Bill Carlson (November 26, 1934 – February 29, 2008), born William Meyer Carlson, was an American journalist and longtime television anchor at WCCO in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Carlson was born in

Thief River Falls Thief River Falls, sometimes referred to as Thief River or abbreviated as TRF, is a city in Pennington County in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 8,749 at the 2020 census. Thief River Falls is the county ...

, Minnesota and grew up in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

. Carlson died of prostate cancer at the age of 73 on February 29, 2008.

Career

He began his career with WCCO Television in 1951, while still in high school, working as a page. After completing military service, he returned to the station in 1959, working in front of the camera in a variety of capacities. Carlson's extraordinary good looks, winning personality and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

n manner made him popular with viewers. In the 1960s, he began reviewing films, and was widely respected among colleagues and people in the movie industry alike. Carlson married fellow WCCO personality and former Miss Minnesota USA Nancy Nelson in 1970. Carlson has one daughter, Susan, born in 1965. Carlson was best known as the anchor of the weekday noon news on WCCO, a post he held for over four decades. Despite competent and professional execution of his duties, he was removed from the position briefly in 2003 due to his age. A protest campaign spearheaded by his wife and overwhelming viewer response resulted in his return a few months later. Carlson was a fixture at the

Minnesota State Fair The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Also known by its slogan, "The Great Minnesota Get-Together", it is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and the second-largest state fa ...

, having attended over 60 consecutive fairs during his lifetime. He was also known for his compassion and work with animals, including the Humane Society of Minnesota and the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

's Raptor Center, where for years he served on the Board of Directors

Personal life

Susan- daughter and only child, Sarah- oldest granddaughter, Megan- youngest granddaughter

References

1934 births 2008 deaths American television news anchors Deaths from prostate cancer Deaths from cancer in Minnesota People from Thief River Falls, Minnesota American male journalists {{US-journalist-1930s-stub