1-6-2012
by Ed Ryan
Before coming back to Radio Ink, one bright sunny morning I received a telephone call. On the other line, a young sounding very distraught female voice gave me the details about how one of our employees was gone. He had put a handgun to his chest covered it with pillows so he wouldn't wake his parents and pulled the trigger. He was a great employee, fun to be around and had a sweet loving family. He was in his early 30's. When I hung up the phone, my immediate reaction was, that didn't just happen. After realizing it did, I tried to call and tell my wife and friends but just couldn't keep it together. It left us all asking the question why.
Many of us wondered what we missed and what we could have done to see the signs, but we didn't see any signs. Or did we just ignore them? At times we were angry about how selfish he was for what he had done to his friends and family. At the end of the day, and with the passing of time, you realize the only answer is, you just never know. The friends of Bill Heywood are dealing with a similar situation.
It was 1973 and Gary Edens was in need of a morning man at his station in Phoenix. He got on an airplane to Las Vegas, met with Bill Heywood, and they cut a deal on a napkin that continued until 1987. "It was a wonderful 13 year run and Heywood was a prince to work with," Edens told Radio Ink yesterday. "He was the easiest person to manage." The news of Heywood's death was shocking to Edens who says Heywood did not seem despondent. Edens and Heywood spoke last week when Heywood requested the picture above, of the two of them with Charlie Van Dyke, from the Arizona Broadcasters Hall of Fame ceremony just last month. Reports out of Phoenix say that Heywood and his wife either killed each other or one person killed them both in a hotel room. A note was left on the hotel room door to warn the staff of what was inside, like pillows to muffle the sound. Funeral arrangements were laid out at their home. Heywood's wife of 35 years, Susan, was very sick. Perhaps they wanted to go together, but only they know the answer to that question.
The legendary Charlie Van Dyke was program director at KOY in 1982 when Heywood was the morning man. Van Dyke told us yesterday, "Heywood was Phoenix. He was huge, a fabulous talent, kind, funny, we got along famously." Van Dyke was the minister at the wedding for Heywood's daughter Nicole. Van Dyke says he invited Heywood and his wife Susan to the Arizon Hall of Fame ceremony last month, as his guest, where that picture was taken and said "I understand Susan had major health issues but I had no sense this was coming."
Friend Bruce Kelly arrived in Phoenix in 1985. His goal was to make it in the radio business so he went looking for the one guy who was radio in Phoenix, Bill Heywood. "He was the first person I sought out. He was the person I aspired to be in radio. The guy set the pace in the market. I told him I want to be you in 15 years. He was truly a part of the Phoenix community in many ways. He told me to always be as local as possible" Yesterday, a distraught Kelly was left asking the question, Why? "This is unfathomable. I just spoke to him last week and we were planning to get together after the first of the year. That's this week."
As a manager of a large staff, accomplishing more tasks for less money and with daily the pressure of higher revenue and bigger ratings, how close do you manage someone? How close should you manage someone? What do you do if you think you see the signs of something going astray? How many times have you thought you were imagining things when maybe you did see something? And how many times have you said to yourself that kind of stuff just isn't any of my business? One thing is for sure, that's a phone call you never want to have to take.
Feedback to edryan@radioink.com or share your comments below.
(1/6/2012 12:35:19 PM)
The death of Bill and Susan Heywood is a crushing blow to their family, friends, and fans. It seems like a deeper wound to those of us who grew up listening to him in the Valley, and have gone on to hold careers in the radio business. We understand the pain, both financial and emotional, of our changing industry.
R.I.P., Bill & Susan.
(1/6/2012 9:05:50 AM)ed,Thank you for sharing your story and it seems we've grown callus as a society and things like this seem to be an everyday occurrence. This is troubling to me and I pray that those of us that are in management reach out to our team/staff to hopefully do our part to head things like this off before we lose another friend or colleague.I was always told NOT to get to close to my staff but I spend as much time with them as I do my own family so they too are family. Let's NEVER be afraid to CARE!
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