Today Radio Lost One Of The Good Guys...Bill Burkett

[tk]

Sad news guys. Radio just lost a great friend tonight (12/8). Bill was certainly mine for about 25 years. He never knew a stranger and truly was one of the good guys in radio. He was also my mentor and boss for a time. Bill we luv ya...you will be greatly missed my friend.

Please pass the word along because the family mentioned that some of his friends may still not have known about his condition. Not surprisingly, Bill didn't want much fuss made over him...true to his character throughout his life.

No word yet on any services or plans locally...but I will pass it along what I find out.

 

[jwk1979]

I don't mean to sound callous, but who exactly is Bill Burkett? Did he work for a station in the Nashville area? The name sounds familar but I just can't place who he is or what station he was aassociated with in the Nashville market.

 

[romer979fm]

Let me start a rambling post by mentioning that Bill was indeed one of the good guys...that CARED about his employees.
Bill was the first PD at the original Y-107 (I think this was 1983?). He came to Nashville after building U-102 in
Knoxville from the old WSEV-FM. Wildly successful. Mooney Broadcasting bought WUSW Lebanon 107.3 (spinning off
92Q in the process)...and converted it to Y-107 (moving it to 107.5 - another interesting story for another post).
FWIW...I picked the calls (WYHY) and the Y-107 name...only time I had the chance to do that. Y-107 was an AC/country hybrid,
and nothing like the "outrageous" CHR it would become. IIRC...Bill did some mid-day work...the other staff included Steven
Wesley Bridgewater afternoons...as "Steve West"...Bob Coffee mornings. The station would operate from 810 Division from 6a-7p...then
change STLs and operate from the Lebanon studios on Coles Ferry Pike from 7pm - 6am. I'll stop for now...this should be more about Bill,
and not nerd radio history. I have only good things to say about Bill...and if you know me at all...

 

[Journeyman]

Let me start a rambling post by mentioning that Bill was indeed one of the good guys...that CARED about his employees.
Bill was the first PD at the original Y-107 (I think this was 1983?). He came to Nashville after building U-102 in
Knoxville from the old WSEV-FM. Wildly successful. Mooney Broadcasting bought WUSW Lebanon 107.3 (spinning off
92Q in the process)...and converted it to Y-107 (moving it to 107.5 - another interesting story for another post).
FWIW...I picked the calls (WYHY) and the Y-107 name...only time I had the chance to do that. Y-107 was an AC/country hybrid,
and nothing like the "outrageous" CHR it would become. IIRC...Bill did some mid-day work...the other staff included Steven
Wesley Bridgewater afternoons...as "Steve West"...Bob Coffee mornings. The station would operate from 810 Division from 6a-7p...then
change STLs and operate from the Lebanon studios on Coles Ferry Pike from 7pm - 6am. I'll stop for now...this should be more about Bill,
and not nerd radio history. I have only good things to say about Bill...and if you know me at all...

As their former mid-day guy, let me just say the Bill as one of the best PD's I ever worked for, in that he cared more about us than him. In a 40 year career there have been only a few like that

 

[K4WRF]

Bill was brought into WLAC as temporary PD in its last weeks of Billboard ownership with everyone knowing what was coming with format change to talk. A real tough, if not impossible time to manage. Handled it very well, cool, calm and collected... I'm sure there are others who could have done it but I don't know who... Wonderful fellow, very sad to hear.
w/

 

[jetfli]

I first heard Burkett (for some reason, rarely called him Bill) on WGOW in Chattanooga as one of the "GO" Good Guys. Growing up in North Georgia, we pulled in stations from both Atlanta and Chattanooga, and the Burkett-era WGOW was my favorite of them all. Later, when vacationing with the family on the Northeastern coast of Florida, I'd tune in the great WAPE, and there was Burkett again. It wasn't until after he had returned to Chattanooga that I would meet him, while we were both attending a Nashville conference, and found him to be as friendly as I remembered his voice to sound. Would end up seeing him several times over the years at various industry meetings, and he always took time to talk about the "GO" days and offer PD advice. Truly a class guy, the kind you so rarely find in today's corporate radio world.

 

[teekay]

I had the distinct pleasure of working with/for Bill Burkett from 2003 thru 2009 and remained close friends with him after moving from the Sevierville market to the Knoxville market. Bill and I did the Mountain Morning Show with Bill and Tammy on 106.3 The Mountain, and prior to that did the afternoon drive on Mix 105.5. He was my mentor on so many levels, but I think most importantly he showed me how to be myself and maintain my humility. I was able to visit with him in the hospital the days before he passed. He was in excruciating pain at times and it broke my heart to witness such a thing. As much as it hurts for him to be gone I am relieved that such a man is no longer suffering. I love Bill and will miss him in my life, on the air, in my town...forever. The world will never be the same for Bill's absence from it.