
Meet Matthew Alvarez
Matthew Alvarez is a producer for MPR News, currently working on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Climate Cast and Politics Friday. He focuses on local, state and national politics, as well as special coverage and breaking news.
Matthew started his radio career in 2011 as a volunteer at KTSW, his college radio station in San Marcos, Texas. Before joining MPR News, Matthew was a producer with Audacy Inc. in Austin, Texas. After five years, Matthew moved to Iowa City, Iowa, to work as a talk show producer with Iowa Public Radio, where he would also occasionally fill in as the midday host for the station. There he worked on two talk shows: “River to River” and “Talk of Iowa.”
Matthew’s work has been recognized with several awards and accolades, including an Eric Sevareid Award from the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association and second place at the Public Media Journalists Association.
Matthew was born and raised in the border city of El Paso, Texas, and lived in the Lone Star state until he moved to Iowa to start his career in public radio in 2019. Matthew attended Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, where he graduated with degrees in journalism and sociology. In 2019, he completed the Transom Story Workshop, a nine-week radio storytelling residential program in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Matthew currently lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and loves to explore new restaurants and take long walks through historic neighborhoods. No matter what, Matthew is assigned to snow shoveling duties at his home. And there's nothing he can do to change that.
Recent Contributions
- Politics Friday: At the Capitol, a slate of immigration bills to respond to ICE surge
- Politics Friday: Tax debate picks up at Capitol as lawmakers discuss state-federal mismatches
- A presidential critique, families advocate for gun‑restriction and a fresh state economic forecast
- Politics Friday: Lawmakers push for proposals to tackle fraud, receive new economic forecast
- State lawmakers begin 2026 session honoring Hortman, statewide losses and grief
- Politics Friday: First week of session opens with Hortman tribute, focus on tragic events
- North Shore locals reflect on hard hitting blizzard shutting down the area
- A somber first day marks the start of the 2026 legislative session
- A look back at this week in politics and what to expect for the upcoming legislative session
- Politics Friday: Lawmakers outline their priorities for the 2026 legislative session
