R.I.P.: AC Format Pioneer Bill Dalton Was 80

Radio vet William ‘Bill’ Dalton has passed away at age 80 in Naples Florida.  Dalton was a visionary and was a pioneer in the development of the AC format.

Dalton launched WASH-FM in Washington, DC in 1968 and later managed at KLAC, LA and New York’s WNEW-AM. He also worked for Metromedia.

During the early ‘80s, Dalton and his wife Sue bought FMs in Washington, DC, Charlotte and Cincinnati’s WGRR.

The Dalton recently donated $1M to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida nature center in Naples.  The William Dalton Discovery Center was opened on Nov. 16, 2012.