Bill Gardner
Bill Gardner
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What Are These Trophies???
Not long ago, well-respected National Radio Consultant Mike McVay told me, "You have done it all. Bill Gardner understands radio more than most ever did.....or will." Thanks Mike! The amazingly humble HRHOF Inductee Mike McVay said "YOU are the one who should be in the National Radio Hall of Fame. Seriously!" Thanks again Mike.
Legendary radio programmer and former Exec VP NBC-FM Stations Walter Sabo just told me, "Mike Phillips said you were the best AC jock alive, and he was right!" Thanks Walter! (On the air as Walter Sterling, currently national talk show personality by the way).
Another of America's leading radio consultants and a national name you radio guys know, (not George Johns, by the way), humorously calls Bill Gardner "the best radio morning man in America NOT currently on the air!" We protect his confidence. Ask and I'll whisper his name to you.
During the halcyon days at KOOL-FM Phoenix with General Manager Clancy Woods and Program Director Tim Maranville, our many number one "25-54 adults and 12+ persons" rating "books" were rewarded with these personalized trophies, still proudly displayed here at our home. Bill Gardner's ability to "remain under the radar," (amazingly sometimes even to his own consultants and management), has allowed him to "sneak into a situation," and enjoy some of the most defense- free, dramatic turnarounds, and a 100% success record as morning personality and program executive!
An Exact Fit for Your Job Needs?
Bill Gardner has been an "immediate impact player" in Adult Contemporary, Country, Oldies, Classic Hits, and Rock & Roll radio. There's "easy-to-document" success* as a Drive Time On Air Personality, a VP/Programming or Program Director, even President/General Manager while owner-operator of an Arizona AM/FM combo, many times assuming both senior programming and morning drive on air roles simultaneously back when doing both was thought to be impossible :-) And this "easy-to-document success" doesn't happen some of the time...it happens every time!
(Search or ask for your copy of the Arizona Republic July 31, 1999, article where with virtually no other change in KOOL 94.5 mornings other than hiring Bill Gardner, the Spring 1999 ratings "book" their radio and TV columnist detailed Bill Gardner with "the biggest gain in Valley radio," almost immediately moving from 13th to 4th most popular morning show in Phoenix." Soon after to be #1 25-54!)
Bill Gardner On The Air!
You've found the site for airchecks, interview samples, resume, letters of recommendation and more for legendary radio morning guy Bill Gardner, for almost a decade through 2008 the top-rated morning personality of KOOL-FM Phoenix, as well as morning personality and program director for Los Angeles area's 92.7 Jill FM through summer 2010.
And a special thank you to the many KOOL 94.5 Phoenix listeners who've sought me out via search engines and sent emails to my email address below. Even after more than ten years, new emails continue to arrive in my inbox! Really! Your thoughts and loyalty are genuinely appreciated! It's nice to be missed, especially when I wasn't given a chance to say goodbye on air!
Bill Gardner IN The Air!
I enjoyed a wonderful forty-five-year radio career in some of America's biggest radio stations and greatest cities. (See the list by clicking "resume" at the top of the center column if you like). But when bottom-feeding corporations slashed radio salaries and replaced most of us with lower cost people or recorded or out of town recorded voices, I'm SO fortunate to also have that Airline Transport Pilot license and join a small airline here in Las Vegas for almost nine years. Until my retirement, my position was as an Airline Captain, with 4AM breakfast in progress pictured below. It was fun to be in a profession where gray hair and plenty of experience are actually appreciated! :-) But when I realized it wasn't as much fun anymore, I'm gone!
FUN Web Search?
Web site archive! Enter billgardnerontheradio.com, or koolradio.com at www.archive.org and see posts dating back to my decade doing mornings at KOOL 94.5 Phoenix! There's different stories and different radio stations each week. See some fun posts you may have missed!
RKO Radio had a staff of lawyers who'd drawn up contracts for all those Hollywood RKO Pictures movie stars of long ago, so they really knew how to write a WFYR-FM Chicago morning DJ contract. I'd never heard of "force majeure" before. But my contract pointed out that if and when force majeure happened, they could get out of paying me! :-) I looked it up and laughed when the definition I found said "a phrase used in legal contracts." Oh well.
Billboard Magazine printed a story back then of all the turmoil and change in Chicago morning radio, including WFYR-FM.. When they wrote about all the morning guys old and new, I was glad that I wasn't the one they referred to in the below article as "toilet mouth."
RKO Radio also had a terrific publicity department and wrote this bio sheet on their new WFYR-FM Chicago mornng guy Bill Gardner to hand out to advertisers. .
Found this WFYR-FM Chicago direct mail piece this week too. It's only one page of a four page fold out that resembled the old Prize Catalogs that we did at KVIL Dallas and KLLS San Antonio. This page mentioned the world class news and sports team I had on board each morning. Legendary Chicago voices like Lyle Dean, Red Mottlow, Kris Kridel. And other DJ's on staff including Bob Dearborn and Dick Bartley..
One more lap around the sun for me and I love hearing from long time friends and family. Thanks to Mrs. Gardner of course, beautiful daughter Crystal, son Will, brother-in-law Greg and HPD nephew Josh in Hawaii and sis in law Syl.. Yep, my brothers Andre and Al checked in, as well as Bob Glasco, Ed Scarborough, Al "Gary Mitchell" Vanik, the KOOL Prize Princess Kerrin, as well as my favorite morning show producer Glen "Cha$mo" Alan, Bruce "Jim Edwards" Buchanan, my fellow GCA/Eastern Airlines pilot and teammate Dick McClannahan, Ted Scott even listed me among his celebrity birthdays on his nationally published music blog! But maybe the biggest surprise and a special thank you goes to my former KOOL 94.5 teammate Dave Shannon who surprised us with a gift card to my favorite local Las Vegas spot, McMullan's Irish Pub! We made quick use of a healthy chunk of it immediately. I must have mentioned my favorite spot in one of our chats. Thanks Dave! :-)
Those Beautiful Girls Keep On Coming! .
"If you want people to visit your web site, you'd better have a picture of a beautiful girl!" One of my favorite quotes from my friend and radio consultant, the late George Johns. I had a fun and excellent 40+ year radio career with plenty of it following good advice from George, so no exception here.
Another vintage picture came up on Google Images when I clicked in this week. Got to be a California beach and I've had fun reviewing the photo to guess what thoose "97's" mean on their bikini bottoms? Needs lots more further review no doubt. . .