Schrenkler

Did you resolve to get fit or run during 2012? Classical MPR shared a terrific playlist of Music for Running/Jogging. It's perfect for someone to run their first 5K (3.2 miles, about 30 - 40 minutes for beginners).

Classical MPR's Suzanne Schaffer explains her musical choices,

I picked these pieces because when I'm running I need a driving, rhythmic pulse that is fast enough that it propels me forward but not frantically fast. I also tend towards music where the brass section has a big role because it's easier than strings to hear over traffic and because, to be honest, it sounds vaguely Olympic.

Check out the playlist of Music for Running/Jogging.