R.I.P.: Longtime Jackson TN Radio Vet Bill Way

Bill Way

Those who knew Bill Way regarded the longtime Jackson, TN talk radio legend with words like talented, ahead of his time, clever, well-read and encyclopedic.

Way used the talents that caused people to regard him that way to become like a good friend to those who listened to his shows on different stations in Jackson over the past five decades.

The longtime radio personality in Jackson died at 6:52 a.m. on Tuesday, according to his brother-in-law Tom Mapes. He was 74, according to The Jackson Sun.

Way worked as a talk show host on multiple radio stations and local television stations over the course of the past 50 years. His way of telling stories and engaging the audience with calls throughout the show was a hit with those who listened.

“Bill was always good at being entertaining no matter what he was talking about,” said longtime coworker Dan Reaves, who hosts multiple shows on WNWS-101.5, where Way worked from 1993 until early 2017 before taking a break from the business.

Way had just returned to the airwaves on Nov. 1 on WTJS-FM 93.1, but he signed off on his final show on Nov. 16.

According to Mapes, he’d been feeling run down and went to the hospital to get checked out. He was sent to Vanderbilt in Nashville, where he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Lacy Ennis, the president and CEO of Grace Broadcasting, said his brief working relationship with Way as WTJS is a part of Ennis' group, was one he enjoyed.

"We are saddened by his passing but encouraged in the fact that he suffers no more, and we look forward to a great reunion day," Ennis said on his Facebook page. "I can’t help but reflect on the fact that as Bill and Grace Broadcasting were making plans for his show less than two weeks ago little did any of us know that a far greater plan had already been set into motion by our Creator.

"I believe this should serve as a wake up call to us all that none of us are promised tomorrow. Live each day as if it could be our last. Invest in eternity and love each other more deeply. Tell someone you love them today."