BILL DRAKE

Bill Drake was a radio programmer who co-developed the “Boss Radio” format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.

Bill Drake started his career in Atlanta, where he worked as a programmer and disc-jockey in the late 1950s. During his time at WAKE-AM in Atlanta, the station moved to #1 in the rankings. He moved to San Francisco and KYA -AM, which also became number one. Later, at KYNO-AM in Fresno, California, he met Gene Chenault, who became his business partner. Together, the pair developed influential radio programming strategies and tactics, as well as working with future "Boss Jocks", a term they coined during their working relationship. Drake-Chenault streamlined the Top 40 radio format originally created by Todd Storz, Gordon McLendon and other radio programmers in the late 1950s. The format took a set list of popular songs and repeated them all day long. Jingles, news updates, traffic, and other features were designed to make Top 40 radio appeal to car listeners.

By early 1964, Top 40 radio had become the dominant radio format for North America listeners. Drake employed his successful measures with KGB AM in San Diego in 1965. In the spring of 1965, Drake-Chenault were hired by the then-financially-struggling KHJ in Los Angeles, after KGB's owner suggested. KHJ-AM quickly jumped from near obscurity to the number one radio station in Los Angeles.

Drake also programmed KFRC in San Francisco, WOR-FM in New York, KAKC in Tulsa, WHBQ in Memphis, WUBE (AM) in Cincinnati, WRKO in Boston and 50,000-watt CKLW, in Windsor, Ontario.