Larry Mendte

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Larry Mendte bigraphy, stories - American television news anchor and commentator

Larry Mendte : biography

1957-1-19 –

Larry Mendte (born January 16, 1957) is an American commentator and American news anchor working at WPIX in New York City. Mendte also hosts his own talk show from 8:30 to 10 am on WWIQ IQ 106.9 FM in Philadelphia. Mendte was the first male host of the American syndicated television show Access Hollywood. His nightly commentaries are aired on TV stations across the country. From 2003 to mid-2008, he was the lead anchor of the 6 pm and 11 pm newscasts for KYW-TV (Channel 3), the CBS O&O in Philadelphia. After nearly two decades in last place, Mendte led the station to compete with first place WPVI-TV (Channel 6)., Philadelphia Daily News, March 1, 2001] KYW lured Mendte away from WCAU-TV (Channel 10), where he had anchored the 4, 6 and 11 pm newscasts and led the station to win the news ratings for the first time in 30 years., PR Newswire, June 5, 2003

Filmography

Mendte appeared in three movies in cameo roles: Primary Colors, Shadow of Doubt, and Snipes. He wrote and directed four short documentaries. Ben Franklin: Stealing Lightning from the Sky aired across the country on Benjamin Franklin’s birthday in 2006. The documentary questioned whether Franklin really did conduct his famous kite experiment. Later that year Mendte wrote and directed Alex Scott: A Stand for Hope, a short documentary about Alex Scott, founder of Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Alex Scott: A Stand for Hope won the award for Best Documentary at the Reno, Oxford, Danville, West Chester, Lake Arrowhead and Reel Award film Festivals. Mendte was named best Pennsylvania Filmmaker for 2006 at the West Chester Film Festival.

Biography

Born and raised in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, he attended St. Philomena Catholic School elementary school. During this time he began delivering the Philadelphia Bulletin. Mendte graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School in nearby Drexel Hill. In 2003, Mendte was inducted into the high school’s . He earned a B.A. in Communications from West Chester University and was named a distinguished alumnus. After giving a commencement address in 2006, Mendte was awarded to President’s Medal for Service in recognition of his community work. Mendte is now earning his Master’s degree in Interactive Media at Quinnipiac University.

Honors

Mendte received acclaim for a series of reports he did on the Eternal Flame, a tribute to American veterans, in Philadelphia’s historic Washington Square. Mendte highlighted the flame’s failing infrastructure, forcing the city to take action to repair the natural gas line which provided the flame’s fuel and relight it. His efforts were read into the Congressional record by U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA). Mendte was also honored with a regional Edward R. Murrow Award in the writing category for his reports on the Eternal Flame and a report on the Iraq War. He received a national Edward R. Murrow Award in 2008 for a report he wrote and produced about a soldier from Delaware, Stephen McGowan, who died in Iraq.

In 2006, Mendte was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame. Mendte has over 80 Regional Emmy Awards from the New York, San Diego, Chicago and Philadelphia markets, and holds the record in several categories in Philadelphia and Chicago. In Philadelphia, he has won a record 4 Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Anchor category and seven in various writing categories. In 2007, Mendte was named as one of the 75 Greatest Living Philadelphians by the Philadelphia Daily News in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th anniversary.

Family

Mendte is married to Dawn Stensland, the former 10 pm news co-anchor at Fox’s WTXF (Channel 29), since 2001. She came to Philadelphia in 1997 as an anchor for KYW, then anchored CBS News Saturday Morning for a year and a half. In the 1990s, she was an anchor and reporter at WBBM in Chicago, Illinois, and WKYC in Cleveland, Ohio. Together, they have two children, both sons; Michael was born in 2004, and David was born in 2006. In addition, Mendte has two adult children, Stacia and Jonathan, from a previous marriage.