“Dialed in with Duchesne” is a series of posts from Minnesota Public Radio’s President Duchesne Drew sharing his vision and commitments as MPR creates the future of public media by amplifying voices to inform, include, and inspire. The series will consider the complexities of our state—the great things we do together and the challenges before us—as we shape our services for you, our listeners and members.
About Duchesne Drew
Duchesne Drew is Senior Vice President of American Public Media Group and President of Minnesota Public Radio. In this role, he leads the teams that produce MPR News, The Current, APM Reports and Marketplace. Additionally, he oversees YourClassical MPR as a part of Minnesota Public Radio.
For all of us in media, this time of year is also a season for celebration because regional and national awards are being announced. What a remarkable season it has been for all of us — APMG, MPR News, Classical, the Current, and Marketplace. Our hosts, producers, reporters and the whole team working here have been recognized for the range, depth, and excellence of their work. It is because of such dedicated teamwork and depth of talent that we deliver our best content to you, our members and listeners. And it is because of your support that we are able grow this exceptional talent.
At Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), we’re also facing a shortfall in revenues. We’re working hard to stabilize our budget before the end of our fiscal year on June 30. But we have a unique strength. And that is you, our members.
Duchesne Drew states that each year we work hard to invest the resources we have with great care. We aim our focus on what matters most to you, our listeners, and to our ability to serve the state with news, music, information, and entertainment.
One way we keep learning and innovating at MPR is through the relationships we forge with our interns and fellows. We have a rich history of interns building their careers at our organization, and sometimes moving on to make remarkable contributions to media elsewhere. Interns aspire to a wide range of roles from reporters and producers, to hosts and operations staff.
When Duchesne Drew thinks about diversity in Minnesota, it’s all the different flavors – racial diversity, obviously, and ethnic. But it’s also gender identity, beliefs, abilities, politics and changing age demographics.
No media entity is better positioned than Minnesota Public Radio to tell the stories of Minnesota. It’s one of the magical things about MPR. From our founding, we’ve dedicated our work to serving the public, to imagine and deliver a service that informs and inspires everyone and helps Minnesota connect to itself. It’s a big mandate, one that’s essential to our vision, service, and purpose.
