For those of you outside of Detroit radio circles, this morning’s post won’t have the impact that it will for the Motown media community.
It’s been a tough month for TV and radio icons here in The D. Earlier in the month, the most famous anchorman in Detroit history, Bill Bonds, passed away. And then over the weekend, Bill Burton, head of the Detroit Radio Advertiser Group (DRAG) and former chief of the rep firm Eastman Radio left us.
If you could retire someone’s number in radio, no one would ever wear Bill’s jersey again. Well, actually a tiger-striped sport jacket and cap because “you have to be a tiger in this day and age.”
Unlike most of us, Bill Burton actually coined his own catch-phrase that became part of the radio lexicon forever – “Be Fabulous.”
It summed up his approach to selling, but also to life. In everything he pursued, Bill exuded a sense of showbiz and style. At a time when so much in radio is being sanded down by layoffs, budget slashing, and cutting corners, Bill personified doing it big and doing it well.
Bill was old school in the best of ways. He was a master schlepper – a guy who could sell you anything. In fact, one of his favorite phrases was “Don’t take NO from someone who can’t say YES” – a directive to get to the decision-makers in the buying process.
Long before today’s radio CEOs were running around extolling the virtues of the industry to Wall Street investment firms and VC’s, Bill’s “Why Radio?” presentations were known far and wide. He was radio’s #1 ambassador. And when I bumped into Bill in recent years at my neighborhood Starbucks or at industry events, he always pumped me up, reminding me of the importance of staying positive about the “fabulous” industry of radio.
My brother’s Bill first job in the business was with Eastman Radio back in the ‘80s. He has fond memories of working for Bill Burton, a guy whose enthusiasm for the radio business knew no bounds. Here are his memories of Bill Burton from those days:
Walking into Eastman Radio in August of 1987 was nothing less than surreal and unnerving. One minute I’m a college kid at Michigan Stat
e, and just a few short weeks later, I’m in a skyscraper at One Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. After interviewing with Alan Tobkes and a young Charlie Sislen, I was led down the hallway to the executive offices, the ones that actually looked right down on the famous Rockefeller Plaza, and into an office adorned in green, Michigan State’s color. And there sat Bill Burton who, as it turns out, was an alum as well.
That immediately made me feel at home, but not as much as Bill himself did. For a man of moderate stature, he filled the room. Impeccably dressed sporting a crisp white shirt, he looked and even smelled like a million bucks. To this day, I’ve not met a more dynamic, enthusiastic, champion of radio and of life. After being hired, few days went by when Bill would not poke his head into our lowly Research Analysts’ office to not only provide encouragement but to cajole us into loving radio every bit as much as he did – and it worked.
Bill lived his own personal slogan – “Be Fabulous” – at all times. Arms outstretched, he never left a room without saying that to everyone in the company. A great leader, a great man, a great motivator, and a great loss for the industry we love.
Even after Eastman was sold in the ’90s, and Bill “retired” for about a cup of coffee, he came back to run DRAG. He just couldn’t stay away from the industry he loved.
And despite surgeries that would have benched most people, Bill continued to show up for everything. And he was always thinking, strategizing, and learning about radio as it moved from dominance to the challenging competitive arena it finds itself in now.
None of that fazed Bill as he continued to cheerlead for radio, year after year, talking to anyone and everyone about the medium and why it matters.
He was especially intrigued by what was happening on the automotive front – in the same way that we at Jacobs are. As a Detroiter, he recognized early on that radio’s past, present, and future was tied up in cars. It was all summed up in his now-famous quote, “The automobile is a radio with 4 wheels.” He knew.
And despite all sorts of health issues, he was present, accounted for, networking, and learning at both DASH conferences these past two Octobers. He was instrumental in getting the word out about this initiative inside the Detroit radio and advertising community.
As it turned out, radio’s master videographer, Art Vuolo, was on hand at DASH, recording vignettes with a number of prominent attendees – including Bill. In the tribute clip below, you’ll get a sense of Bill’s outlook, his enthusiasm, and his ability to understand the changing industry around him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZumhiDyL-eg&feature=youtu.be
(If you receive this blog via email, click here to watch the video.)
There’s a lot about the way radio used to be that people often say they miss. The industry will most definitely miss this guy. It only took a first meeting to realize there was no one else like him.
