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!

 

Probably the toughest and strangest job for me...ever.  KFM in Las Vegas had decided to get someone for about half my price after two years, so I was an airline pilot for Scenic Airlines Las Vegas.  Legendary broadaster George Francis had flown us in a year or two earlier and offered a job at his new WMYI-FM Greenville SC, but we couldn't make it happen.  Now, he called and said "We need a morning show here now at WESC-FM.Greenville SC."  But this situation was anything but cheery and easy.     

   

It's a blurry copy, so if you can't read it, that headline in the lower left says, ""WESC's Hooper Giving Up FM Morning Slot."  What he swears was an innocent invitation to two twelve year old little ladies to join him in the back of the station van in front of over 40,000 fans in the infield at a NASCAR race in Pickens SC, ended up later with criminal charges and massive bad publicily for WESC-FM!  Ratings had gone from first to worst and they needed a morning man. Everyone in town now HATED WESC-FM.  Who'd be crazy enough to accept THAT job???  Hmmmm.. 

As an airline pilot, I could fly in free on Delta from Las Vegas to discuss it with George Francis.  I threw out a starting salary literaly ten times what I was earning at Scenic Airlines.  George said "Sorry, I can't make that happen."  As I got ready to fly back home the next morning, I saw the local news paper headline, "Hooper Indicted."  Later that day back in Las Vegas, George called and said "We changed our minds.  You got it.  How soon can you get here?"

  

    

 Here's the rest of the WESC-FM on air crew.  No other changes were made.  And things went very well.  We enjoyed living and flying out of Greer, South Carolina, and the morning show went so well that I was voted "Best of the Upstate" by the readers of the local Greenville News!    

 

We had a few hundred of these made up and I'd pass them out at my local appearances, or when I'd go to elementary schools to record the kids doing "The Pledge Of Allegiance," which I'd later play back on the air.  I'm sure most of these buttons have found there way to landfills all over South Carolina's Upstate.  :-) 

I had a good friend working for IHeart Radio (Clear Channel back then), and he said "You're going to hear a big crash one day.  The day company prez Lowry Mays finds out how much you're making, it's his chair falling over backwards!" :-)  He was right.  Four years later and by then back to number one in the ratings. my contract was not renewed.  

Cool Pic of the Day....

That same good guy, George Francis, first to send me this picture.  Go about 175 miles south of Greenville, and south of Atlanta on Interstate 75 and there it is.  Right near "Chigger Hill Airport."  Really! I'm not kidding.  But it's my favorite road sign for exit 212.  It really exists!  

 

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.  :-)

Another ad from the margins of my browsing, impossible to ignore.  :-)  But at least it IS bathing suit season!  I guess I didn't notice their ads for winter clothing as much.  :-)    .