Since 1979, Larry Mendte has graced TV and radio airwaves across the United States. Winning countless awards and accolades, he is living proof that with passion and drive, anything can be accomplished.
His passion for media started as a little kid: “I’m told the story that [as a child] I used to get lost on purpose just so I could hear my name announced in the store.”
He added, “I used to watch the news, and I used to take media in. I used to call into radio stations when they had a contest, even though I didn’t know the answer, just to get on the air. So it seemed like it was something I was destined to do.”
Finding His Path in Radio
However, it wasn’t until college that Mendte received true direction. “When I went to college, I worked at the college radio station, and they got an internship in radio at the old WFIL radio. It was a top 40 station, but back then they actually had newsrooms, and they made me their reporter. During my internship, I got to anchor there a couple of times, and I loved it. And I decided then that’s what I want to do, but I think it was always in me.”
He quickly bounced around from market to market, starting in Eureka, California, and in less than 10 years he made it to New York. “I was only 27 at the time; they hired me as the weekend anchor at WABC in New York.”
But Mendte wasn’t long for local TV. He helped bring Access Hollywood to life in 1996 and later wrote notable feature pieces like “The Beanie Baby Soldier” and “The Children of 9/11.”
It wasn’t until later in Mendte’s career that he added commentary to his list of “can do’s.” “When I was hired at WPIX in New York, they had me doing commentaries, and they were played at all the Tribune stations and live TV stations. So it was like 30-some TV stations across the country, and I really loved it. Just loved it, doing the commentaries.”
Blending Storytelling and Opinion
This skill, combined with his incredible storytelling ability, gives Mendte a unique ability to captivate his WOR audience. “I think what we do in the radio, and I never would have guessed this at the time, is a nice conglomeration of [storytelling and opinion] together,” Mendte affirmed.
“The storytelling is extremely important. Understanding the story is extremely important. But having a strong opinion, and not being afraid to tell it, and to be able to tell it in an articulate way, is just as important.” He added, “And if I combine those two things with a wealth of experience from doing news all around the country, and probably seeing at least once before everything we talk about now, I think in a way the whole career was building to be able to do talk radio.”
Mendte believes, “Talk radio is in almost every way much freer than any of the television I did, [because] it’s building a story. We’re doing a commentary live on the air. Everything else I’ve been able to do, except for the live shots I did, I’ve been able to craft it. The crafting is immediate.”
Partnering with Curtis Sliwa on WOR Mornings
Today he’s not crafting his show alone. In March, Mendte, Tom Cuddy, and the WOR team welcomed Curtis Sliwa to the morning show. “It’s exceptional to have him as a partner. We get into a pretty heated argument probably once a day on the air [because] we disagree on a lot of things, and we have no problem playing that out on the air.”
Mendte went on to say, “But afterwards, sometimes we just smile at each other. Sometimes we keep talking about it, but it never carries on into the rest of the show or into the relationship.”
Mendte emphasized how important it is to speak with someone with a different opinion. The added bonus with Sliwa is the energy he brings to the mic. “Somebody asked me one time what it’s like co-hosting with Curtis,” Mendte recalled. “I said, ‘It’s like being in a rodeo, you just hold on.’ And that’s the way I felt. I mean, he knows so much. He talks so fast. He’s got a shtick down that he’s been doing for years and years. He’s forgotten more about radio and talk radio than I’ll probably ever learn at this point. But the fact that [we as a team] work [well and] organically.”
But there is a fine line the pair don’t want to cross. “So as long as we don’t go overboard, as long as it never becomes personal, and as long as people seem to like it, I think it’s an important part of the show. But we still joke around; there’s camaraderie, we agree on a lot of things.” What’s important for listeners to know is, “It’s always going to be an honest conversation with Curtis and I, who have a wealth of different experiences.”
Advice for the Next Generation of Journalists
For those looking to follow in Mendte’s footsteps, he says, “Things have changed dramatically [since I started in the industry]. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is a drive.”
Mendte believes so long as you are motivated, you can become successful in media. Both he and his wife, Dawn Stensland-Mendte, who hosts a talk show on 1210 WPHT, are living testaments to this sentiment.
Except, it’s significantly easier now than when they were coming up in the industry. “People growing up today have the opportunity to do a story right now. They can take their phone and go do a story.”
Commending many independent journalists, like Nick Shirley, who are using social media to get stories out there, Mendte noted, “I am so jealous, and I’m so proud of them, and I think it’s a necessary evolution of journalism.” He added, “[Journalists today] have the opportunity to see a story and report it immediately and get the world to watch it. And that’s powerful. So if you want to do this, do it.”
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Krystina Alarcon Carroll contributes features and columns for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.