Download a photo of the Southwest Minnesota Story Share.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Pioneer PBS has launched a series of initiatives designed to discover and lift up the stories of everyday people in the small towns and farming communities served by the television station.
The Southwest Minnesota Story Share project has been launched in collaboration with the Southwest Initiative Foundation. The goal of this project is to increase the prospects of national television distribution of stories from rural America. The first story share gathering was held in Worthington on February 27, 2020. A sample of the stories collected at that event can be viewed at www.pioneer.org/storyshare/worthington. The COVID-19 crisis has led to the postponement of future public story sharing events. In the meantime, the TV station is asking the general public to contact them with story ideas by calling 1-800-726-3178, emailing yourtv@pioneer.org or sending Pioneer PBS a message on Facebook.
Another collaboration with PBS stations across Minnesota is a history initiative called Moving Lives Minnesota: Stories of Origin and Immigration. This project seeks to deepen understanding of Minnesota’s origins and immigration history. Pioneer PBS is looking for people in western and southwestern Minnesota to share their stories of immigration to Minnesota and stories of what it means to be a Minnesotan and/or an indigenous resident of this state. The upcoming documentaries The Horse Relative (airing on May 17 at 6 p.m.)and Sympathetic Strings: The Hardanger Fiddle in Minnesota (airing on May 28 at 7 p.m.) are part of this initiative. Suggestions for stories of origin or immigration can be made by calling Patrick Moore at 320-841-1487 or by emailing pmoore@pioneer.org.
Finally, Pioneer PBS has retooled its Compass public affairs program to include Zoom interviews with thought leaders, government workers and news media professionals who can add a rural perspective to what is happening with the COVID-19 response. If you have topics that you would like to see covered, contact Amanda Anderson at 1-800-726-3178 or aanderson@pioneer.org.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit: www.pioneer.org.
