Media in Minneapolis-St. Paul

Minneapolis-Saint Paul, also known as the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, in the state of Minnesota, United States of America, has two major general-interest newspapers: the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. Additionally, the Minnesota Daily serves the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus and surrounding neighborhoods. The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and the Finance and Commerce business daily are published in Minneapolis as is the Web-based MinnPost.com expected in 2007. The region is currently ranked as the 13th or 14th largest television market, depending on the source. The market officially includes 59 counties of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and extends far to the north and west. The radio market in the Twin Cities is considered to be somewhat smaller than for TV, ranked 16th.

Print

A number of other weekly and monthly publications (most of which are fully supported by advertising) are also available. The most prominent of these is Village Voice Media's City Pages, the alternative weekly, with 2002 newcomer The Rake offering some competition in the form of a free monthly. Pulse of the Twin Cities is another weekly which has less advertising and more coverage of local music and activism.

There are also numerous weekly student newspapers at area colleges including Macalester College's The Mac Weekly and St. Thomas' The Aquin.

Minneapolis community newspapers include the sister publications Downtown Journal, formerly Skyway News, and Southwest Journal, which cover downtown and southwest Minneapolis, respectively, as well as numerous neighborhood papers such as the North News, Seward Profile, Southside Pride, Whittier Globe.

But there is only one weekly newspaper devoted to neighborhood news in either city. It is in St. Paul, and called the East Side Review. Saint Paul also has a monthly Highland Villager.

Instead of neighborhood or general-interest news, some periodicals focus on a particular topic, such as the ones covering the Minnesota music scene. Others are audience-specific, such as Lavender Magazine for the state's gay community. The Minnesota Women's Press, one of the few feminist newspapers in the country, serves the local feminist community. Other such periodicals of note include the Asian American Press [1] and Catholic Spirit [2].

Television

KSTP-TV University Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Twin Cities Public Television operates both KTCA and KTCI. Hubbard Broadcasting owns KSTP and has a second TV station, KSTC, which is not affiliated with any network. KMSP and WFTC have now merged as well, and KARE currently has a marketing agreement with KPXM. The only station with its main studios in Minneapolis is WCCO, while St. Paul is host to KSTP/KSTC, KTCA/KTCI, and WUCW. Other stations are located in the suburbs. For much of the last two decades, KARE has had the most popular evening newscasts of the area channels (though WCCO still dominates in the morning slots, and has had more viewership on its programs for around the same duration). On the other end, KSTP has struggled to maintain ratings on its news programs. KMSP has had a 9 o'clock newscast since at least the early 1990s when it was a UPN affiliate.

WCCO-TV satellite dishes Minneapolis

KSTP claims to have been the first station in the country to run a regular nightly newscast. It is the oldest station in the state to still be operating, having first gone on the air in 1948. TV broadcasts first occurred more than a decade earlier during the 1930s when engineers for radio station WDGY (now KFAN) experimented with a mechanical television system. Mechanical TV quickly lost favor, and the station's owner decided to let the license expire in 1938.

Communities in the region have their own Public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable tv channels. One channel, the Metro Cable Network, is available on channel 6 on cable systems across the seven-county region. Minneapolis Telecommunications Network (MTN) [3] has three Public-access television cable TV channels and Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) [4] has two.

KARE television broadcast, Minnesota State Fair

Area residents of the right age look back fondly on many of the locally-produced shows that were on the air for about two decades, from the early days of TV in Minnesota up until the 1970s. WCCO, KSTP, KMSP, and WTCN (now KARE) all had children's shows, though there were a few other notable shows meant for an older audience.

Several television programs originating in the Twin Cities have been aired nationally on terrestrial and cable TV networks. KTCA created the science program Newton's Apple and distributes a children's program today. A few unusual comedic shows also originated in the area. In the 1980s, KTMA (predecessor to WUCW) created a number of low-budget shows, including the cult classic Mystery Science Theater 3000 (since airing in reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel quite often). The short-lived Let's Bowl (which aired on Comedy Central) started on KARE, and the PBS series Mental Engineering originated on the St. Paul Public-access television network.

Radio

Eleanor Mondale of WCCO radio interviewing Fred Thompson at the Minnesota State Fair on 2007-08-27.

For decades, WCCO radio was the most well-known and most popular broadcaster in the region,^{[citation needed]} with an all-day talk format. WCCO was eventually pushed out of the top spot by KQRS, a classic rock station with a popular morning show. Non-commercial KTIS 98.5 has leaped onto the morning show scene with its clean (no raunch) Christian format. Recent ratings have put the KTIS morning show at number 2 with over 250,000 listeners, and the station is number 5 overall in the Twin Cities market. KSTP also has some fairly popular radio stations, with pop music format on FM and a talk format on AM. Both operate on clear channel frequencies, allowing their signals to be heard across much of North America. K102 is the major area country music outlet, and often appears at third place in local ratings. WLTE and KDWB are also among the area's top performers in the ratings books.

