Hy Lit
Encyclopedia
Hyman Aaron "Hy" Lit was an American
DJ based in the Philadelphia
area from the 1950s until 2005. In his 50 year career, Hy Lit broadcast from WIBG
-AM, WDAS/WDAS-FM
, WKBS-TV, WIFI, WSNI
/WPGR
, KPOL
, WKXW, among many others. His last station was WOGL
, where he broadcast from 1989 until his resignation late in 2005. He was known as "the Jet Jockey on Flight 99" which was the frequency for WIBG.
in Philadelphia, which aired in more than 30 markets nationwide. Lit dominated AM radio from the late 1950s through the 1960s as one of WIBG's "Good Guys," as his Hall of Fame show drew a 71 market share (unheard of before or since.) He released several successful LP "Hall of Fame" collections of music he played on the show, the last of these when he joined WPGR in 1981. Around 1978, Lit moved to California after a brief but successful stint with the Harlem Globetrotters
before once more returning to the Philadelphia area. In 1977, when WIBG went off the air forever, he was the last DJ on the air.
Lit moved to WOGL-FM in 1989, hosting the highly-rated "Top 20 Countdown" on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in addition to his weekday afternoon shift.
. Just after the death of Hy's wife Maggie (Russo) Lit in 2000, WOGL and Infinity/CBS Broadcasting management significantly reduced Lit's radio hours, along with a significant decrease in salary. In 2002, a lawsuit was filed with the aid of law firm Spector, Gaddon and Rosen against the media conglomerate, CBS Broadcasting, which for a second and concurrent time decided to reduce Lit's radio time and salary and this time cancel his health insurance.
In December 2005, Lit, station WOGL
, and CBS Broadcasting settled the three-year health and age-discrimination lawsuit, under the condition that Hy Lit would (reluctantly) retire from the station. Lit did his last Hy Lit Hall of Fame Show radio show on December 11, 2005. However, WOGL management would not permit Lit to reveal he would be leaving the airwaves and abandoning thousands of listeners left to wonder what happened to the legendary Hy Lit.
s over selected radio stations would remain keeping Hy and his magnificent voice alive. Furthermore, there exists Hy Lit Radio Technologies Inc. an emerging technologies company Lit started with Sam, which develops advanced software engine applications, including the patent-pending YourDisplayCarousel.com, and an advanced search engine, HyLitGlobalSearch.com among many other unique digital product applications.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
DJ based in the Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
area from the 1950s until 2005. In his 50 year career, Hy Lit broadcast from WIBG
WIBG
WIBG is a talk radio station from Ocean City, New Jersey. These call letters were previously used in Philadelphia for a pioneering rock 'n' roll station now called WNTP....
-AM, WDAS/WDAS-FM
WDAS-FM
WDAS-FM is an Urban Adult Contemporary radio station that features R&B and Classic Soul, and is licensed to the city of Philadelphia. The station is widely regarded as one of the originators of the Urban AC format which mixes R&B oldies with non-rap contemporary R&B and is now found in many major...
, WKBS-TV, WIFI, WSNI
WSNI
WSNI is a radio station licensed to serve Keene, New Hampshire. The station is owned by Monadnock Radio Group, a division of Saga Communications, and licensed to Saga Communications of New England, LLC...
/WPGR
WPGR (AM)
WPGR is a radio station serving the Pittsburgh area. The station, which is owned by St. Joseph Ministries, broadcasts at 1510 kHz, with a transmitter power of 5,000 watts daytime, 2,500 watts critical hours, and only 1 watt at nighttime. The city of license is Monroeville, Pennsylvania...
, KPOL
KPOL (AM)
KPOL was a radio station that operated in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station played a number of music formats, including polka, top 40, rock, and beautiful music, from 1952 to 1981....
, WKXW, among many others. His last station was WOGL
WOGL
WOGL is an FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.The station plays mostly post 1964 pop leaning Oldies positioned Classic Hits music, including Motown, soul and rock and roll spanning roughly 1964–1985. An occasional pre-1964 song is played. WOGL is owned by CBS Radio...
, where he broadcast from 1989 until his resignation late in 2005. He was known as "the Jet Jockey on Flight 99" which was the frequency for WIBG.
1960s & 1970s
At one time in the 1960s, Hy hosted the nationally syndicated Hy Lit Show from WKBS-TVWKBS-TV (Philadelphia)
WKBS-TV was an independent television station licensed to Burlington, New Jersey, which served the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area from 1965 to 1983. WKBS-TV had studio facilities located in South Philadelphia, and transmitter at the Roxborough tower farm in Philadelphia.-History:WKBS-TV began...
in Philadelphia, which aired in more than 30 markets nationwide. Lit dominated AM radio from the late 1950s through the 1960s as one of WIBG's "Good Guys," as his Hall of Fame show drew a 71 market share (unheard of before or since.) He released several successful LP "Hall of Fame" collections of music he played on the show, the last of these when he joined WPGR in 1981. Around 1978, Lit moved to California after a brief but successful stint with the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
before once more returning to the Philadelphia area. In 1977, when WIBG went off the air forever, he was the last DJ on the air.
1980s
Since 1982, and many years to follow, Lit hosted a live oldies radio show at different area clubs (most notably the Woodbine Inn in Pennsauken, New Jersey), where he'd close his commercials by saying, "I wanna see your face in the place!"Lit moved to WOGL-FM in 1989, hosting the highly-rated "Top 20 Countdown" on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in addition to his weekday afternoon shift.
Lawsuit
In the mid 1990s, it was revealed that Lit was suffering from the beginnings of Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. Just after the death of Hy's wife Maggie (Russo) Lit in 2000, WOGL and Infinity/CBS Broadcasting management significantly reduced Lit's radio hours, along with a significant decrease in salary. In 2002, a lawsuit was filed with the aid of law firm Spector, Gaddon and Rosen against the media conglomerate, CBS Broadcasting, which for a second and concurrent time decided to reduce Lit's radio time and salary and this time cancel his health insurance.
In December 2005, Lit, station WOGL
WOGL
WOGL is an FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.The station plays mostly post 1964 pop leaning Oldies positioned Classic Hits music, including Motown, soul and rock and roll spanning roughly 1964–1985. An occasional pre-1964 song is played. WOGL is owned by CBS Radio...
, and CBS Broadcasting settled the three-year health and age-discrimination lawsuit, under the condition that Hy Lit would (reluctantly) retire from the station. Lit did his last Hy Lit Hall of Fame Show radio show on December 11, 2005. However, WOGL management would not permit Lit to reveal he would be leaving the airwaves and abandoning thousands of listeners left to wonder what happened to the legendary Hy Lit.
HyLitRadio.com
Subsequently, in 2005, HyLitRadio.com (an enterprise begun with his only son, Sam) was born. HyLitRadio.com with its terrestrial radio simulcastSimulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
s over selected radio stations would remain keeping Hy and his magnificent voice alive. Furthermore, there exists Hy Lit Radio Technologies Inc. an emerging technologies company Lit started with Sam, which develops advanced software engine applications, including the patent-pending YourDisplayCarousel.com, and an advanced search engine, HyLitGlobalSearch.com among many other unique digital product applications.
Death
He died at 12:30 pm November 17, 2007, at Paoli Memorial Hospital of kidney failure. He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Bala Cynwyd, PennsylvaniaBala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
.
External links
- HyLitRadio.com
- Hy Lit - Philadelphia / New Jersey Radio Legend
- For more detailed information on Hy's career from 1954-1980 go to Hy Lit History