MPR News
Impact Report—August 2025
Reverb: A New Way to News
Donor support powers Minnesota Public Radio’s (MPR) and American Public Media’s (APM) commitment to covering the issues and stories that matter most to our communities, members and listeners, and covering them in a way that reaches ALL our listeners and followers. Last year MPR News launched Reverb, a news initiative focused on serving younger (and young-at-heart) Minnesotans. Through Reverb, we cover news content that centers their perspectives, answers their questions, celebrates them and explores how they’re impacted by issues in a changing world, and all accessible where they are—on mobile, online and on social media. Generous donors inspire and enable informative and innovative news programming.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Minnesota is changing, and younger adults want news in new, more accessible ways. Reverb is a team of journalists ages 25–33 who craft news, culture and compelling stories, working on everything from investigative pieces to pop culture talkers, aiming to make compelling stories more accessible. They also collaborate across the MPR newsroom with journalists of all ages to create content. Reverb helps to make news more approachable for 20– to 30-year-olds through multiplatform coverage. That means not only producing content that is broadcast on the radio and streamed online but also producing content for social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok, OnDemand content such as podcasts, live events across the state and more.
Reverb content must stay true to MPR’s mission and tone. The team follows a core guiding principle: Every video should be fully understandable on its own without requiring viewers to click through or seek out context elsewhere. And every piece of content must meet two criteria: it must have a Minnesota connection and a news connection. The vibe is informative, grounded and deeply local. And the team avoids the kind of snarky or ironic tone that might clash with the MPR brand. By pairing creator-savvy instincts with old-school editorial discipline, Reverb has built a credible, engaging social presence that fits the hosting platforms and stays true to the brand.
From left: Kaila White, Anne Guttridge, Nicole Ki and Feven Gerezgiher
Credit: Photo by Kaila White/MPR News
Recent Reverb stories include:
- Engaging younger adults in news in new ways – MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talked about Reverb.
- Land of 10,000 road closures? Answering your questions on maintenance season – We asked our readers to send us questions about construction zones in Minnesota and had a Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesperson answer them.
- North Star Promise recipients on going to college for free in new Minnesota program – The highly anticipated North Star Promise Program was in full effect starting last fall. The program helps cover tuition and fees for Minnesota students with a family adjusted gross income under $80,000 who are studying at a public institution or tribal college in state.
- Women’s pro rugby finds a friendly scrum in the Twin Cities – TC Gemini, the new Twin Cities women’s professional rugby team, is finding a fan base here for a sport increasingly popular with women.
- ‘Love is Blind’ spent nearly $2 million in production costs across Twin Cities – Explore Minnesota is the state agency that oversees Explore Minnesota Film, which debuted last July as the state’s film office. Among its chief roles is administering a tax credit program aimed at attracting film productions that employ Minnesotans and promote the state.
MPR News Reverb team members Anne Guttridge (left) and Feven Gerezgiher (center right) interview “Love is Blind” participants Vanessa Boreland (center left) and Kylie Schuelke (right) on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. Ben Hovland | MPR News
Reach:
Reverb has produced more than
Members of the Reverb team
have driven over
Close to
of the Reverb audience is
returning or loyal
MPR News now reaches
followers on Instagram,
adding more than
over the past year, outpacing
other Minnesota outlets
MPR News published
Instagram posts this year.
The strategic use of short-form
video through the Reverb initiative is
clearly resonating with audiences.
MPR News is
in total Instagram engagement
compared to local competitors
and stands out in engagement
per post and by follower
MPR News accumulated
YouTube views, up
COMMUNITY RESPONSE:
I’m 25, and maybe younger than your normal donor or audience, but MPR’s efforts to keep me and the state updated on the national, international and…your TikToks! Keep innovating and I know the people of our great state will come your way!”
– Joseph, a listener in Saint Paul
Working with the Reverb team at MPR News has made me a better reporter, brainstormer and leader. I have been given space to work on stories that would typically be overlooked in the average newsroom setting but resonate with our readers and Reverb fans.”
– Samantha Stroozas, reporter and digital producer
All legacy media is hearing from young people that they’re looking for something different than what we’re offering up. We know that just based on our ratings, based on their engagement. It’s not that they’re not consuming media. They’re not consuming our media at the clip we’d like. Absence is a signal. The truth of the matter is that we have, I would argue, a responsibility to figure out how we engage them in ways that are going to be appealing to them.”
– Duchesne Drew, Senior Vice President at American Public Media Group and President of Minnesota Public Radio
My mission as a journalist is to reach audiences on platforms they’re already using to get the news they may not realize they needed. Especially in a time when people are more inclined to check out from being informed, our expansion to digital media can allow stories to take a form of content they’re used to consuming. I love that we cover all kinds of news areas so that we can share more of the great work of our newsroom and tell stories of delight alongside important updates on current events.”
– Anne Guttridge, Reverb social video producer