Larry Mendte
Encyclopedia
Larry Mendte is an American commentator and American
news anchor working at WPIX
in New York City
. 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. Until mid-2008, he was the lead anchor of the 6pm and 11pm 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). He left WCAU-TV (Channel 10), where he had anchored the 4, 6 and 11 pm newscasts.
, a suburb of Philadelphia, he attended St. Philomena Catholic 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 Hall of Fame. 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.
, as well as fill-in sports anchor. He anchored the news and was an investigative reporter at WBBM
in Chicago from 1991 to 1995. While at WBBM, Mendte's series of reports on school bus safety resulted in a new state law. Mendte won a record 27 Emmy Awards in Chicago and was twice named Best reporter by the Illinois Associated Press. He anchored the news at WCMH
in Columbus, Ohio
, WLYH
in Lebanon, Pennsylvania
(where he did the sportscast), WTAJ
in Altoona
and KIEM
in Eureka, California
.
Mendte was a weather personality at San Diego
's KFMB
and also did stand-up comedy
in comedy club
s. Mendte did a humor commentary feature called "How Come?" for the Paramount Studios syndicated program Hard Copy
. Mendte was the first male host of Access Hollywood
when the show debuted in 1996. He co-hosted Monday through Friday with Giselle Fernández
and also co-hosted the weekend edition with future weekday host Nancy O'Dell. Mendte started "Access Hollywood" on September 9, 1996 with the words "Hello everyone, I'm Larry Mendte and this is Access Hollywood."
(Channel 10)'s newscasts, including the 4pm, 6pm and 11pm programs, with the 4pm show being the first on at that time in the market. He also created and hosted the Sunday morning news talk program Live at Issue. During his time at WCAU the 11pm newscast outrated market leader WPVI (Channel 6) for the first time since the 1970s.
co-anchoring, and within a year the station would overtake WCAU at 11pm and 6pm for second place. Lane was later fired in December 2007 after being charged with a felony for assaulting a female police officer in New York (these charges were later dropped). Mendte then anchored solo for a short time before being teamed with Susan Barnett
, but Mendte was fired in June 2008 after an investigation revealed he had accessed Lane's email accounts.
Mendte has continued to fight the felony conviction on several grounds. In a court filing, Mendte claims that the U.S. Attorney promised a misdemeanor charge in return for his cooperation. Mendte and his attorney agreed to a proffer
wherein Mendte told investigators the entire story. The US Attorney informed him weeks later that they were going back on the deal and charging him with a felony. In his post-sentence motion, Mendte's lawyer claimed his client's civil rights had been violated. The filing accuses then U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan
of changing the deal so he could hold a news conference to launch his political career. The filing details a purported early morning phone call wherein Meehan "begs" Mendte's attorney for a guilty plea before Meehan leaves office so that Meehan could make a "policy statement". The case is now before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
.
's WPIX
in New York. The position was made available with the assistance of Bill Carey, a WPIX executive and friend of Mendte's. This segment is also seen on WPHL-TV
's 10pm newscast (which is produced by NBC's WCAU, a former employer of Mendte), WGN-TV
in Chicago and several other Tribune and Local TV
-owned stations across the country.
In June 2010, Mendte aired the first of several commentaries urging Congress to pass the 9/11 First Responders Health and Compensation Bill. Six months later when the bill was passed, Mendte was given several award from 9/11 First Responders organizations, including 2011 Humanitarian Award from the New York Fire Department's Colmbia Association.
on a peace mission to end the conflict in Libya. It was promoted that Weldon would meet with Muammar Gaddafi
and that Mendte may get an interview. But Gaddafi reportedly cancelled a face to face meeting after Weldon's Op-Ed piece in the New York Times ran on the same day as the scheduled meeting. But Weldon did return with direct communication between the Iraqi Prime Minister to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the promise that four detained journalists would be freed.
, 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 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 regarding a soldier from Delaware
, Stephen McGowan, who died in Iraq.
In 2006, Mendte was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. Mendte has over 80 Regional Emmy Award
s 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.
'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.
, 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
news anchor working at WPIX
WPIX
WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Mendte was the first male host of the American syndicated television show Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
. His nightly commentaries are aired on TV stations across the country. Until mid-2008, he was the lead anchor of the 6pm and 11pm newscasts for KYW-TV
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
(Channel 3), the CBS O&O in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. After nearly two decades in last place, Mendte led the station to compete with first place WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
(Channel 6). He left WCAU-TV (Channel 10), where he had anchored the 4, 6 and 11 pm newscasts.
Biography
Born and raised in Lansdowne, PennsylvaniaLansdowne, Pennsylvania
Lansdowne is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States located southwest of downtown Philadelphia. It was named for the Marquess of Lansdowne. The borough grew quickly in the early part of the twentieth century when a railroad stop was established near the intersection of...
, a suburb of Philadelphia, he attended St. Philomena Catholic School. During this time he began delivering the Philadelphia Bulletin
Philadelphia Bulletin
For the 2004 resurrection of the Bulletin, see The Bulletin .The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the...
