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!

Heard from my old pal "Shotgun Tom" Kelly this week!  Reminded me of 1973 when we worked together and became longtime friends over fifty years ago.  I remember the days of turning into the parking lot off Mission Gorge Road at the radio station that changed my life! Here's a look out the front door.of KCBQ San Diego.     

   

Legendary KCBQ San Diego Program Director Jack McCoy heard my afternoon drive time radio show on KING Seattle I'd sent and said, "You're a morning guy," and I almost always was from that moment on in my 40+ year radio career.  I hopped in my car and drove the 1200 miles down Interstate 5 from Seattle as fast as I could and began doing the morning show on KCBQ!

Back to "Shotgun Tom" reaching out.  If you'd have told me in 1973 that he'd get to hang out with a Catholic Cardinal from probably the biggest Catholic Cathedral, St. Patrick's on New York's 5th Avenue, I'd probably bet every dollar I had and tell you, "That will NEVER happen!"  But it turns out Cardinal Timothy Dolan from St. Patrick's is an oldies fan and listens to "Shotgun Tom" on Sirius XM's "60's channel!"  Tom got to dine, hang out, be interviewed on the Cardinal's TV and radio show, and even spend the night.  Good pals quickly?  Looks like they even had fun swapping hats!

    

And KCBQ San Diego?  If you weren't in radio then, you probably don't know KCBQ was one of, if not THE most respected Top 40 radio station in America!  Wouldn't blame you for not knowing.  These days, the former dominant #1 radio station on the AM dial doesn't even make the top 25 in the San Diego radio ratings!  Here's the KCBQ studio as it looked in those glory days.  I took this pic one morning while playing a long song! 

 

As the morning guy, KCBQ put my name on the sides of city busses, on five gallon Arrowhead water jugs, and it was a genuine honor to top this list of on-air guys shown on the KCBQ Top 30 weekly music list.

Too much to say all at once here.  Next Friday, The Monumental KCBQ   

Cool Pic of the Day....

Been awhile, so "Shots" and I spent quite awhile on the phone catching up, and he generously told me he'd send a copy of his book, shown above as it appears at Amazon!  Loved and remembered many of the stories, and learned about some new ones.  Yeah, I even got a sentence or two mention.  :-)  It was a fun easy and enjoyable read, and I polished it off in an afternoon.  A cool unique touch are many QR codes on the book's pages that take you to supporting video clips with video on the stories being told.  Still one of my favorite moments that wasn't in his book, I asked Tom long ago in the Q break room, "You never worked back east did you?"  He said, "Hell yeah!  I was on the air at KRIZ in Phoenix!"

 

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.  :-)

Recognize her?  On a recent :"Tonight Show" appearance, beautiful and ageless Kate Beckinsale shows how to look half your age at 51 years old.  It's said she has an IQ of 152, and true or not, it is true that Kate attended Oxford University in England, and speaks several languages.