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Michael Benner
Born	1947 Lansing, Michigan
Education	B.A. in Radio and TV Management and Journalism, 1970
Alma mater	Michigan State University
Occupation(s)	Author, broadcast journalist, hypno-therapist, meditation instructor
Spouse	Doreen Key
Call sign	Amatuer radio - N6IJR
Website	MichaelBenner.com

Michael Benner (born November 29,1947) is an American radio personality, personal development trainer, mystic, author and podcaster. He is best known for this popular talk radio programs in Los Angeles on KABC-AM, KLOS-FM, KCBS-FM, KWST-FM, KLSX-FM, KRLA-AM and KPFK-FM from 1976 to 2007. Previously, he pioneered Human Potential Talk Radio at WRIF-FM and WWWW-FM in Detroit from 1971 through 1975. He is a graduate of Michigan State University (BA 1970) with a degree in Radio-TV Management and Journalism.

Michael left radio as a full-time profession in 1987 to launch his Personal Development Strategies business, which provides counseling and training in self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking to individuals, couples and business executives. He is the author of Fearless Intelligence — The Extraordinary Wisdom of Awareness.

Early Life

Michael's parents had both graduated from Michigan State University and moved to the small beachfront town of St. Joseph on the shores of Lake Michigan when Michael was just 18-months old. As a boy, he mowed neighbors' lawns, delivered the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times newspapers, and by the age of 14, was employed at the local Schneck's Super Market as a bag boy. In 1966 he graduated from St. Joseph Public High School and began attending Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Early Career

During his Junior year at MSU, Michael was hired as a radio newsman and beat reporter at WILS AM & FM in Lansing. After graduating, he moved to Detroit in 1971 to work for Bartell Media at WDRQ-FM, the city's first all news-talk FM station. Six months later, he left to become News Director at ABC owned and operated WRIF-FM in the Detroit suburb of Southfield.

Twelve months later, Michael was fired for refusing directives to refer to the North Vietnamese as "the enemy" in his news broadcasts. The labor union American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) successfully sued ABC Inc, and Michael was offered the option of returning as News Director or accepting a cash award. Already employed across town by the popular classic rock station, WWWW-FM, Michael took the cash.

Adult Career

At the age of 27 (August 1975), Michael moved to Los Angeles seeking warmer weather and the opportunities offered by the media capital of the world. He began hosting a Sunday morning talk show on KNAC-FM in Long Beach, but within months was hired by KWST-FM on the Sunset Strip. In 1977, he moved to KLOS-FM, an ABC owned and operated radio station in Los Angeles, and soon was also hosting news and talk programs on the AM side of the facility, KABC-AM.

During the 10-years he hosted talk radio programs on KLOS-FM and KABC-AM, Michael developed his reputation for offering profound yet practical insights into personal development topics. His Impact and Open Conversation telephone talk shows were ostensibly about current events, but Michael took his callers beyond what they thought to their deeper beliefs and motives. He often described it as "a talk show about why you think, feel and act the way you do."

In 1981, Michael began to teach broadcast journalism at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California but resigned after one year to focus on personal development seminars at Live and Learn, a non-profit educational foundation in Sherman Oaks founded by accelerated learning pioneer, Steven Snyder. Michael and Steve became close friends and business partners and offered countless classes and workshops at the Los Angeles and Long Beach Convention Centers and other local venues as they outgrew the Live and Learn storefront. For several years, Michael also spoke twice a month at the Philosophical Research Society operated by the celebrated mystic Manly P. Hall.

In 1987, Michael made radio broadcasting a part-time vocation to devote himself to individuals and couples requesting personal guidance and support. Using hybrid hypnotherapy, guided imagery, and meditation techniques, he provided short-term alternatives to tradition psychotherapy with an emphasis on mindful self-awareness and emotional intelligence. In 2005, he began teaching a 160-classroom hour training called Meditative Hypnosis for life coaches, psychotherapists and social workers seeking stress management and accelerated learning tools. Michael also worked as a sports psychology consultant for the USC Women's Tennis Team and Burbank Burroughs High School Baseball team.

In 2013, the Orange County California Sheriff's Academy, with support from the Rancho Santiago Community College District, asked Michael to develop a self-awareness training for deputies and staff. The result was a breakthrough program called Internal Vigilance. Desiring to expand his program with insight and information beyond the immediate needs of a sheriff's academy, Michael wrote his book Fearless Intelligence — The Extraordinary Wisdom of Awareness.

Michael provides a free audio podcast stream through iTunes (Apple podcasts), which is also available on Google Play and most other podcast sites and player apps. He lives in La Quinta, California with his wife, Doreen Key, and their two cats, Max and Elsa.