| Bruce DuMont | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bruce DuMont |
| Born | June 18, 1944 New London, Connecticut |
| Show | Beyond the Beltway Inside Politics |
Bruce DuMont (born June 18, 1944, New London, Connecticut) is an American political analyst and broadcaster based in Chicago, Illinois.[1] He is the host of Beyond the Beltway talk radio, a show that airs on over 30 stations around the United States. The program which began in 1980 (as Inside Politics) also airs on Chicago's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television station, WYCC.[2] From 1987 to 2006 he was the host of Illinois Lawmakers, a television show covering legislative news that originated from the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois when the Illinois General Assembly is in session. Beyond the Beltway celebrated 30 years on the air in June 2010.[3] In October 2010, DuMont recycled Inside Politics; bringing back the original format and using the title now to refer to the television version of Beyond the Beltway.[4]
DuMont got his start in broadcasting as a radio show producer for WGN Radio in 1968. He interrupted his broadcasting career with an unsuccessful run for the Illinois state legislature, returning to WGN as a producer, but this time for Howard Miller, who was a controversial local radio personality.[3][5][6] DuMont had his first on-air position with WLTD Radio in Evanston, Illinois, which was a 1,000 watt AM station at the time. It was here where he became nationally known for his investigative reporting.[3]
DuMont returned to producing, but now in television. Working on a documentary about teenage suicides for WBBM-TV earned him an Iris Award from the National Association of Television Programming. Another documentary, this one about censorship in public libraries, earned him the Golden Gavel Award from the American Bar Association.[3] He then went to work as a producer for the local PBS television station, WTTW. His on-camera work began here as the anchor for the Republican and Democratic party conventions in 1984.[3]
DuMont is the founder and president of the Museum of Broadcast Communications, which he began in 1982. The museum opened in 1987.[7][8] The State of Illinois recently appropriated $6-million to complete construction of the new museum facility in downtown Chicago. The 62,000-square-foot (5,800 m2) building will be a LEED Gold building, meeting rigid environmental standards.[9] On June 14, 2010, Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn announced a State of Illinois grant of $6 million to make the new museum possible. In 2009, the museum's Board of Directors voted to sell the partly completed building because $8 million promised by the state was never received.[2][10] The MBC also operates www.museum.tv—a popular media website, offering over 8,000 online digital assets.[2]
DuMont is the nephew of Allen B. DuMont, founder of the DuMont Television Network – the first commercial television network.[11]