Aaron Brown has been reporting and working on the Iron Range throughout his whole career — as a newspaperman/columnist, Minnesota North instructor and collaborator with KAXE.
Now a Minnesota Star Tribune columnist and editorial board member, Brown told us recently what KAXE has meant to him.
"You may not think of KAXE as big time media," he said on the KAXE Morning Show. "My experiences working with you at KAXE have really put me in a position to be where I am today."
Brown has been a familiar voice on KAXE for decades, offering commentary and hosting The Great Northern Radio Show, a traveling variety show that aired from 2011-19. He also co-produced Power in the Wilderness, a history podcast of the Iron Range, as well as the politics and news podcast Dig Deep.
With the rescission of public media funding by Congress, KAXE is facing with an emergency situation. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting currently contributes 13% of KAXE's budget, or over $230,000 per year. These cuts will make a big impact on the future of KAXE, and unfortunately, come alongside cuts from the state of Minnesota and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Brown and his wife Christina were among the first to respond when KAXE began fundraising toward a $100,000 goal last week.
As Brown commented, it isn't just about him, but his family as well. Many know Christina as The Northern Cheapskate from her blog and KAXE segments she used to produce. She is committed to a frugal lifestyle and saving money. She also once served as a member of KAXE's board of directors.
"That was the fastest and the easiest decision to spend money that we've had in our almost 25 years of marriage," Aaron Brown said.
" ... A lot of the things that I really love about where this station has gone, just in the past five years — like the news and some of the programming and the great music programming — ... it's going to need a little boost to keep going, and so I think it's just an obvious thing that we can do."
For Brown, who now writes about topics like rural health care, mining, and mental health from his home in Northern Minnesota, the importance of an independent local voice like KAXE couldn’t be clearer.
“If I had any encouragement for anyone today,” he said, “it would be to help KAXE out as you are able. This is the moment to make decisions about what really is important to our community and to ourselves.”
To make a donation or learn more about the funding crisis, visit kaxe.org or call 218-326-1234.
Brown's recent columns
Although Brown has spent much of his career writing about the Iron Range, he had never seen it from the air. His recent column, "At 5,000 feet, the legacy of the Iron Range mining in Minnesota is clear, but its future is hazy" took him from Hibbing to Silver Bay in a small 1967 aircraft.
"I've lived on the Range my whole life, or near it. And I've always seen the mines from the ground. I've done tours of the mines, but when you see it from above, you really notice the impact the economic environment," Brown said.
Brown has also been writing a lot about rural health care and mental health. On the day we spoke, a column was published that featured Wabana Township jazz musician Sam Miltich and his mental health journey.
"Mental health problems, mental illness is not a death sentence," Brown said. "It's not the end. It's something that, you know, leads you down a different road, perhaps. But it's something you can overcome and manage, and Sam's a great example of that."
Brown said this doesn't mean finding the necessary help is easy for everyone, and rural law enforcement agencies and emergency rooms often serve as the first line of defense. He pointed to a memory of his uncle, who died by suicide in the '90s, and the feelings he and his family have about him.
"[I'm] looking back on that and wondering, can we do better? Can we help people, and maybe help people heal as well? And that's the goal there."
