Bill Gardner 

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!

 

My folks had gifted me with a 5 transister radio for Christmas 1957 at age 12.  It was almost ALWAYS with me, even under the covers at night, and tuned to Philadelphia's WIBG Radio 99!. I knew every song and every DJ.  When I heard them say there was something NEW....they were going to distribute all over Philly a Top 99 music survey each week.  And it was free!  I knew it was worth the walk down to my local record store to pick one up!

   

Pretty sure this is the last remaining copy of the WIBG Radio 99 Top 99 Records of the Week "Survey No. 1!"  That's why it's just an excerpt posted here.  If I post the whole survey, it wont be the only copy for long, right?.  There's actually radio survey collectors out there and I've seen other Top 99's, even on EBay.  But never Survey Number ONE.  And I guess I made the walk a month and a half later for this.  Below....a partial slice of  "Survey No. 6.".  Can you see all the great classic tunes?    Check out #29, "The Blob," actually written by Burt Bacharach!   

  

    

Below, you'll see pictures of all the WIBG DJ's, that were included at the bottom of each WIBG Top 99, including some real Philly radio legends. Even Tom Donahue, who'd make his biggest radio fame a few years later in San Francisco when he and WIBG DJ Bob Mitchell pioneered album radio at KSAN-FM as well as Autumn Records with young producer Sylvester "Sly" Stone helping the Beau Brummels sound even better. 

Always makes me laugh when I think about when I've finally gone to "the big radio station in the sky" and someone is going through my stuff.  They'll probably say, "What's THIS crap?" right before these end up tossed into the circular file.  :-)  

 

WIBG published those numbered weekly music surveys for about a decade, well until the 60's.  The radio station itself continued until the late 1970's when radio's music listeners had migrated mostly to the FM band.  The Billboard Magazine article above noted its changeover from WIBG Radio 99 to "Wizard 100," WZZD-AM. They got my move to St. Louis correct in the Billboard story, but not sure where they came up with me "doing the weather on KSD-TV!" :-)    

Cool Pic of the Day....

I'm still starting every morning at 4AM with three and a half miles around our gated community here in Las Vegas, and then some exercises after that when I get home at sunrise.  It's funny to me that I do so much more exercise now than I ever did in younger days.  Wish I could say I look forward to it, or even like it, but I go since my primary physician says it's good for health and weight management.  So far he's right.  This morning I set a new record for the oldest I've ever been. Tried bringing music along to break the monotony.  That didn't work.  So I think about each house I see as I walk by.  I think of old friends or even famous folks who've lived there.   I walk past homes of Elvis's former manager Colonel Parker;  Andre Agassi around my neighbor's house; Steve Gold, who owned the first radio station I worked for here in Las Vegas. Even a couple homes here with a brother and sister-in-law.  Have to admit I sometimes hear "The Thrill Is Gone" playing in my head when I walk by the home pictured above, once the residence of Riley "B.B." King!     

 

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.  :-)

She deserves to have her name posted, but I honestly don't know it.  But come to think of it, her look is just about all that needs be said, correct?   :-)   .