Minnesota Public Radio

Public Radio Broadcastingmprnews.org

Minnesota Public Radio is a non-profit public media organization operating a statewide radio network and digital platforms, delivering local news, weather, podcasts, and newsletters to Minnesota residents as a service of American Public Media Group (APMG).

Company typePrivate
Founded1967
HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Minnesota Public Radio does

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a non-profit public media organization founded in 1967 and headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, operating as a service of American Public Media Group (APMG). The organization produces and distributes news, weather, public affairs, and cultural programming primarily to Minnesota residents through a statewide radio broadcast network with regional bureaus in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth, Rochester, and Fargo-Moorhead, complemented by digital distribution via mprnews.org, mobile applications (iOS and Android), and major podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, RSS, Amazon Music).

MPR's core offering is a multi-platform content portfolio. Radio programs include Morning Edition, All Things Considered, MPR News with Angela Davis, Minnesota Now, and Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller. Podcasts span Minnesota Today, Politics Friday, Call to Mind (mental health), Climate Cast, Ask a Bookseller, In Front of Our Eyes, and 74 Seconds (true crime/justice). Email newsletters include Minnesota Today, Minnesota Today Weekend Edition, The Thread (literary), and Capitol View (politics). The Updraft® weather brand is a registered trademark providing localized Minnesota weather forecasting supported by a dedicated staff meteorologist team, and several sub-brands (Updraft®, Climate Cast®, Minnesota Today®) are registered trademarks. The underlying technology stack centers on traditional broadcast radio infrastructure paired with digital streaming, podcast syndication, and CMS-driven web publishing.

MPR's business model is funded primarily through listener donations and corporate underwriting, supplemented by public media funding (including implied Corporation for Public Broadcasting support). All content is provided free of charge under a freemium access model; monetization occurs via audience goodwill converting into donations, sponsor underwriting, and newsletter/event participation. The go-to-market motion is community-led: free broadcast and digital content drives audience engagement, which funnels into donor acquisition, event attendance, and newsletter sign-ups. A newly introduced user account and personalization system on mprnews.org enables saved stories, liked articles, and a personalized "for-you" feed, intended to deepen engagement and capture first-party audience data.

Minnesota Public Radio firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Minnesota Public Radio
Legal name: Minnesota Public Radio
Website: https://mprnews.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1967
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Minnesota Public Radio is a non-profit public media organization operating a statewide radio network and digital platforms, delivering local news, weather, podcasts, and newsletters to Minnesota residents as a service of American Public Media Group (APMG).
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Minnesota Public Radio industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Radio Broadcasting
NAICS: Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)
SIC: Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
akta.pro primary industry: Public/Nonprofit Radio Networks (NPR-style) (MPABABAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI), Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF), Radio Program Syndication (Talk, Music, Sports) (MPABAMAE), Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus) (MPAIAEAB)

Keywords

Public radio broadcasting
Local news reporting
Weather forecasting service
Community journalism
Nonprofit media

Where Minnesota Public Radio is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Saint Paul
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

Minnesota Public Radio business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Listener Donations / Underwriting: MPR relies heavily on listener contributions and donations, as evidenced by prominent 'Donate now' calls-to-action throughout the website. Corporate underwriting from sponsors also provides revenue.
Public/Federal Funding: As a public media organization, MPR likely receives funding from CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) and other public funding sources.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Freemium	Monthly	Free access to all MPR News content

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Minnesota Public Radio product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Minnesota Public Radio produces and distributes Minnesota-focused news, weather forecasting, public affairs, and cultural programming across a multi-platform portfolio including statewide radio broadcasts, on-demand podcasts, email newsletters, and mobile applications. Its core offering combines original local journalism with NPR-distributed programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered, proprietary branded franchises including Updraft (weather), Climate Cast, and Minnesota Today, and investigative podcasts such as 74 Seconds and In Front of Our Eyes. All content is provided free to listeners, with revenue generated through listener donations, corporate underwriting, and public media funding.

Product overview

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) operates as a multi-platform public media organization offering news, information, and entertainment content primarily focused on Minnesota. The organization delivers its content through a unified portfolio of radio programs, podcasts, and email newsletters. The core radio programming includes Morning Edition, MPR News with Angela Davis, Minnesota Now, All Things Considered, and Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller. The podcast portfolio includes Minnesota Today, Politics Friday, Call to Mind (mental health), Climate Cast (weather and climate), Ask a Bookseller, In Front of Our Eyes, and 74 Seconds (true crime). Email newsletters include Minnesota Today, Minnesota Today Weekend Edition, The Thread (literary), and Capitol View (politics). Weather services include the Updraft blog and Climate Cast podcast. The platform emphasizes multi-platform distribution through radio, podcasts, newsletters, mobile apps, and social media channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Updraft: MPR's weather blog and forecast service featuring meteorologists Paul Huttner, Sven Sundgaard, Mandy Thalhuber, and Ben Cathey.
Climate Cast
74 Seconds
Minnesota Today
Call to Mind

