Message from the President of MPTA
Dear Legacy Committee and Department of Administration Members: It is an honor and a privilege to provide you with this report, on behalf of the Minnesota Public Television Association, or MPTA. It is our letter of thanks for your generous support of the MPTA programming that was created and is available to every Minnesotan. The MPTA is a group of six independent public television stations whose broadcast signals reach the whole of Minnesota and beyond our state’s borders. They include Lakeland PBS (Bemidji/Brainerd), Prairie Public (Moorhead & Crookston), Pioneer PBS (Granite Falls), KSMQ-TV (Austin), TPT-Twin Cities PBS (St. Paul/ Minneapolis), and PBS North (Duluth). This report will demonstrate the high standards of a profound collaboration, where we engage the awesome strength of public television, doing what we were always meant to do, which is to elevate our society, foster learning, build community connection, spark community engagement, and enriching the lives of our citizens by extending a world of possibility to everyone we reach. You will find several examples of how the MPTA tells the stories of our rural, urban, and suburban communities more comprehensively than anyone else – producing thousands of hours of programming on local history, local culture, and local public affairs. You will also find that many of the programs we create have been nominated and won awards. However, it is not the awards that drive us. It is the reward of seeing the work of the MPTA and how it evolves to reflect the communities we serve and the state that we are becoming. We employ our platforms as the common ground on which every Minnesotan can stand with equality, dignity, and purpose. In fact, Common Ground is the name of an episodic program produced by one of our stations, Lakeland PBS. This program explores the unique people, places and events that are an important part of our region, taking viewers on a journey of exploration into the subjects that help shape and define our diverse communities. Although this is a weekly program, there were several short-form historical documentaries reflecting our rich history, including Pioneer PBS’ Postcards: WWII, 40 Thieves on Saipan , providing a visual viewpoint to the best-selling novel. PBS North created six short-form documentaries with Minnesota Historia . This factual and quirky series has been used in classrooms, enriching students’ experiences in education. Education has always been at the core of what the MPTA does. KSMQ-TV in Austin worked with principals, teachers, and the Austin Public School District to curate PBS LearningMedia resources that align with the district’s new elementary literacy curriculum, ‘Benchmark Advance.’ Helping children, their teachers and caregivers also happened through the important work of Prairie Public who facilitated a community conversation in celebration of Juneteenth. The presenters were Minnesotans who were impacted by racial conflict and civil rights issues in Moorhead in the 1960s. These stories from the past bring Minnesotans to a place of understanding of how we arrived at where we are today. Minnesota Experience excelled at providing a sense of place through three one-hour documentaries created at TPT- Twin Cities PBS. These documentaries provide insights to influential, but little-known, stories including The Baldies , a documentary that looks at the historical and cultural impact that youth subcultures play in our communities. These are only a few examples of what you will find in this report where we elaborate on each station’s contributions. As you read through it, we know you will see that together, the MPTA collaborates with every race, gender, faith, age, nationality, and regional identity that makes up our remarkable state. We understand that our work of education, civic engagement and even entertainment, will never be over. As we move forward, we do so with respect, care and gratitude for your trust and investment of support for the MPTA through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Truly grateful, Patty Mester President & General Manager of PBS North President MPTA 218.788.2831 William G. Strusinski Legislative Consultant 651.755.6448 bill@libbylawoffice.com
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