• by Joe Mandese , September 22, 2017

Long-time radio industry executive and former president-CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau Gary Fries died today. He was 76.

“It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of our friend and colleague, Gary Fries,” current RAB President-CEO Erica Farber said in a statement, adding, “Gary served the RAB and industry for 14 years and during his tenure as radio's leading advocate he provided tremendous leadership and guidance. Under his direction, the RAB increased its membership and introduced and advanced numerous sales training programs. He spearheaded radio to the forefront in media accountability, playing a dominant role in the development of RAEL working with advertisers, agencies and broadcasters to further the industry's understanding of how radio advertising works. He also encouraged radio to embrace electronic data interchange, urging the industry to adopt electronic invoicing.”