KSTP-TV Archive

About the collection

A pioneer television station, KSTP-TV was the first station in the Midwest to air a daily newscast and became the first full-color television station in the world. Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. gave the KSTP-TV Archive to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1994 and it holds over 3 million feet of news film (1948–1980) and 5,600 videotapes (1976–1993). Over a period of ten years, with support from the Hubbard Family Foundation, the news film was cleaned, spliced, cataloged, and rehoused in a secure and climate-controlled storage area. The news video has been digitized and is also housed in a secure and climate-controlled storage area.

This premier television news film collection covers the social, political, economic, and natural landscape of Minnesota for the second half of the 20th century.

Examples from the collection

The clips in the KSTP-TV collection provide a glimpse into Minnesota and national history, and they highlight some of Minnesota’s people, events, tragedies, and triumphs. Click on each of the images below to see specific examples of footage from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, respectively.

Research in the KSTP-TV news archive

There is not a full public catalog of the KSTP-TV materials. A small portion of the collection's clips can be searched through Collections Online, and some of these clips can be viewed online, as well. A non-public catalog of film clips in the KSTP-TV news film collection is available to staff. In the summer of 2016 we began cataloging the portion of the collection recorded on video, which includes most materials dating from the mid-1970s to the early-1990s. This means that the video portion of the collection is partially accessible to staff.

Send requests for research or reference assistance via the Gale Family Library’s email form; please be sure to indicate that your question is regarding audio-visual/moving images.

Requests for duplication and use

The KSTP-TV Archive is supported by funds from the Hubbard Family Foundation and by fees for research, copying, and use. Reproductions or permissions for use of any material in the collection are provided under license agreement for purposes indicated and agreed upon by the user and the Minnesota Historical Society.

Already digitized clips — available through Collections Online — may be requested by clicking the "Buy" button in that system and then completing the Media Duplication Service request. Please note: Permission for use is a separate process; our staff will contact you with more information after you complete your duplication request. Commercial reproductions of the KSTP-TV Archive are also available through CONUS ARCHIVE.

If you are interested in finding and acquiring KSTP-TV film clips that are not in Collections Online, you can send a research/reference request through the library's email form; please be sure to indicate that your question is regarding audio-visual/moving images.

Other inquiries

MNHS continues to support this important collection by preserving it, creating access to it, and advocating for its long-term care. We appreciate your support and input. Please direct inquiries NOT related to research or use/licensing to collections@mnhs.org.