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!

 Above, we were front page news in both local weekly newspapers. The Falcon continued the story on the inside pages below.  Further down the page here, that's the front page of the White Mountain Independent.      

I had many people ask, "Will you do the morning show on either KRVZ-AM, or KQAZ-FM?"  No.  Actually, my hands and my time were full.  We had three full time on air employees.  And I had outstanding help from Mrs. Gardner, who actually learned to be a radio on-air person (above and beyond running the office), using her voice on ads for some advertisers like "Janie's Tropical Fish" store.  Cute that Janie actually preferred Mrs. G's voice over mine. :-)  I had a stack of business cards printed and began going door to door on Main Street and beyond saying, "Nice to meet you.  We just bought the local radio stations.  Not here to sell you anything, but if you ever need any help getting the word out, call me!"  I'd stop back every couple weeks and sooner or later many began advertising, if they weren't regulars already.  Proud to say when we took over, there was about $4000 worth of advertising on the books for the coming month.  By the time we left, a couple years later, our ad income was well over $20,000 a month.  My policy?  Under promise, over deliver.  And I made the radio stations SO local, even though we were Satellite Music Network live voices out of Dallas.  I'd write dozens of local sounding lines for each personality and they'd record them new every quarter.  We'd play 3 or 4 an hour.. Example:  "Hey, was that Mayor Silva's car that just drove past our KRVZ studios?" Or, "KQAZ-FM in Arizona's White Mountains, where beautiful Aspen trees outnumber people!"  The Dallas announcers would frequently complain, like "What IS this?"  But it made us SO local.

Maybe the biggest surprise to those family and friends who visited was Sunrise Ski Resort, twenty minutes away, operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe.  I remember our final season in 1991, Sunrise had a 200" base; Vail Colorado at the same time had 100."  In Arizona??  Yep!

John Wayne had many residences, I'm sure.  Newport Beach was one, but the 26 Bar Ranch outside Springerville was another!  They tell me he showed up at the XO Tavern Springerville so frequently that hardly anyone raised an eyebrow.  Just the way the Duke liked it.   

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.  :-)

You ready for America's 250th on July 4th?!  Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue!     .