Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities

17 Unique Stations from Border to Border

MN90: R ‘n R for Gangsters

MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds | Ampers
In the 1930s, St. Paul became a safe haven for every bank robber, stickup artist and kidnapper in America. The city’s police chief John O’Connor made a devil’s bargain with the crooks: as long as they didn’t commit a crime in St. Paul, police would pretend known criminals weren’t living right under their noses. MN90 producer Marisa Helms says the system worked for several years, until the Barker-Karpis gang kidnapped two of the most prominent men in St. Paul – brewing company executive William Hamm, Jr., and banker Edward Bremer.

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MN90: Hollywood Heyday

In 1974, David Fantle and Tom Johnson were St. Paul middle school students when they fell in love with classic Hollywood films. And just four years later, they were flying to California to meet two of those stars—a journey that would lead to hundreds of interviews and a book. Here’s Britt Aamodt.

MN90: Shock Theater

In 1958, Minnesota got a shock. Classic horror films were introduced to a new generation of TV viewers courtesy of Shock Theater and local creature feature hosts in Minneapolis and Duluth. Here’s Britt Aamodt.

MN90: Steinbeck’s Biographer

2016 – William Souder was in the early stages of researching at his home in Grant, Minnesota. He wanted to write the first major biography of John Steinbeck in 25 years. But what new could he add? Here’s Britt Aamodt.

MN90: The Genesis of Artist George Morrison

When George Morrison was ten, he was living away from his Chippewa (Ojibwe) community in Minnesota’s Arrowhead, convalescing in a children’s hospital and working on his art. That child would become one of America’s great post-war abstract artists. Here’s Britt Aamodt.

MN90: The Mayor and the Ku Klux Klan

1923 – George Leach wanted to be re-elected mayor of Minneapolis. But he’d enraged the Ku Klux Klan and they were determined to drum him out of office. Here’s Britt Aamodt.

MN90: As You Like Val

One day, Val Kilmer would be a huge name in film, with roles in Top Gun and The Doors, among other heavy hitters. But in late 1981, he was just a Julliard grad looking for a break when he appeared in the Guthrie Theater’s As You Like It. Here’s Britt Aamodt.

MN90: Freedom’s Roots

2010 – At long last, fans of Jonathan Franzen’s “The Corrections” had his new book in their hands. In Freedom, the Missouri author plumbed his parents’ roots for the Minnesota setting. Here’s Britt Aamodt.

MN90: Hubert’s Opening Act

1968 – Hubert Humphrey faced an uphill climb to snag the presidency of the United States. But he thought a little music, courtesy of Tommy James & the Shondells, might help draw crowds on the campaign trail. Here’s Britt Aamodt.

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