Three Eagles Communications Owner, RAB Board member, and former NAB Radio Board member Rolland Johnson passed away on Tuesday. Under Johnson, Three Eagles held dozens of radio stations in small-to-medium Midwest markets at its peak.
The news was confirmed on social media by his daughter Kim.
Johnson began his radio career in his home state of Nebraska in 1961 as a part-time announcer. He went on to earn degrees in broadcast journalism, marketing, management, and a Ph.D. in mass communications.
Before founding Three Eagles in 1995, Johnson established Duchossois Communications and Indiana Communications Company, which owned 15 radio and TV stations from 1978 to 1994. In 1995, he started Three Eagles from his home in Colorado, growing the company to 48 stations across Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota before selling to Digity in 2015.
The sale of Three Eagles’ last cluster was confirmed in August.
RAB CEO Mike Hulvey commented, “The RAB is deeply saddened to hear the news of board member and past Executive Committee member Rolland Johnson’s passing. Rollie embodies the meaning of a local broadcaster serving his community”
“I had the pleasure of serving on RAB’s Executive Committee with him for a number of years and got to see and experience how much he loved this business and believed in the value and importance of radio broadcasters across our country. I along with the entire organization extend our deepest condolences to his wife Paula, our friend and colleague Kim, and the rest of the Johnson family.”
Erica Farber added, “This is a sad day for broadcasting. Rollie was a local broadcaster at its finest. He focused on the communities he served and truly cared about the business as a whole. He was a long-time RAB board member and sat on the RAB Executive Committee for seven years where he always asked the hard questions to make sure we were focused on the right issues. He was a tremendous ally and a true friend.”
