ST. PAUL, Minn.—Twin Cities PBS (TPT) said it will premiere “Broadcast Wars,” an original documentary about local broadcast news in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The program will be available on Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. as a two-hour film on TPT 2 and as a three-part streaming limited series available on the PBS App.
Part of TPT’s “Minnesota Experience” history programming, “Broadcast Wars” delves into the golden era of Minnesota broadcast news, when high-priced anchors, groundbreaking technology and larger-than-life personalities ruled the airwaves.
With millions of dollars in ad revenue at stake, stations like KSTP, WCCO, KMSP and KARE competed for supremacy in their quest to break the news and capture viewers along the way, TPT said. Anchors became local celebrities, and behind the scenes, newsrooms were transformed by innovation, diversity and competition.
The documentary features archival footage, interviews with veteran broadcasters and insights into how this media era shaped the local news industry in profound ways. From the rise of women broadcasters and reporters of color to the intense competition that redefined television journalism, “Broadcast Wars” is intended to offer a revealing look into the changing landscape of broadcast news from the 1960s to the 1980s, TPT said.
“The Twin Cities were at the center of a media revolution, and the battles for ratings weren't just about who had the best newscast—they were about how we told the stories of our community,” co-executive producer Cathy Wurzer said. “The innovations of that time set the stage for the way we consume news today, and I'm excited for audiences to see the impact these legendary figures had on both television and our civic life.”
The program features interviews with key players of the time, including anchors and reporters such as Marcia Fluer, Don Shelby, Lou Harvin, and Ron and Paul Magers, among others. Wurzer's conversations with her peers and predecessors reveal the highs and lows, including the mental health toll caused by the stress-filled ratings battles, TPT said.
In addition, the film highlights the industry’s critical shift toward inclusivity, featuring voices that had been historically underrepresented in newsrooms. As Wurzer noted: “It’s impossible to understand the Twin Cities broadcast story without acknowledging the barriers broken by women and reporters of color. Their stories are at the heart of this documentary.”
