Media

Adams may have been the hardest working journalist in the business. At one point, a week's work consisted of 54 radio shows, eight TV shows and seven columns in the Minneapolis Star and Sunday Tribune. When he felt extra energetic, he took a variety show on the road. It took seven secretaries just to open his mail. Adams was also known for his humor writing, which was showcased in his popular books.

Boone and Erickson may have been the longest-running duo in radio history. For nearly 40 years, they lived up to WCCO-AM's nickname, The Good Neighbor. Unlike today's Howard-Stern wave of on-air comics, the jokers told gags and did impressions without a hint of meanness or malice.

Grim gave the world to the Twin Cities. Long before flying was routine, Grim was globetrotting for his Minneapolis Tribune column, "I Like It Here," which explored such places as the Soviet Union and Haiti in the '50s and '60s, as well as towns through Minnesota. Grim may be best remembered for launching Santa Anonymous in 1948, a charity drive that provides gifts for underprivileged kids.

Hubbard was a pioneer in tuning the Twin Cities in to the rest of the world. In 1924, he started WAMD, the state's first commercial radio station, and a year later organized the area's first news bureau for gathering local news and conducting regular newscasts. Soon after, the station became KSTP, the most powerful radio station in the country at the time, a giant that gave Jack Benny, the Marx Brothers and Edgar Bergen their first on-air experience. His KSTP television station was the first in this part of the country and later became the nation's first full-color station.

Kling founded Minnesota Public Radio, which changed the definition of public radio. Since its conception in 1967, Kling and his network have been leaders in providing nationally distributed programming -- most notably "A Prairie Home Companion" -- working with bigger budgets and recruiting members.

Moore was our Walter Cronkite. In the mid-'80s, researchers found that the WCCO anchor was the best-known face in Minnesota, a title he earned with diligent work for nearly 30 years and a humble charm that endeared him to Minnesotans. In addition to being the face of WCCO during its golden age, Moore was host of a pioneering documentary series, "Moore on Sunday."

Rowan is a pioneering, award-winning journalist who started his career with two local black weeklies, the Minneapolis Spokesman and St. Paul Recorder. He made his name during the 1950s as a globetrotting reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune. His series, "How Far From Slavery?" elicited more mail than any previous story in Tribune history.

Schulz created the country's most popular strip, "Peanuts," based largely on children he grew up with in St. Paul. Its philosophical bent and his characters' neurotic charm influenced such cartoonists as Garry Trudeau ("Doonesbury"). Schulz, recently diagnosed with colon cancer, is retiring Monday, though the strip will live on in reruns in many U.S. newspapers -- as will the Broadway show and numerous TV specials it inspired.

Sevareid became a highly respected journalist thanks in large part to his detailed reporting for CBS during World War II. His career began as a copy boy at the Minneapolis Journal and he later reported at the Minneapolis Star. In 1939, he joined CBS to cover the war. When he returned, he became a TV star through documentaries, occasional anchor jobs, analysis and talk shows.