Radio Industry Mourns Loss of Legendary Bill Tanner

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, January 28, 2021 | 4:36pm CT

Bill Tanner

Sad to report the death of SummitMedia Executive Vice President of Programming Bill Tanner. He passed away at his home in Birmingham last night at the age of 75. Tanner, whose career spanned nearly five decades, was known for his brilliant approach to radio programming. He amassed one of the radio industry's most consistent track records of number one stations in markets ranging from South Florida to Los Angeles.

"I had the honor of working alongside Bill since the early 90s from our days together at Heftel Broadcasting. His knowledge of the industry and loyalty as a friend continued as we worked to build SummitMedia together," said CEO Carl Parmer. "All those who knew Bill came to respect his skills and watch in awe of how he connected with listeners. We will all truly miss him."

In 2013, Parmer and Tanner joined forces at SummitMedia, a company formed to purchase a number of radio stations being divested by Cox Radio and later with a 20-station acquisition from Scripps. Today, the company has grown to include all formats in 10 markets.

Tanner began his career in the early 70's doing mornings in Jackson, MS, and the "Tanner in the Morning Show" on WHYI (Y-100)/Miami. Soon thereafter, he was named VP of Programming for parent company Heftel Broadcasting Corporation, where Parmer served as president and co-CEO.

Tanner's years in South Florida were marked by his introducing the concept of Rhythmic CHR into the industry mainstream as well as help creating WXDJ, which subsequently became the top Spanish-language station in Miami. In 1997, Tanner returned to his roots to launch two new Urban stations in Birmingham for H&P Radio, a company which reunited him with Parmer, once again.

Tanner credited his programming success largely to the concept of "predictable unpredictability" -- eschewing highly restricted "liner-reading" presentation in favor of witty, surprising, personable talent who nevertheless adhered to a discipline of brevity and snap: delivering content in a controlled and succinct manner. He was a pioneer in the use of call-out research and consistently deployed "street teams" to nightclubs, schools and other centers of pop culture to keep tabs on emerging trends in music.

"We will miss Bill's incessant enthusiasm, his love for our business, and his desire to always put the consumer first," said SummitMedia's Randy Chase. "But we will carry on with the fierceness he demonstrated and his passion for building an emotional connection with the listener."

Tanner is survived by his son Scott and two grandchildren, Tessa and Ryan.