Bill Keeler

Bill Keeler (born November 21, 1964) is an American radio personality. He has hosted radio and television programs in several northeast cities since 1981.

Early career

Bill Keeler began his radio career as a junior in high school in 1981. He worked as a disc jockey at a country station in Upstate New York, WLFH (now WIXT-AM) in Little Falls. He was the mid-day personality, Program Director and Sports Play by Play Announcer for the Little Falls Mets of the NY Penn League from 1981 until 1987. Keeler, along with Dennis Roberge, called the championship games as the Little Falls Mets, managed by Bud Harrelson Bud Harrelson, won the NY Penn League in 1984. Keeler left the Little Falls Mets and WLFH and began his morning radio career when he aired a morning zoo radio show on WRCK-FM in 1989. He anchored the launch of K-ROCK in Utica and Syracuse, NY in the 1990s and worked morning radio in Utica, Syracuse, Albany, and Providence, Rhode Island through 2002.

Television career

Bill Keeler launched and hosted the Keeler TV Show in March 2003 on local FOX affiliates in Utica and Syracuse, NY. The nightly program traveled from location to location in Central New York with a comedic view of the region. The 'Jackass' style program featured new episodes Sunday through Friday nights. By 2005, the show had been reformatted as a weekly desk-based comedy show; due to controversies and poor business practices, it left the air in 2006.

Return to Radio

Keeler returned to radio in 2007 hosting Keeler in the Morning on KISS FM and later 92.7 The Drive in Utica, NY. He continued his television program during this time and expanded with a short-lived cooking program, called Plate Night. Following a year hiatus, Keeler became the morning host of First News with Keeler in the Morning on WIBX radio in 2013. Most notably, when tragedy struck in Herkimer, NY following a shooting rampage that left several dead or injured, Keeler reported from behind police lines for nearly 7 hours while a shooter was on the loose.

Keeler was hired as host of a show on WMEX/Boston, Massachusetts in May 2015, where he was to host middays. The show would originate from Utica. For reasons not fully explained - apparently a lack of technical expertise and preparation - WMEX terminated Keeler and never carried Keeler's show.

Guinness Records

Bill Keeler currently holds the Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Jelly Doughnut while working for K-Rock (WKLL and WKRL) Utica, NY/Syracuse, NY. He also held the record for the World's Largest Dish of Pasta which weighed over 7000 lbs.

The Toy Drives

Each year, Keeler holds an annual Toy Drive to raise money for children in Upstate New York. Celebrities such as Peter Faccinelli, Dustin Diamond, Todd Bridges and comedian Gallagher have made appearances to help raise money for local children. In 2014, comedian Gallagher came for the toy drive and decided to stay with Keeler for several weeks in an effort to help rebuild the region.

Currently

Bill Keeler owns and operates a home-based television production company and continues to host First News with Keeler on WIBX radio, which is simulcast on WFXV.[1]


Controversies

In May of 2004, then doing business as "David Todd Productions", Keeler took a business loan from the city of Utica, NY. Soon thereafter, his production company was evicted from its rented facility in Utica, and the loan payments stopped. When pressed by reporters asking why he'd made only a handful of payments, Because the loan was to a corporation, Keeler said he’s under no obligation to pay. In 2013, nine years after defaulting on the loan, Keeler promised he'd begin repaying the loan, stating “I don’t want to be that person who doesn’t pay, but at the same time Keeler Productions can only take on so much,” Keeler said. “So, what I have proposed is if we could reduce the payments, then I will take care of it personally.” As of January, 2020 - seven years later - he is still delinquent on the loan.[2] [3]

Keeler has been fired from several Utica area stations for on-air controversies. He unsuccessfully filed suit against Galaxy Communications, now Galaxy Media Company for $500,000, and was countersued by his ex-employer - the outcome remains unclear.[4]

While Keeler frequently claims that he is an "unbiased" News Talk show host for WIBX, campaign transparency databases clearly show that many of his political guests are in fact paying him for political "consulting" and campaign ads. WIBX News makes little or no effort to disclose these conflicts and payments. Show callers who contest the claims of unbiased reportage are often personally attacked, ridiculed or simply dumped from the lines.[5]

In February 2019, Keeler revealed he was given an old court-sealed domestic dispute complaint leaked illegally to him by a former member of the Utica Police Department. The dismissed complaint detailed an argument between a political challenger to Keeler's employer, Oneida County, NY Anthony Picente and the challenger's wife over a damaged cellphone. Keeler and WIBX are currently being sued by the challenger in Oneida County Supreme Court for the illegal disclosure of a dismissed sealed record. New York State law forbids disclosure of records in cases that do not result in a conviction. The lawsuit, filed by attorney Richard Altman of New York City, alleges the police report Keeler quoted was obtained by opponent Anthony J. Picente's then chief of staff, Utica resident Albert Candido, who had formerly worked for the Utica Police Department. Further, Picente later referred to his opponent as an "abuser" on Keeler's radio news show. As of February 2020 the case is still pending in court.[6][7]

[8] [9] [10]

References
  1. Keeler radio show on WIBX to be simulcast on WFXV-TV.
  2. https://www.uticaod.com/x742404092/Utica-s-loans-to-businesses-highlight-risk
  3. https://www.uticaod.com/article/20130321/News/303219920
  4. https://www.cnyradio.com/2003/03/27/bill-keeler-files-500000-lawsuit/
  5. https://opengovny.com/campaign-finance-filing?q=keeler+strategies
  6. https://romesentinel.com/stories/gordon-sues-over-reports-of-domestic-incident,81444
  7. https://www.uticaod.com/news/20190821/picente-keeler-named-in-gordon-lawsuit-over-arrest-report
  8. "RADIO ONLINE ®". prepnet.radio-online.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  9. "Bill Keeler comes to Syracuse TV". cnyradio.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  10. Carolyn Bostick. "Gallagher makes smashing entrance - News - Uticaod - Utica, NY". uticaod.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
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