Radio K, on the other hand, is still largely an "AM daytimer" and must shut down at night to make way for two other stations situated in New York and New Mexico. However, the station is believed^{[by whom?]} to be the oldest in the state. It first received a license for the call sign WLB in January 1922.

Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is also a major force in the state and across the country, best known across the U.S. for the variety show A Prairie Home Companion. Based in St. Paul, MPR is reportedly the nation's second-most powerful public radio organization behind National Public Radio (of which MPR is an affiliate).

Cities 97 is notable for its yearly compilation of live recordings, the Cities Sampler, which is now so popular that people camp out at local Target stores overnight when it is to be released. The last few volumes of the CD have sold out within a few hours.^{[citation needed]}

KFAI radio, Cedar-Riverside

Many area residents^[who?] feel that the overall quality of radio in the region is poor, particularly considering the area's appetite for the arts. Radio K and community radio station KFAI are often said^{[by whom?]} to be the best area stations by media and music critics—especially because they focus on local music (Minnesota has a major local music scene, see music of Minnesota). However, many listeners find their formats to be disjointed and uncomfortable. Both are hampered by relatively weak or low-fidelity signals, but attempt to compensate with Internet radio streaming. Music aficionados in the northwestern suburbs sometimes tune in to the St. Cloud station KVSC, which is also well-regarded.

Hubbard Broadcasting's FM 107 WFMP radio at the Minnesota State Fair

A few pirate radio stations have been found on the local dial from time to time. The most famous of these is Beat Radio 97.7 from 1996, which was co-created by area programmer and DJ Alan Freed. Freed went on to broadcast the Beat Radio dance music format from a number of different area stations (and nationally), and now works at three electronic music channels of XM Satellite Radio. Frustration with the offerings of local radio may have reached a tipping point in 2004. That year, the Walker Art Center sponsored a "Radio Re-Volt" and helped aspiring local artists to create miniature radio transmitters that could reach nearby FM receivers under Part 15 regulations. On October 28, all of the transmitters were operating, and people driving around town could hear signals fade in and out (particularly on major thoroughfares) on the frequency of 97.7 MHz. There are a collection of pirate radio recordings (airchecks) of Minneapolis and St. Paul pirate radio stations at Rick Burnett's TwinCitiesRadioAirchecks.com. This site's guestbook shows comments from Twin Cities former and current broadcasters, and includes recordings of both pirate stations from the 1970s and some historical airchecks of commercial radio stations from the 1950s, 60s and 70s as well. Two Twin Cities radio history resources often referenced on RedandNater.com are the free aircheck websites RadioTapes.com and Rick Burnett's TwinCitiesRadioAirchecks.com

MPR's KCMP, which broadcasts under the moniker "89.3 The Current," is a new addition as of 2005 and competes somewhat with KFAI and Radio K because of its eclectic format. Regardless, it quickly became a welcome addition to the region's radio dial^{[citation needed]} as it has a high-power FM transmitter and highly-respected disc jockeys that play a large amount of local music. That KCMP had previously been known as WCAL and was one of two major classical music stations in the area—a unique condition for the early 21st century,^{[citation needed]} where most markets find it difficult to support even one classical outlet.

Most of the major TV and radio transmitters are located in Shoreview, Minnesota, and backup facilities are maintained atop the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis (though a few low-power broadcasters use the setup continuously).

List of newspapers and magazines

The following is a list of print publications in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area:

Daily

• Finance and Commerce (Minneapolis)
• MinnPost.com (Minneapolis)
• St. Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul)
• Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Weekly

• Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal (Minneapolis)
• Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (Minneapolis)

College

• The Minnesota Daily (University of Minnesota student newspaper)
• The Mac Weekly (Macalester College student newspaper)

Other

• City Pages
• Minnesota Monthly
• Mpls.St.Paul
• The Rake
• DUNation
• Utne
• Patch.com

Neighborhood press

In Minneapolis:

• CamdeNews published monthly
• Northeast Beat online only
• Northeaster published bimonthly
• North News published monthly
• Downtown Journal published bimonthly
• Southwest Journal published bimonthly
• Seward Profile published monthly
• Southside Pride published monthly
• Whittier Globe published monthly

In St. Paul:

• East Side Review published weekly
• Villager published twice-monthly
• Midway-Como-North End Monitor published monthly
• Park Bugle published monthly
• West Seventh Community Reporter published monthly
• Avenues published monthly

Special Interest

• Lavender Magazine (Minnesota's LGBT community)
• The Minnesota Women's Press (feminist newspaper)
• Asian American Press
• Catholic Spirit
• Profane Existence, the world's largest circulating anarcho-punk magazine

