Bill Gardner

What Are These Trophies???

Last year, 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!  This year, 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 Vega- for almost nine years.   Until my recent 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!

 

My long time buddy Joe Lascon and I met when we both worked for legendary Storz Top 40 radio station WHB 710 Kansas City, 56 years ago!  Joe said recently, "I didn't know you worked in Salt Lake City!"  Here's the "news..."     

   

I'm sure no one thought "Bill Gardner lifestyle" and "Salt Lake City lifestyle" were a good match, but we gave it a whirl. Salt Lake City is gorgeous.  A lot closer to the Rockies than the city of Denver.  We bought a house in a neighborhood called "the Benches" which overlook the whole valley from high above to the east of town.  Matter of fact, the federally owned land behind our house went straight to the mountain top, with no other houses on the way up. Snowbird and Alta ski resorts were just above us. I remember laying in bed Saturday mornings to the sound of small explosions???  I found out later, they were "avalanche cannons" being fired at the ski resorts above us, so that day's skiers would remain safe. 

 Yeah, there were tough liquor laws.  To have a beer or cocktail while dining out, you had to purchase a $35 membership to each individual restaurant!  I'm sure I wasn't the only one with many memberships.    Liquor and full strength beer was sold at state-owned stores.  3.2 beer was sold at mini marts, but never sold cold, intending that you didn't drink any on the way home. Fortunately, those laws have since been relaxed.  :-)  I remember making the move from San Francisco International to Salt Lake International  in our little Beech Bonanza with about a dozen cases of Corona beer in our cargo hold. Corona was my favorite back then, and not available in Utah in '85.  :-)   

  

    

Being the morning guy on a popular radio station had some great perks.  Among them, season lift ticket passes to all the world class Utah ski resorts.  The resorts hoped we get on the radio the next day talking about how great and fun the skiing was, and we did!   We skied at least once a week all winter.  And yeah, I used to look like that forty years ago.  :-)

 

"Vox Jox" in Billboard broke the news like you see above on May 3, 1986.  Sooner or later, those differences in lifestyle made other American cities more appealing, and we made the move to Oklahoma City and even a higher salary at KZBS-FM.  But Salt Lake City was a great experience! .     

Cool Pic of the Day....

Had a funny memory of our Utah Christmas tree purchase.  Mrs. Gardner and I picked out a beauty!  6'5" just like me...but just as wide at the bottom!  One thing we didn't think about?  How to drive it back home!  Mrs. Gardner sat in the back of our Jeep and held it, while I slowly navigated the roads with the hatch open.    

 

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 here we go again.  :-)

If this beautiful lady is going to help Santa deliver presents this year, she's going to have to find some warmer clothes for those deliveries up north in places like Chicago and Minneapolis!  In the meantime, thank you for heating up my website!