William B. Tanner Dies

Condolences to family and friends of MEMPHIS-based enterpreneur WILLIAM B. TANNER, who died THURSDAY (12/1) of pneumonia at 75. 

TANNER started his business by selling radio jingles, building the company into a radio production and jingle giant that he sold to MEDIA GENERAL for $39.5 million in 1982 but continued to manage. He later was jailed for mail fraud and tax violations, then bought into outdoor advertising, selling that business for $100 million in 1996, and sold a bank he owned the same year for $52 million. More recently, TANNER owned several KIA dealerships and remained embroiled in a legal dispute with his billboard business partner.

« see more Net News