2000 Inductee
For 36 years, Larry Hatteberg has brought a special kind of television to Kansas. His constant search for ordinary people, whose stories illuminate larger issues, put him in a position to develop a personal relationship with Kansas viewers. Throughout the nation, he is known as a video storyteller who can “touch” people with his television journalism. His “Hatteberg’s People” series is the longest running television feature in Kansas. His recently published book “Larry Hatteberg’s Kansas People”, based on the television series, is a best-seller. It profiles 75 Kansans who make the state a unique place to live. His second book, a sequel called “More Larry Hatteberg’s Kansas People” profiles 85 additional Kansas people and was published in 1994. Larry’s television career began at KAKE in 1963 when he started as a part-time film lab technician. He’s been a photographer, chief photographer, assistant news director, executive news director and is now Managing Editor of KAKE News and prime-time co-anchor of KAKE News at Five. He is also the co-host of the local segments of the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Telethon. There are few major awards Larry hasn’t won. Twice he was named National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Television News Cameraman of the Year. He is one of only a select few to have received the award twice. He has also received three additional awards from the NPPA. In addition, Larry has received over 85 local, state and national awards for television news photography, reporting and for helping to set broadcast journalism standards. He was also a national semi-finalist for NASA’s Journalist in Space program. A native of Kansas, Larry’s interest in photography began in high school where he was photo-editor of the school newspaper and yearbook. He went on to attend Kansas State Teachers College and Wichita State University. He and his wife live in Wichita.