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| Ed De La Hunt (1937-2025) |
Ed De La Hunt, the legendary Minnesota radio broadcaster, engineer, and founder of De La Hunt Broadcasting, died peacefully over the weekend, at his home in Park Rapids, surrounded by family, following a long battle with myasthenia gravis, the neuromuscular disease he was diagnosed with in 2012.
De La Hunt, 94, co-founded De La Hunt Broadcasting with his wife Carol in 1962, starting with KPRM-AM in Park Rapids after securing FCC approval. The couple built it into a seven-station network serving northern and central Minnesota, including KDKK-FM, KPRM-FM, and others in markets like Bemidji and Walker.
Known for hands-on engineering—mentored by the late Bart Setchell and trained at Brown Institute—Ed served as chief engineer at WMIN Radio early in his career, later handling announcing, sales, station construction, and even a tower consulting firm.
"He was the voice of northern Minnesota," said son Butch De La Hunt, who with wife Tammy acquired the company in October 2021, ensuring family continuity. The stations celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2022, with Ed quipping the secret to longevity was "peanut butter and skim milk," while crediting Carol for financial savvy and operational grit.
In 2006, Ed and Carol were inducted into the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame for their dedication to quality radio and community service. Tributes poured in from the industry, with the Minnesota Broadcasters Association calling him "a builder of waves and legacies."