Posted by chicagomedia.org on July 16, 2009 at 13:50:37:
In Reply to: US99.5 & Fresh 105.9: Bill Gamble Named PD posted by Wieeeerd on July 16, 2009 at 13:48:24:
CBS Radio brings programming guru Bill Gamble back to Chicago
Bill Gamble, who has spent 23 of the last 30 years programming Chicago radio stations, is coming back to town as program director of CBS Radio's WUSN-FM 99.5 and WCFS-FM 105.9, effective Monday.
The post effectively has been vacant for the last 11 months. Dave Robbins, vice president and general manager of the two stations, and Marci Braun, the assistant program director and music director, handling those duties since Mike Peterson's resignation last summer.
"With US 99 on top, I'm sure he'll spend a lot of his time, I'm sure, working on Fresh initially," Robbins said. "There are no changes in the wind or ready for Fresh. His job at Fresh is to make it even better than it is today. ... It's a song-to-song battle in Chicago, and that's what he's going to be overseeing very closely on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute basis. Same thing at 'USN."
Gamble's most recent Chicago run was an eight-year stretch for ABC at the old WZZN-FM/WXCD-FM that ended a little more than three years ago, but he previously headed programming at WKQX-FM 101.1, the old WMAQ-AM and WEFM-FM, which is now WUSN-FM.
In 2006, Gamble joined CBS Radio in Denver, most recently serving as director of operations and new media for KIMN-FM, KWLI-FM and KXKL-FM there. Robbins said Gamble was "particularly adept at using digital media to promote the stations" in Denver.
"I am thrilled to be returning home to Chicago and to be with CBS Radio," Gamble said in a statement. "US 99.5 is America's premier Country station and Fresh 105.9 is one the fastest growing stations in Chicago. I'm looking forward to getting started."
Gamble's success at Q101 made him one of the industry's most influential programmers and had him, in the 1990s, doubling up as an outside consultant stations with similar formats in markets such as Detroit; Minneapolis; Milwaukee; Fresno, Calif., and Modesto, Calif.
Over the years he has been a regional vice president of programming for Emmis Broadcasting and national program director for General Cinemas Radio. He also served in management positions at stations in Philadelphia, Tampa and Indianapolis.
(Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune)