Twin Cities Radio: WCCO's Denny Long Hanging Up Headphones

WCCO's Denny Long

Denny Long, a WCCO Radio mainstay for 55 years, will sign off for the final time this weekend on his Saturday morning show.

Only the late Sid Hartman, with 65 years, had a longer career at the legendary Twin Cities station. Long is stepping away earlier than planned due to a medical diagnosis.

The longtime broadcaster, known for his professionalism, integrity, and versatility, shared his reflections Thursday morning with Vineeta Sawkar on WCCO Morning News.

"It's a little bit overwhelming," Long said of the outpouring of listener response. "I'm getting response from listeners that I never knew were out there. It is so gratifying and so surprising... It's just too overwhelming."

Long had hoped to reach his 55-year anniversary in August but moved up his retirement because of health concerns.

"You know what they say, life happens when you're making other plans," he told Sawkar. "It's unfortunate, but I think, with a little bit of good luck and good medical treatment, we're going to be OK."

Though he initially considered law enforcement, he caught the radio bug volunteering at the university station. He graduated from Brown Institute’s broadcast training program in 1964 and landed his first job in Webster City, Iowa, before moving closer to home in Owatonna, Minnesota.

He enlisted in the Army National Guard to fulfill his service obligation while continuing his career. In 1967, he joined KRSI in St. Louis Park as a DJ and worked there until 1971.Long was hired at WCCO Radio in the early 1970s during a time when the AM station was full-service — offering news, talk, sports, and music. He served as music director for both AM and FM before focusing on the AM side as the stations split formats. 

As music gradually disappeared from WCCO-AM in the 1990s, Long helped pioneer weekend “help radio” programming on topics like gardening, health, real estate, and car repair — shows that continue today. Over his career, he delivered newscasts, voiced countless commercials, and hosted numerous talk shows. In recent years, he had scaled back to just the Saturday morning program.

Long recalled his early days at WCCO, when the station employed more than 100 people and hosted a constant stream of stars, authors, and media personalities."It still amazes me," he said. "We had a receptionist 24/7 back then. 24/7!"

As he prepares for his final broadcast, Long said he hasn't decided exactly how he will sign off."But we're going to try, and we're going to still have a great time," he said. "55 years is just — how can you fit that into a few minutes or three or four hours?"