Three Eagles CEO and RAB board member Rolland Johnson has died

Three Eagles Communications owner, RAB board member and former NAB Radio board member Rolland Johnson died Tuesday. Under Johnson, Three Eagles owned dozens of radio stations in small and medium-sized Midwest markets at its peak.

This information was confirmed by his daughter Kim on social media.

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 doctorate in mass communications.

Before founding Three Eagles in 1995, Johnson founded Duchossois Communications and Indiana Communications Company, which owned 15 radio and television stations from 1978 to 1994. He founded Three Eagles in his Colorado home in 1995 and expanded the company to 48 stations in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota before selling it to Digity in 2015.

The sale of the last Three Eagles cluster was confirmed in August.

RAB CEO Mike Hulvey commented: “RAB is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Board member and former Executive Committee member Rolland Johnson. Rollie epitomises what it means to have a local broadcaster serving its community.”

“I had the pleasure of serving with him on the RAB Executive Committee for many years and was able to see and experience how much he loved the business and believed in the value and importance of radio broadcasting throughout our country. I and 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 local broadcasting at its finest. He focused on the communities he served and truly cared about the business as a whole. He was a long-time member of the RAB Board and served on the RAB Executive Committee for seven years, where he always asked the tough questions to make sure we were focused on the right issues. He was a great ally and a true friend.”