Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame

Larry Bentson
2001 Charter Inductee

In his six decades in broadcasting, Larry Bentson has been a leader in virtually every aspect of the industry, from radio to television to cable television to satellite communications. He worked as an engineer/announcer at WMIN Minneapolis/Saint Paul from 1939 to 1943. He returned to WMIN after serving in the US Navy in the Pacific, and by 1950 had become its president. He built one of the Twin Cities' first television stations, WMIN TV Channel 11; South Dakota's first television station, KELO TV Channel 11 Sioux Falls, and three other stations that encompassed that state; and three television stations in Wisconsin. Pioneering Twin Cities FM broadcasting, he coordinated the multi-station antenna complex on the IDS Center in Minneapolis. He built, owned, and operated radio and television stations and cable television systems throughout the Midwest, and introduced cellular telephone service to the area. A past president of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association, he has served as a director of the National Association of Broadcasters, the Pavek Museum, the University Hospital, and the Variety Club Children's Hospital, and is active in many other broadcasting and charitable organizations.