Frequently Asked Questions

Minnesota Public Radio

How do I contact MPR?
For any other regarding your membership or other inquiries please use our contact form or reach Our Member Audience Services team by phone at 651-290-1212 | 1-800-228-7123. (Phones open 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CT Monday through Thursday, open 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. CT Fridays.)

What is a Sustaining Membership?
A Sustaining Membership is an unrestricted annual gift that you can pay in a convenient, ongoing way. Each month, we will charge your credit or debit card or withdrawal from your checking account the amount you specify. Your Sustaining Membership will automatically renew each year unless you choose to cancel or change it. You can increase, decrease or stop your donation at any time by calling us at 800-228-7123. Sustainers are crucial to providing an ongoing base of community support that we can rely on, so you can continue to rely on MPR. Sustaining Memberships save on paper and postage, since we don’t need to send letters to remind you about your renewal date. As a result, more of your member dollars go to programming. Plus, as a Sustainer, you can request a thank-you gift each year. Learn more about being a Sustainer.

How much of MPR’s funding comes from the government?
About 7 percent of our total funding comes from government sources, mostly in the form of program grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Members provide the most important source of program support.

Can I listen to MPR audio on my iPhone or Android phone?
Yes. You can hear MPR News, Classical MPR, The Current, or Radio Heartland on any iPhone or iPad as well as Android device using the MPR Radio App. Find more information online.

Media

I want to interview an MPR employee. Who do I contact? Please reach out to the Communications department at mediarelations@mpr.org

I have a press release or news tip. Contact MPR News at newsroom@mpr.org

MPR News Call-In Shows

How can I submit a question or comment to call-in shows on MPR News?
You can call in a question via 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828.

Is it possible to hear these programs again?
MPR News and some features are archived online and available in streaming audio. Recent episodes of the shows like MPR News with Angela Davis may be downloaded as a podcast.

The Current and Classical MPR

How can I learn more about a piece of music I heard on The Current or YourClassical MPR?
We carry a complete playlist on YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio’s website and The Current’s website. You can look at what’s currently playing or browse past playlists by date.

How do I submit music to be played on The Current or YourClassical MPR?
Bands interested in getting their music heard on The Current or YourClassical MPR should send us your recordings (no e-mails, please), clearly labeled with your group name and contact information:

The Current c/o David Safar
—or—
YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio c/o Jennifer Allen

480 Cedar Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55101

We are unable to return any media (CD, Cassette, LPs).

Musicians can also submit their music to The Current using a digital form.

How can my band get on The Current’s The Local Show?

Minnesota bands should send their recordings and contact information, email preferred: localshow@mpr.org

or

The Current c/o The Local Show
480 Cedar Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55101

What is Radio Heartland?
Radio Heartland is an eclectic mix of folk, blues, bluegrass and R&B, and it can be heard 24 hours a day. You can listen in the Twin Cities with an HD radio (KNOW 91.1 HD2) and you can listen anywhere online, at radioheartland.org.

The MPR Board

Who serves on the MPR Board?
The Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) Board of Trustees is made up of business, philanthropic and community leaders committed to the public service mission of MPR.  

Trustees are individuals whose broad experience, knowledge and independence of judgment enables them to bring wide-ranging perspectives to the Board. Trustees are chosen to make certain that the Board represents the diversity of the region and communities served by MPR, in history, age, gender, social and economic circumstance, life experience, culture, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, and disability.  

This breadth of diversity is essential for MPR in order to bring to our audiences the highest quality public media services in the arts and music, as well as trusted information on economics, politics and society in the twenty-first century. 

Who is on the MPR Board?
We list the active members of the Minnesota Public Radio Board Trustees online. In addition, there are five Active Life Trustees and two Honorary Life Trustees. 

What are the Board’s primary responsibilities?
The Board’s role is to guide the organization towards a sustainable future by supporting its mission; by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies; and by making sure it has adequate resources to advance its strategic goals. providing fiduciary oversight to assure the integrity of MPR’s services for the benefit of the audiences and communities served.  

Specifically, the Board’s role is: 

  1. Establishing, updating, preserving, and promoting the organization’s mission, vision and values; 

  1. Selecting, supporting, advising, and evaluating the CEO; 

  1. Adopting fundamental policies relating to the management of the organization; 

  1. Ensuring the financial stability of the organization through the exercise of fiduciary responsibilities, as well as through personal financial support and leadership in fundraising on behalf of MPR; and, 

  1. Providing for effective Board process and succession. 

The Board does not become involved in the details of day-to-day business and programming. Instead, the Board meets regularly and receives operational updates to ensure that the direction and performance of the organization reflect the policies and strategies established by the Board.  In addition, the Board’s committees are structured to provide deeper oversight over key organizational functions.   

How does someone become an MPR Trustee?
The MPR Board’s Governance Committee is responsible for monitoring the Board’s composition. Prospective trustee names may come from Governance Committee members or other Board members, or may be suggested by community members to any Trustee. Members of the Governance Committee meet and evaluate trustee prospects, and nominate them for election by the full Board. Trustees are elected for a three-year term and may serve three consecutive terms if they are re-elected at the end of each term.

What is the difference between an Officer of the Board and a Trustee?
Board Officers are Trustees who are elected to serve in specific positions like Board Chair or Vice Chair that are specified in the organization’s bylaws. Board Officers are elected annually by the full Board.

How do Trustees leave the Board?
Trustees retire or resign from the Board for a variety of reasons.  They may reach the end of their elected term, experience a change in their professional status, or chose to leave the board based on health or other individual circumstances. 

Are Board meetings secret?
No. MPR Board meetings and Advisory Council meetings are open to the public. You can find the meeting schedule online. Portions of each Board and committee meeting are held in executive session to discuss personnel and proprietary matters, information obtained on a confidential basis, or items requiring confidential advice of counsel. Executive sessions are closed to the public.

How can I contact the MPR Board? Members of the Board can be reached by mail c/o Minnesota Public Radio, 480 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55101.

Does American Public Media have its own board? 
As a division of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), American Public Media (APM) does not have its own board of trustees. American Public Media Group (APMG) and MPR Boards of Trustees provide oversight for APM. 

Are American Public Media Group (APMG) and American Public Media (APM) the same company?  American Public Media Group (APMG) is a tax-exempt nonprofit parent organization that provides administrative, financial, human resources, and other support services to its subsidiary organizations and divisions, including Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), and Southern California Public Radio (SCPR). APM is a division of MPR. 

What is the relationship between the APMG Board, SCPR Board and MPR Board? Each of the related companies have their own Boards and the membership is defined in the organization’s bylaws.   

For example:     

  • The APMG Board of Trustees includes the MPR Board Officers, the MPR Board Committee Chairs, and an SCPR Board representative.  

  • Because SCPR is a subsidiary of APMG, members of the SCPR Board of Trustees are elected by the APMG Board upon nomination by the SCPR Board.  

  • Similarly, because MPR is a subsidiary of APMG, members of the MPR Board of Trustees are approved by the APMG Board upon election by the MPR Board.