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William Gallagher, better known by his on-air name Billy Zero, is an American radio personality. Born in
Ft. Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...
in 1971, he is best known for his work at Baltimore and Washington radio stations. He performed in many bands in the 90's including Bovox Clown, Love Muffin Prowler, Mentle Gen and Naked Lunch. In February 2006, Gallagher started a new online record store called Dj Boy Records online at djboy.com. Gallagher worked at the WHFS, 99.1 FM from December 1994 through February 2000.Technology Repaves Road to Stardom
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The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', May 2, 2004 ("He left Washington's WHFS (99.1 FM) for XM in February 2000, after growing frustrated that the Infinity Radio station would not play enough unsigned bands to suit his tastes.")
Zero went to work for Advertising.com in February 2000. Four months later, he left to start his own company - djboy.com and getbackstage.com.Would You Buy the Future of Radio From This Man?
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Wired (magazine) ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online magazine, online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquar ...
'', October 2004 ("Billy Zero, DJ for XM's Unsigned (bands without a major contract), had left WHFS, the once-revered alternative rock station in the DC area, to start a dotcom")
Gallagher was contacted by a
headhunter Headhunter or head hunter may refer to: * Headhunting, hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing them * Executive search, informally called headhunting, a specialized recruitment service Arts and entertainment Film and tele ...
in July 2000 and informed that
XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM, Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable televisi ...
was hiring. He started out as director of ad sales development, then moved to
Music Director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...
of the Unsigned Channel. Gallagher was made the program director of Unsigned when Pat Dinizio of
The Smithereens The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drum ...
left to focus on his music career.From local to legend
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The Capital ''The Capital'' (also known as ''Capital Gazette'' as its online nameplate and informally), the Sunday edition is called ''The Sunday Capital'', is a daily newspaper published by Capital Gazette Communications in Annapolis, Maryland, to serv ...
'', December 9, 2005 ("Billy Zero grew up around Annapolis worked at WHFS for six years and now runs the Unsigned Bands Channel at XM Satellite Radio ..")
Unsigned was canceled from XM's Lineup in November 2005. Gallagher then went to work on
Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...
, XM 44 for three months to help out, then went to Big Tracks, a channel that XM launched, and helped build the channel from scratch. Zero moved on to XMU as Program Director where he programmed and played as a DJ indie music on XM 43 until November 2008. After he was laid off from XM in 2008, he served as program director at
WTMD WTMD (89.7 FM) is an adult album alternative-formatted public radio station owned by Your Public Radio, previously licensed to Towson University and located in Towson, Maryland. The station serves Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Histo ...
on the campus of
Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university ...
. He left the station the following year. On January 1, 2010, he started an artist management company called Zero Management. By May 2010, he had eight artists and two agents. His artists included Grammy-nominated artist, Wayna, Emmy-nominated Ellen Cherry, The Hint, Alfonso Velez, Derek Olds,
Carolyn Malachi Carolyn is a female given name, a variant of Caroline. Other spellings include Karolyn, Carolyne, Carolynn or Carolynne. Caroline itself is one of the feminine forms of Charles. List of Notable People *Carolyn Bennett (born 1950), Canadian pol ...
, The Eureka Birds, Will Rast and The Funk Ark. In January 2012, the Zero Management lineup shifted to focus on career artists. The lineup of managed artists include: Grammy-Nominated Christylez Bacon, Eureka Birds, Derek Olds, Monika Gaba, Rites of Ash, Tobias Russell, The Perfects, Vital and Janine Wilson. Zero is currently consulting with a number of artists and organizations and can be seen moderating panels in 2012 at MacWorld's iWorld and SXSW. Gallagher shifted away from management in 2013 and focused on DJ Boy Radio and a number of new creative endeavors. DJ Boy Radio, an audio advertising agency, launched in 2015. The company's website has since gone offline and a Facebook page has not been updated since 2018. He was president of the Washington D.C. chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences from 2008 to 2010 and trustee from June 2010 through May 2012. Gallagher launched DJ Boy Radio, an audio advertising agency, in 2015. The company's website has since gone offline and a Facebook page has not been updated since 2018.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zero, Billy Living people 1971 births American radio personalities People from Anne Arundel County, Maryland