Products and services

Morning Edition Morning news program with Cathy Wurzer in St. Paul and NPR hosts, delivering overnight news and information from 4 to 9 a.m. every weekday to Minnesota listeners.
MPR News with Angela Davis Conversational radio show about life in Minnesota and how the state is changing, airing Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m.
Minnesota Now Live, unscripted interviews connecting, informing and entertaining Minnesota audiences, airing Mondays through Thursdays at noon.
All Things Considered Afternoon news program with Clay Masters in St. Paul and NPR hosts in Washington, airing 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every weekday.
Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller In-depth conversations with authors about their books and ideas, airing Fridays at 11 a.m.
Minnesota Today (Podcast) Daily news podcast bringing the most important stories from around Minnesota, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and RSS.
Politics Friday Weekly political podcast with MPR News political editor Brian Bakst discussing Minnesota politics and latest legislature news, airing Fridays at noon.
Call to Mind MPR News initiative fostering new conversations about mental health, hosted by Angela Davis and produced by Jessica Bari.
Climate Cast Weather and climate podcast featuring MPR meteorologist Paul Huttner discussing the latest research on changing climate and its consequences in Minnesota and worldwide.
MPR News Ask a Bookseller Weekly podcast where The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment.
In Front of Our Eyes Podcast providing updates on the case of George Floyd's killing and its consequences for the city and country, created in collaboration with American Public Media.
74 Seconds True crime podcast telling the story of Philando Castile's death and the trial of Officer Jeronimo Yanez, examining race, policing, justice and safety in America.
The Thread Newsletter Weekly newsletter featuring Kerri Miller's exclusive book pick along with literary news and event details, delivered on Fridays.
Minnesota Today Newsletter Daily newsletter delivering top stories and regional headlines weekday mornings.
Minnesota Today Weekend Edition Newsletter Weekend newsletter with weather forecast, events around the state, and can't-miss Minnesota stories delivered Saturday mornings.
Capitol View Newsletter Daily politics newsletter from MPR's politics team with links to must-read articles from around Minnesota.
Updraft Weather Service MPR News weather forecasting service providing timely and accurate weather updates, forecasts, and climate-related news for Minnesota through a dedicated weather blog.
MPR News Mobile App Mobile application delivering live MPR News broadcasts and on-demand podcasts for iOS and Android users via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Quantifiable outcome

MPR News provides coverage across all of Minnesota including regional bureaus in Duluth, Rochester, and Fargo-Moorhead

Companies that use Minnesota Public Radio

Customer profile

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Minnesota Public Radio technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Minnesota Public Radio partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

NPR (National Public Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMPR News is a member station of NPR, distributing NPR programming including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Fresh Air. MPR also contributes content to NPR's national coverage.
BBC World ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMPR broadcasts BBC World Service programming overnight and during select hours, providing international news coverage to Minnesota listeners.
American Public Media Group (APMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMPR is a service of American Public Media Group (APMG), a national public media organization. APMG provides operational support and connects MPR with other public media stations.
1AminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMPR broadcasts 1A, a national conversation about American life, on weekdays at 10 AM and 9 PM.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Minnesota Public Radio competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

NPR (National Public Radio): National public radio network of which MPR is a member station. Directly comparable as a public/nonprofit radio news organization with shared programming, membership model, and underwriting dynamics.
WNYC (New York Public Radio): Major-market NPR member station operating a flagship news/talk station plus podcasts and digital news. Comparable in mission, donor-supported model, and mix of local news plus nationally distributed podcasts.
WBEZ (Chicago Public Media): Chicago-area NPR member station with regional news, podcasts, and donation-driven funding. Directly comparable peer for a mid-sized public radio network with strong local journalism.
KQED: San Francisco Bay Area NPR/PBS member station combining public radio news with digital journalism and podcasts. Comparable as a multi-platform public media organization.
WHYY: Philadelphia regional NPR/PBS member station producing local news, podcasts, and cultural programming. Comparable in scale, donor-supported model, and regional public-media mission.
WBUR: Boston University's NPR member station with strong local news, talk programming, and podcasts. Closely comparable to MPR in news/talk format and donor-driven economics.
Minnesota Public Radio's classical service (YourClassical): Classical music programming arm under the same MPR/APMG umbrella, illustrating the multi-format public radio network structure and serving as an internal benchmark.

Broad incumbents

American Public Media Group (APMG): Parent nonprofit organization of MPR, providing national infrastructure and content distribution. Comparable as a public-media operating entity with broader portfolio scope than MPR alone.
iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. commercial radio operator and podcast publisher. Comparable as a competing radio and podcast platform competing for the same Minnesota advertising/audience share.
Cumulus Media: Major U.S. commercial radio broadcaster with Minnesota stations. Comparable as a competing radio operator competing for audience and ad dollars in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Minnesota Public Radio financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Minnesota Public Radio leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Minnesota Public Radio funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Minnesota Public Radio M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Minnesota Public Radio

What does Minnesota Public Radio do?

Is Minnesota Public Radio a public or private company?

Minnesota Public Radio is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Minnesota Public Radio founded?

Minnesota Public Radio was founded in 1967. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Minnesota Public Radio based?

Minnesota Public Radio is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.

How does Minnesota Public Radio make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Listener Donations / Underwriting is the primary driver. The others are public/Federal Funding.

Who are Minnesota Public Radio's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are NPR (National Public Radio), WNYC (New York Public Radio), WBEZ (Chicago Public Media), KQED, WHYY, WBUR and Minnesota Public Radio's classical service (YourClassical). Broad incumbents are American Public Media Group (APMG), iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media.

Does Minnesota Public Radio have an API?

No public API is recorded for Minnesota Public Radio.

What industry is Minnesota Public Radio in?

Minnesota Public Radio's product category is Public Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABABAB, Public/Nonprofit Radio Networks (NPR-style), with a secondary code of MPABAIAI, News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations. Its NAICS code is 516110 and its SIC code is 4832.