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.
Contents |
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].
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.
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.
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.
For decades, WCCO radio was the most well-known and most popular broadcaster in the region, 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 to be the oldest in the state. It first received a license for the call sign WLB in January 1922.
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.
Many area residents 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 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.
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 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, 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).
The following is a list of print publications in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area:
In Minneapolis:
In St. Paul:
| 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 |
| 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. |
| Station | Frequency | Format | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| KBEM-FM "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-FM | 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 |
| WLKX "Spirit FM" |
95.9 FM | Worship Radio | Independent Station |
| 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 |