Jann Wenner was part of the founding team behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
The foundation was established in 1983 by Ahmet Ertegun, the founder and chairman of Atlantic Records. Ertegun assembled a group that included Wenner, then the publisher of Rolling Stone, along with record executives Seymour Stein, Bob Krasnow and Noreen Woods, plus attorneys Allen Grubman and Suzan Evans.
Wenner is sometimes remembered primarily as a magazine publisher, but his influence extended well beyond journalism. He co-founded Rolling Stone with Ralph J. Gleason in 1967 and became a major force in music media. His role in creating the Hall of Fame connected the institution to the broader music industry, not just to performing artists.
A common mix-up is Ralph Gleason: Gleason co-founded Rolling Stone with Wenner, but the Foundation's founding team specifically identifies Wenner as the publisher involved. The Hall later opened its museum in Cleveland in 1995, after the Foundation had considered several possible cities.