. Mendte graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School
Monsignor Bonner High School
Monsignor Bonner High School is an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, United States. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Boys...
in nearby Drexel Hill
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
Drexel Hill is a census-designated place in Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel Hill is located southwest of Center City, Philadelphia and is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area...
. In 2003, Mendte was inducted into the high school's Hall of Fame. 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.
Career
From 1984 to 1988 he was a weekend anchor on WABCWABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
, as well as fill-in sports anchor. He anchored the news and was an investigative reporter at WBBM
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
in Chicago from 1991 to 1995. While at WBBM, Mendte's series of reports on school bus safety resulted in a new state law. Mendte won a record 27 Emmy Awards in Chicago and was twice named Best reporter by the Illinois Associated Press. He anchored the news at WCMH
WCMH-TV
WCMH-TV, channel 4, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, affiliated with the NBC television network and owned by Media General. The station's studios and transmitter are located in Columbus. NBC-4 broadcasts from its studio and office complex near the Ohio State University on Olentangy River...
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, WLYH
WLYH-TV
WLYH-TV is the CW-affiliated television station for South Central Pennsylvania licensed to Lancaster. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 23 from a transmitter on Butler Road in South Londonderry Township's Timber Hills section. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
in Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, formerly known as Steitztown, is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,477 at the 2010 census, a 4.2% increase from the 2000 count of 24,461...
(where he did the sportscast), WTAJ
WTAJ-TV
WTAJ-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania that is licensed to Altoona, Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32. It is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group...
in Altoona
Altoona
Altoona, a variant of "Altona", is the name of several municipalities in the United States of America:*Altoona, Alabama*Altoona, Florida*Altoona, Iowa*Altoona, Kansas*Altoona, Pennsylvania*Altoona, Washington*Altoona, Wisconsin...
and KIEM
KIEM-TV
KIEM-TV is a broadcast television station in Eureka, California. It is an NBC affiliate which broadcasts on digital channel 3. KIEM is licensed to and located in downtown Eureka on South Broadway.-History:...
in Eureka, California
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
.
Mendte was a weather personality at San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
's KFMB
KFMB-TV
KFMB-TV is the local CBS television affiliate in San Diego, California. Its studios are located on Engineer Road in the Kearny Mesa area of San Diego along with its sister radio stations, AM 760 and FM 100.7...
and also did stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
in comedy club
Comedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
s. Mendte did a humor commentary feature called "How Come?" for the Paramount Studios syndicated program Hard Copy
Hard Copy
Hard Copy is an American tabloid news television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. Hard Copy was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence....
. Mendte was the first male host of Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
when the show debuted in 1996. He co-hosted Monday through Friday with Giselle Fernández
Giselle Fernández
-External links:...
and also co-hosted the weekend edition with future weekday host Nancy O'Dell. Mendte started "Access Hollywood" on September 9, 1996 with the words "Hello everyone, I'm Larry Mendte and this is Access Hollywood."
Returning home
Mendte left Access Hollywood in 1997 to return to Philadelphia and become the main anchor of WCAUWCAU
WCAU, channel 10, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WCAU has its studios on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in the...
(Channel 10)'s newscasts, including the 4pm, 6pm and 11pm programs, with the 4pm show being the first on at that time in the market. He also created and hosted the Sunday morning news talk program Live at Issue. During his time at WCAU the 11pm newscast outrated market leader WPVI (Channel 6) for the first time since the 1970s.
Anchoring at KYW
Mendte joined KYW in 2003 after being wooed from WCAU. KYW launched a massive "Make the Switch" promotional campaign when Mendte arrived. The idea for the campaign was Mendte's. He also helped reformat the newscast and introduced the "walking anchor" to KYW that he was famous for at WCAU. KYW's ratings immediately jumped with Mendte in the main seat and fellow station newcomer Alycia LaneAlycia Lane
Alycia Lane is an American television journalist. She serves as weekday morning anchor at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. Until January 2008, she was co-anchor of the weekday evening newscasts on KYW-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
co-anchoring, and within a year the station would overtake WCAU at 11pm and 6pm for second place. Lane was later fired in December 2007 after being charged with a felony for assaulting a female police officer in New York (these charges were later dropped). Mendte then anchored solo for a short time before being teamed with Susan Barnett
Susan Barnett
Susan Barnett is anchor at KYW-TV for the 5, 6, and 11 P.M. newscasts and is a former beauty queen from Levittown, Pennsylvania who competed at Miss Teen USA 1990 and Miss USA 1996.-Pageantry:...
, but Mendte was fired in June 2008 after an investigation revealed he had accessed Lane's email accounts.
