R. William (“Bill”) Freston, a longtime executive at Columbia Records and a founder of the early digital radio service Click Radio, died in New York on Feb. 20 after suffering injuries in a fall on the Caribbean island of Bequia. He passed away peacefully while surrounded by his family according to the announcement.
Freston, brother of Tom, a co-founder of MTV, was born on May 9, 1948, in New Rochelle, New York and raised in Rowayton, Connecticut. His first industry job was at the free-form Boston radio station WNTN, where he rose to general manager in 1972. He moved to New York City in 1973 to begin work at Columbia Records during a boom time for the label. Over the years he worked closely with such artists as the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Janis Ian, Blue Oyster Cult, and John McLaughlin. Among other roles, he served as special assistant to label president Bruce Lundwall and was eventually promoted to senior VP. He helped spearhead projects like 1979’s “Havana Jam,” a historic event that brought Cuban and American musicians together for the first time since the Cuban Revolution.
Later in his career, he was a founder of Click Radio, the first licensed digital radio service, and helped launch Zingy Media, the first mobile music streaming channel.
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He is survived by his brother and his two nephews, Andrew and Gil.
A funeral service and memorial will be held in April. Freston requested that any donations go to Compassionate Care ALS Inc. (www.ccals.org) in memory of his best friend, Thomas “Dilly” Walsh.