Joyce Lamont

Joyce Lamont was a true pioneer in radio broadcasting as the first woman on the air at WCCO radio in Minneapolis.

She was born in North Dakota, the daughter of a doctor. Her family moved to Duluth when she was a teenager, and she graduated from Denfeld in 1934.

She went on to attend Duluth Junior College and then moved to Minneapolis, where she received a degree in English and journalism from the University of Minnesota.

She began her radio career as a script and ad writer for WCCO in 1950, but one day she was asked to read a couple of lines for a promotion and her voice was perfect for radio. Out of 25 regular on-air personalities in the 1960s she was the only female. At first she was a not allowed to give her name, but her popularity grew and that led to her getting a regular show called the Morning Program and later Dayton’s Musical Chimes.

She was billed as the “Good Neighbor to the Northwest.” Her show consisted of news, music, recipes, community events and travel notes. She became such a beloved personality that requests for the recipes, which were sent out in packets, reached as high as 10,000 per month. She was heard by millions of listeners throughout the Midwest and became a role model for women in the industry.

Lamont stayed at WCCO until 1989 and then moved to KLBB Minneapolis/St. Paul. In 2008 she published a book: Joyce Lamont’s Favorite Minnesota Recipes and Radio Memories. From thousands of recipes, 300 were selected, which she described as “nourishing recipes that can be made quickly and easily.” The book also contained personal anecdotes and stories from her experiences on radio.

She was a charter inductee into the Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2001.

Hall of Fame Members