List of television stations

Broadcast

Call sign	Analog channel	Digital channel	Virtual channel	Network
KTCA/KTCI	none	34 & 23	2	PBS
WCCO	none	32	4	CBS
KSTP	none	35	5	ABC
KMSP	none	9	9	Fox
KARE	none	11	11	NBC
WUMN-LP	13	none	N/A	Univision
K14KH	14	33CP	33	3ABN
K16HY-LD	none	16	16	EWTN
WUCW	none	22	23	CW
K25IA-LD	none	25	25	TBN
KHVM-LD	none	48	48	GCN - Religious
WFTC	none	29	29	MyNetworkTV
KPXM	none	40	41	ION Television
K43HB	43	43CP	43	HSN
KSTC	none	45	45	Independent
KTCJ-LD	none	50	50	CTVN - Religious
WDMI-LD	none	31	62	Daystar

Cable

• Metro Cable Network Cable channel 6
• Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN - Public-access television)
• Minneapolis Telecommunications Network (MTN)
• Fox Sports Net North (FSN)

Information

List of radio stations

AM

Station	Frequency	Format	Owner
WREY	630 AM	Regional Mexican	Borgan Broadcasting
KFXN	690 AM	sports	Clear Channel
WDGY	740 AM	oldies	Borgan Broadcasting
KUOM "770 Radio K"	770 AM 100.7 FM/106.5 FM/104.5 FM	College rock/eclectic	University of Minnesota Twin Cities
WCCO "The Good Neighbor"	830 AM	news/talk	CBS Radio
KTIS	900 AM	Christian	Northwestern College
KTNF "Air America Minnesota"	950 AM	Progressive Talk	JR Broadcasting
KKMS	980 AM	Christian Talk	Salem Communications
WTCS	1030 AM	Christian	Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis
KTCN	1130 AM	news/talk	Clear Channel
KLBB	1220 AM	American standards	Endurance Broadcasting, LLC
WWTC "The Patriot"	1280 AM	Conservative talk	Salem Communications
WLOL	1330 AM	Christian	Relevant Radio
KMNV	1400 AM	Regional Mexican	Davidson Media
KDIZ "Radio Disney"	1440 AM	children's pop music	Disney
KMNQ	1470 AM	Regional Mexican	Davidson Media
KSTP	1500 AM	Sports	Hubbard Broadcasting
KQSP	1530 AM	Tropical music	Broadcast One
KYCR	1570 AM	Conservative talk	Salem Communications
KPNP	1600 AM	World Music	Self Retire, Inc.

FM

Station	Frequency	Format	Owner
KBEM "Jazz 88"	88.5 FM	jazz	Minneapolis Public Schools
KCMP "The Current"	89.3 FM	adult album alternative	American Public Media Group (via Minnesota Public Radio)
KMOJ	89.9 FM	urban/community radio	Independent Radio Network
KFAI	90.3/106.7 FM	talk/music	Fresh Air, Inc.
KNOW	91.1 FM	news/talk	American Public Media Group (via Minnesota Public Radio)
WMCN	91.7 FM	freeform/eclectic	Macalester College Radio
KQRS-FM "KQ92"	92.5 FM	classic rock	Citadel Broadcasting
KXXR "93X"	93.7 FM	active rock	Citadel Broadcasting
KSTP "KS95"	94.5 FM	hot adult contemporary	Hubbard Broadcasting
KNOF "Praise FM"	95.3 FM	Worship Radio	North Central University
KHTC "96.3 NOW"	96.3 FM	Rhythmic	Northern Lights Broadcasting
KTCZ "Cities 97"	97.1 FM	adult album alternative	Clear Channel
KTIS-FM "Life 98.5"	98.5 FM	contemporary Christian music	Northwestern College & Radio
KSJN	99.5 FM	classical	American Public Media Group (via Minnesota Public Radio)
KFXN-FM "100.3FM KFAN: The Fan"	100.3 FM	Sports	Clear Channel
KDWB	101.3 FM	Top 40/CHR	Clear Channel
KEEY "K102"	102.1 FM	country	Clear Channel
WLTE "102.9 Lite FM"	102.9 FM	adult contemporary	CBS Radio
KZJK "Jack FM"	104.1 FM	adult hits	CBS Radio
WGVX/Y/Z "Love 105"	105.1 105.3/105.7 FM	soft AC/oldies	Citadel Broadcasting
KLCI "Bob 106"	106.1 FM	country	Milestone Radio
KTMY "myTalk 107.1"	107.1 FM	female-oriented talk	Hubbard Broadcasting
KQQL "Kool 108"	107.9 FM	oldies/classic hits	Clear Channel

External links

	Media portal
	Journalism portal
	Minnesota portal

• NorthPine.com: Upper Midwest Broadcasting
• Northeaster Newspaper, Northeast Minneapolis, St. Anthony Village, Columbia Heights and Hilltop
• NorthNews Newspaper, North Minneapolis
• Rick Burnett's TwinCitiesRadioAirchecks.com -- Historical recordings and photos of Twin Cities radio stations.
• Eastern Minnesota Television Stations [5]