Rephonic
Artwork for Essential Minnesota

Essential Minnesota

Minnesota Star Tribune
Minnesota Star Tribune
Operation Metro Surge
Minnesota
ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Border Patrol
Immigration Enforcement
Mental Health
Gun Violence
Minneapolis
Mass Shooting
Trauma
Trump Administration
Renee Good
Minnesota Politics
Feeding Our Future
Minnesota Red Flag Law
Bishop Henry Whipple Building
Annunciation School
Children's Rights

Every Friday some of the best reporters in Minnesota dig into one important local story. Host Melissa Townsend brings her distinct curiosity and humor to these weekly deep-dive conversations with journalists from the Minnesota Star Tribune where they break down the facts, the players and the impact. No spin, pretense or A.I. – just great local stories that matter to Minnesota and beyond. It’s what... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes31Founded6 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CultureNewsPolitics

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Essential Minnesota

Latest Episodes

This week wildfires forced the closure of the Boundary Waters, sent smoke across the Midwest and pushed air quality to hazardous, record-breaking levels. Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Kristoffer Tigue chronicles the evacuation and fire fighting eff... more

This week she capped off an historic month becoming the winningest coach in WNBA history. We go behind the scenes with reporter Cassidy Hettesheimer to Reeve’s early days and the secrets to her success.

Corrections: In this conversation there are tw... more

We're taking a holiday break this week but we'll be back July 10!

Acceptance of the new flag among Minnesotans is divided mainly along party lines. But how much of that comes from partisan fervor fueling the culture wars and how much is from a rushed and imperfect design process? Reporter Briana Bierschbach was the... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Minnesota Today
Minnesota TodayMinnesota Public Radio
Letters from an American
Letters from an AmericanHeather Cox Richardson
Radio Atlantic
Radio AtlanticThe Atlantic

Recent Guests

Liz Sawyer
Reporter at the Star Tribune covering public safety and law enforcement
Star Tribune
Episode: Behind the fall of the Minneapolis Chief of Police
Chip Scoggins
Journalist at Minnesota Star Tribune and Strib Varsity reporter (prep sports)
Minnesota Star Tribune / Strib Varsity
Episode: The debate over high school transfer athletes
Chloe Johnson
Reporter, Minnesota Star Tribune
Minnesota Star Tribune
Episode: How the ban on mining near the BWCAW was reversed
Chris Vondracek
Reporter, based in Washington, DC
Minnesota Star Tribune
Episode: How the ban on mining near the BWCAW was reversed
Brooks Johnson
Editor and Reporter at Star Tribune
Star Tribune
Episode: Why did Bushel Boy tomatoes mysteriously disappear?
Victor Ștefănescu
Reporter at Star Tribune
Star Tribune
Episode: Why did Bushel Boy tomatoes mysteriously disappear?
Jon Bream
Music critic
Minnesota Star Tribune
Episode: Stories from the critic who knew the Purple One best
Ryan Faircloth
Reporter covering the political side of fraud in Minnesota
Minnesota Star Tribune
Episode: The Minnesota Legislature’s plan to tackle fraud this session - part 3
Jessie Van Berkel
Reporter tracking fraud developments over the past year
Minnesota Star Tribune
Episode: Did Operation Metro Surge root out Medicaid fraud in Minn? part 2

Hosts

Alyssa Townsend
Host of Essential Minnesota; affiliated with Minnesota Star Tribune
Melissa Townsend
Host of Essential Minnesota; affiliated with Minnesota Star Tribune

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 11 ratings
  • Great Minnesota coverage

    As a Minnesotan living in the Twin Cities, this podcast is a good addition to my podcast rotation.

    Quality reporting by the Star Tribune with a wide range of topics and conversations.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jeffrey Leonard
    United States3 months ago
  • Satisfying!

    I live in Minnesota and I love hearing the exceptional reporting about what’s happening right here. Great work Strib!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    News Lover in MN
    United States3 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Minnesota-focused, high-quality reporting that stays grounded in facts.
Very timely coverage of immigration and public policy with practical insights.
Strong local storytelling with credible guests and clear takeaways for practitioners.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#245
United States/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Stories from the critic who knew the Purple One best
Q: Why did Prince stay rooted in Minnesota?
Bream notes Prince's loyalty to Minneapolis for personal privacy, control over his work, and for practical reasons related to studio accessibility and avoiding intrusive scrutiny from distant executives.
Stories from the critic who knew the Purple One best
Q: How did Prince respond to criticism?
Bream says Prince could react hot and cold to criticism, was intensely private, and sometimes took offense, but he valued truthful, reader-focused reviews and maintained professional boundaries with his press.
Stories from the critic who knew the Purple One best
Q: What was it like to be a music critic back in the 1970s?
Jon Bream explains that the job involved covering live concerts, writing about records, interviewing stars when they visited, and reporting nightlife, all without the benefit of social media or the internet, relying on field work and traditional publicity.
The religious background of alleged assassin Vance Boelter
Q: What does getting right with God mean?
It means being the right kind of Christian; there are good Christians and there are bad Christians.
The religious background of alleged assassin Vance Boelter
Q: What specifically are you hoping to learn about Vance Boelter?
The big mystery is how could a man who all of his friends have described as a devout Christian, and so therefore, how could a devout Christian have done the things that he's been accused of?

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Essential Minnesota

What is Essential Minnesota about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Each Friday, a seasoned Minnesota newsroom veteran hosts deep-dive conversations with Minnesota Star Tribune journalists to unpack one important local story. Episodes typically dissect the facts, key players, and real-world impact, with a focus on accountability, policy, and community consequences. Noteworthy is the tight collaboration with local reporters, a no-spin approach, and a clear emphasis on regional issues that resonate beyond state borders. This setup is likely to appeal to listeners who want rigorous local journalism, insider context, and practical takeaways for stakeholders in media, government, and civic life.

Where can I find podcast stats for Essential Minnesota?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Essential Minnesota. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Essential Minnesota and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Essential Minnesota get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Essential Minnesota, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Essential Minnesota?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Essential Minnesota, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Essential Minnesota have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Essential Minnesota has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Essential Minnesota?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Essential Minnesota:

1. Minnesota Today
2. Fresh Air
3. Letters from an American
4. NPR's Book of the Day
5. Radio Atlantic

How many episodes of Essential Minnesota are there?

Essential Minnesota launched 6 months ago and published 31 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Essential Minnesota?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Essential Minnesota?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Essential Minnesota from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Essential Minnesota?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Essential Minnesota. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Essential Minnesota?

Recent guests on Essential Minnesota include:

1. Liz Sawyer
2. Chip Scoggins
3. Chloe Johnson
4. Chris Vondracek
5. Brooks Johnson
6. Victor Ștefănescu
7. Jon Bream
8. Ryan Faircloth

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days