Bill was an out-sized personality who inspired us to stay upbeat, be proud of what we do, think big, and above all…
BE FABULOUS.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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My guess is that everyone in this industry has a personal “Burton” story of encouragement. In my case as a young broadcaster I first encountered Bill, who took me under his wing as my mentor. He opened doors, gave me great training in important basics, and frequently touched base. He never went negative, was always positive and taught me some critically important lessons about life and business. My guess is that there are a thousand stories like mine, he deeply cared about people and went out of his way to inspire them. Like a great teacher he used repetition to sell important concepts…. these come to mind….
– Be fabulous. At Katz the mantra was be fabulous or get out, meaning average performance not welcome here.
– A Car is a Radio on Wheels.
– Don’t take no from someone who can’t say yes
I heard them 1000s of times, eventually they sink in.
I last saw Bill at the DASH conference that Radio Ink and Jacobs put together. He came out to support us the day after release from the hospital from his most recent back surgery. He wanted to be there to support and to learn… at 86.
Two years ago Bill had back surgery (a life long series of back problems and surgeries) and awoke paralyzed below the waist. He called his surgeon in and told him he wanted him to go back in and fix it. The surgeon told him he needed to accept it and that reversing it was not possible. Burton insisted, so they went back in the following day and indeed found the problem and reversed it though it was great stress on his system. Most would have given up at that point, in fact most would have given up 25 surgeries earlier. Not Burton.
Bill remained vibrant and positive. I spoke to him just a couple days before his fall and he was excited because his contract with DRAG (Detroit Area Radio Group) had been renewed for yet another year. And my guess is that contract wasn’t renewed just to keep Bill busy, they knew he would open doors at the highest level to keep radio front and center in Detroit.
I’ve written a piece about bill at radioink.com. Thanks to jacobs for posting this and thanks to Art for doing this segment. It captures Bill and his famous be fabulous statement.
Eric, anyone who was at DASH couldn’t help but notice Bill’s presence at this event. I also noted that you got some quality time with him. And I’m sure those memories of him in his final months will stay with you. As you point out, he wouldn’t think of missing an important event for radio like DASH. And of course, he always understood the vital relationship between cars and broadcast radio. Thanks for taking the time to comment, and to provide coverage in Radio Ink for an important guy in our business.
I know there will be some people who remember this, I was instrumental in having the board of DRAG appoint Bill. He was the ultimate schmoozer as well as the ultimate schlepper. Those titles are a badge of honor in my world. Another title he deserved is the ultimate hustler. In the EAstman days Bill had “buzz” meetings with his staff where you were called on to give all the vital statistics of the stations on Eastmans list. By the way those meetings started promptly at 7am. If you were late it came out of your paycheck. RIP Bill. You’ll always BE Fabulous!
Great story, Al. Thanks for that behind-the-scenes look at Bill.
We should see each other on happy occassions. Say hi to everyone for me Fred!
Appreciate that, Al. Happy holidays!
What a great loss and I will truly miss my friend Bill. I first met him at his Eastman office on West Grand Boulevard in 1964 when he offered me a job at Eastman Radio. I did not take him up on it at the time, I was just a kid selling spots in Ypsilanti, but he found me, reached out and I remember that moment 50 years ago to this day.
Bill was a dynamic guy and always made you feel good about yourself, never letting you forget the great medium of radio. I hired Eastman to rep our station in New Haven in 1973 and he was there in a flash letting us know how important we were to them, always trying to exceed expectations. He also visited us at CRN years later and we kept in touch.
Bill was a bigger than life part of radio,knowing how to get people to see the attributes of this great medium while not hesitating to remind everybody that you can never rest and let the world pass you by.
I will miss Bill and his enthusiasm and every time I think of him, I will work that much harder to “be fabulous”.
Dick, thanks so much for the story as the legend of Bill Burton continues. Appreciate you taking the time to share it.
What a wonderful remembrance of our friend, Bill.
I will forever cherish those morning breakfasts at the Kingsley Inn and the numerous voicemails from Bill left on my phone in-between travels telling me I was ‘fabulous’ — the highest compliment one can receive from a man who defined the word.
Today’s on-air tribute would have made Bill very proud. I’m so glad our Radio community came together for that moment.
Ryan, once again, Detroit radio comes through. Thanks so much for the great story about Bill and for taking the time to comment.