Denny Bedard Marks 50 Years in Montana Broadcasting

Meet the Griz is a series that tells the stories of Montana Grizzlies athletes, coaches, and contributors. Here are some past "Meet the Griz" features:

Meet the Griz: Longtime Griz & KYSS FM Voice Denny Bedard

My good friend and Grizzly Pregame & Postgame co-host Denny Bedard celebrates 50 years in broadcasting this year. 50 years of doing the "same" thing is impossible to me, but the legend Denny Bedard pulled it off with excellence. Did Denny ever think about leaving the broadcasting business?

"I never did," Bedard said on The Daily Drive with Ace Sauerwein. "I guess I never did because there was never a lengthy period of time, a few short periods of time here or there, where you kind of felt like it wasn't going anywhere."

Bedard has been in broadcasting, in some form, for 50 years. Currently, he's an on-air host on 94.9 KYSS FM, co-host of the Grizzly Football pre/postgame shows, the Grizzly Coaches Show, public address announcer for the Lady Griz, and an advertising executive at Townsquare Media.

He's done it all with a dose of gratitude.

"It isn't a 'we have to do a job,' it's a 'we get to do this job,'" said Bedard. "Some of the opportunities that we are presented and places we get to go, things we get to do, celebrities we get to meet, stuff like that. It's always been a 'I get to do this' kind of job."

Left to right: Me, Riley Corcoran, and the great Denny Bedard. Credit: Ace Sauerwein

How did Bedard get into the wild world of broadcasting?

"I was still in college, pledged to a fraternity, and one of my roommates when I moved into the frat house, Randy Morger, he's from Fort Benton, Montana, and just an incredibly great guy. He was in radio broadcasting."

"So if he was working a Saturday night or a Sunday afternoon, if I didn't have anything going on, I'd come down to the radio station and hang out with him. That's how I learned the physical part of the job, i.e., operating the console."

Listen to our full conversation below.

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Denny Bedard's 50th anniversary celebration

Come out to Adams Center on Thursday, April 23, to celebrate Denny's 50 years in broadcasting. A portion of the ticket proceeds will go to Soroptimist of Missoula and the Grizzly Scholarship Association.

Get your tickets here.

We can't wait to celebrate you, Denny! You deserve the night.