Guilty plea
On August 22, 2008, Mendte pled guilty to the charge of intentionally accessing his co-anchor's email account without authorization. Mendte was accused of viewing Alycia Lane's e-mails from January 2008 to May 2008. Mendte read a statement and acknowledged having had an "improper relationship" with Lane. He said that he ended the relationship and it "quickly turned into a personal feud" and that Lane was attempting to get him fired. The Philadelphia press was in a tabloid feeding frenzy over the Mendte case, and on November 24, 2008, Mendte received a sentence of 3 years probation (later reduced), including 6 months home confinement and 150 hours of community service. After Mendte's work in getting the 9/11 First Responders Health and Compensation Bill through Congress, Federal Judge Mary McLaughlin ended Mendte's probation and all other sentencing requirements.Mendte has continued to fight the felony conviction on several grounds. In a court filing, Mendte claims that the U.S. Attorney promised a misdemeanor charge in return for his cooperation. Mendte and his attorney agreed to a proffer
Proffer
The word proffer is derived from Anglo-French "por-", forth, and offrir, to offer. The act of proffering involves making an offer prior to any formal negotiations....
wherein Mendte told investigators the entire story. The US Attorney informed him weeks later that they were going back on the deal and charging him with a felony. In his post-sentence motion, Mendte's lawyer claimed his client's civil rights had been violated. The filing accuses then U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan
Pat Meehan
Patrick Leo "Pat" Meehan is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing since January 3, 2011. The district includes most of Delaware County and parts of Chester and Montgomery Counties...
of changing the deal so he could hold a news conference to launch his political career. The filing details a purported early morning phone call wherein Meehan "begs" Mendte's attorney for a guilty plea before Meehan leaves office so that Meehan could make a "policy statement". The case is now before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
.
Commentary for Tribune
In February 2010 Mendte returned to television with a nightly commentary on current events, originating from Tribune BroadcastingTribune Broadcasting
The Tribune Broadcasting Company is a group of radio and television stations located throughout the United States which are owned and operated by the Tribune Company, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois and named for the flagship Chicago Tribune newspaper.- History :Tribune Broadcasting...
's WPIX
WPIX
WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
in New York. The position was made available with the assistance of Bill Carey, a WPIX executive and friend of Mendte's. This segment is also seen on WPHL-TV
WPHL-TV
WPHL-TV, channel 17, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by the Tribune Company and currently affiliated with the News Corporation-owned MyNetworkTV television network. This makes it the largest non-O&O station of the network...
's 10pm newscast (which is produced by NBC's WCAU, a former employer of Mendte), WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
in Chicago and several other Tribune and Local TV
Local TV
Local TV LLC is a limited liability corporation, owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners , which operates 18 local network-affiliated television stations in the United States.-History:...
-owned stations across the country.
In June 2010, Mendte aired the first of several commentaries urging Congress to pass the 9/11 First Responders Health and Compensation Bill. Six months later when the bill was passed, Mendte was given several award from 9/11 First Responders organizations, including 2011 Humanitarian Award from the New York Fire Department's Colmbia Association.
Trip To Libya
In April of 2011 Mendte was the only journalist to travel with former Congressman Curt WeldonCurt Weldon
Wayne Curtis "Curt" Weldon is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2007, representing the 7th district of Pennsylvania. He was defeated in November 2006 for reelection by Joe Sestak. Weldon was vice-chair of the Armed...
on a peace mission to end the conflict in Libya. It was promoted that Weldon would meet with Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
and that Mendte may get an interview. But Gaddafi reportedly cancelled a face to face meeting after Weldon's Op-Ed piece in the New York Times ran on the same day as the scheduled meeting. But Weldon did return with direct communication between the Iraqi Prime Minister to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the promise that four detained journalists would be freed.
Honors
Mendte received acclaim for a series of reports he did on the Eternal FlameEternal flame
An eternal flame is a flame or torch that burns day and night for an indefinite period. The flame that burned constantly at Delphi was an archaic feature, "alien to the ordinary Greek temple"....
, a tribute to American veterans, in Philadelphia's historic Washington Square
Washington Square (Philadelphia)
Washington Square, originally designated in 1682 as Southeast Square, is an open-space park in Center City Philadelphia's Southeast quadrant and one of the five original planned squares laid out on the city grid by William Penn's surveyor, Thomas Holme. It is part of both the Washington Square West...
. Mendte highlighted the flame's failing infrastructure, forcing the city to take action to repair the natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
line which provided the flame's fuel and relight it. His efforts were read into the Congressional record. by U.S. Senator Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
(R-PA). Mendte was 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 regarding a soldier from Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Stephen McGowan, who died in Iraq.
In 2006, Mendte was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. Mendte has over 80 Regional Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s 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
Philadelphia Daily News
The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
75th anniversary.
Family
Mendte is married to Dawn Stensland, the former 10pm news co-anchor at FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's WTXF
WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV, virtual channel 29 , is an owned-and-operated station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
(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
WKYC-TV
WKYC, virtual channel 3 , is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by the Gannett Company. Its studio is located on the shores of Lake Erie, while its transmitter is located in Parma, Ohio....
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. 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.
Filmography
Mendte appeared in three movies in cameo roles: Primary Colors, Shadow of DoubtShadow of Doubt
Shadow of Doubt is a 1998 American independent mystery-thriller film directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Melanie Griffith, Tom Berenger, Craig Sheffer, and Huey Lewis.-Plot:...
, and Snipes. He wrote and directed four short documentaries. Ben Franklin: Stealing Lightning from the Sky aired across the country on Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
'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.