I'm sorry to have to report
some really bad news. Long time WFIL Account Executive Tom Monaghan Sr.
passed away on Saturday. Here is the Obituary, courtesy of The Atlantic City
Press;
Thomas E. Monaghan Sr.
MONAGHAN, THOMAS E., SR. 70 - of Roxborough, PA, and
Ocean City New Jersey, died Saturday, May 3, 2008, at Roxborough
Memorial Hospital. The beloved husband of Mary (nee Mason) and father
of Thomas, Jr., Gregg, and Susan Williams, grandfather of Linda Marie,
Mary Pat, and Shane Connor, brother of Hugh, Robert and John, and
uncle to many nieces and nephews. He was an account executive for
fifty years for WFIL & WUSL - all in the radio
communications field. Proud of his Irish heritage he initiated the
city-wide Irish Stew Cook-off followed by restaurant competitions in
cooking chili and later ribs, all of which became annual events.
Following in his father's footsteps he graduated from St. Joseph
College. He was a veteran, a member of the Knights of Columbus, Sons
of St. Patrick, Radio Broadcasting Association, and a yachtsman.
Services will be Wednesday, May 7
at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church,
819 Cathedral Road
,
Philadelphia
(
Andorra
).
Viewing services are at the church beginning at 9:30am with Mass to
follow at 10:30am.
On a personal note, I met Tom at my first WFIL
Reunion in 2002. He embraced me as one of the WFIL family, even though
I had never worked there. He gave me nothing but praise for my small
effort to keep the sound & memories of "Famous 56"
alive, via my website. He was one of the nicest guys I ever met. My
thoughts and prayers go out to his family, as well as his extended
Radio Family. Tom, we will all miss you.
If youwould like to share your
personal memory of Tom with all website visitors, send me an e-mail to
famous56@live.net
I'll be sure and post your entry on the WFIL
Memories Page.
WFIL/WOGL Personality
Passes Away
Photo
From WOGL Website.
I'm sorry to have to report
the death of "Big" Ron O'Brien, who died on April 27th due to
complications from Pneumonia. Ron did the 3PM to 7PM shift at WOGL, and was a former WFIL jock from
1977-1978.
Since
The Philadelphia Flyers are now in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I thought it
was time to dust off a true WFIL Rarity. Remember "Between The
Periods"? This was a novelty "break-in" record that was produced
for WFIL Charities back in 1974. It's narrated by legendary Boss Jock, George
Michael. Many Thanks to Mel Klawansky for donating this "Classic" WFIL
recording.
Just Click On The Record To
Listen!
WFIL TV Spot
Check
out the following WFIL TV Spot from the mid
1980's!
(Clip Courtesy Of TechnerVideo)
Double
- Click
Middle Arrow To Watch!
(
You Must Have "Flash" In Order To View. Visit Adobe
To Get Free Download)
More Rare Material - Updated
2/12/08
Thanks to the
kindness of former WFIL PD Kevin Fennessy!
Presenting A Montage From 1987, Featuring Kevin
Fennessy, Scott Taylor, Steve O'Brien & Bob Charger
Special
Thanks To Harry Smith Of Daytona, Florida For This Contribution
Phila Radio Documentary Link
The
folks at Rowan University have produced a great documentary about "Classic
Philly Radio." You'll hear airchecks from WIBG, WFIL, etc., and interviews
from those who remember the rivalry between the two stations. This is presented
courtesy of
(Right Click & select
"Save Target as" for future listening)
Special
thanks to Frank Hogan for allowing the download to be shared on Famous56.com!
Recently
Discovered Airchecks!
One of the highlights of the
2006 reunion was a huge contribution of material from former WFIL engineer Joe
Gallagher. Joe was kind enough to donate over 30 airchecks from his own
personal collection from his days at WFIL.
This week it's Banana Joe
Montione From April 1975, Part 2.
Due to the over 30 minutes of audio, I've decided to
break the aircheck into three parts.
Webmaster Note; Due to my
overloaded work schedule, "New" airchecks may not be added each
week.
I apologize for the inconvenience.
Banana Joe Comes Through With
Rare John Lennon Airchecks
Banana Joe Montione was kind
enough to hand me some John Lennon cuts from the 1975 Helping Hand Marathon.
Here is a sample directly from the first CD, with a bit of added production by
your webmaster.
By the way, you can purchase
a 2-CD set of the airchecks from that historic day by visiting Banana
Joe Radio.com.
Remember
This??
This
was taken by Jim Macino, of Columbia City, Indiana, from a bus in 1967. Jim was
on his way to serve in Vietnam.
WFIL Coverage Maps
Thanks
to Dave Shayer and Art Wilson for sending these for the website. WFIL was only
5000 Watts!
What Happened To The WFIL
Double - Decker Bus??
Then....
Now....
This was taken in 1993 by Vince, of WAMS/WRJE.
The bus was located in a field on Route 50, in Easton, MD.
Thanks to Charlie Mills for
this great photo, from the 1968 Philadelphia Inquirer.
Randy Roberts WFIL Production
Is Back.
I've decided to put this
special presentation back on my home page. It really captures the
feeling of Famous 56. Produced by former WFIL/WUSL Jock, Randy Roberts. A
must to listen to!!
Don't
forget to take a second to sign
my guestbook. I'm always interested in who is visiting my site, so I can
personally "Thank you."
Site
Contributors
A Special "Thank You" to all who have contributed to my site, especially Chuck Gagliardi, Bruce Northwood, Marc Howard, Randy Roberts, John Pizzi, Mel Klawansky, Frank Hogan,
Ralph Michaels, Robert Arden, Joe Flaska, Diane (John) Heiler, John Flack, Bruce
Rubin, Dave DeCaro, Paul Kovacs, Bob Hickerson, Eddie Coyle, Steve Ross, Roy
Akins, Charlie Mills, Gary Hendler, Bill Langill. Ted Winkler, Jake Schwartz,
Tony Davis, Les Waas, Bob Hamilton, Bill Cain, Rich Franklin, Carmen Malizia, Tracy
Carman, Gene Vassall. Cindy Brumm, Bob Kravitz, Dave Shayer, Joyce (Haverdink)Klawansky, Banana Joe Montione, Joe Gallagher, Jim Macino, Wayne
Cabot, Harry Smith and Kevin Fennessy.
Also,
special thanks to Paul Venuto,
who spent countless days "breaking" me into the world of computers.
If it wasn't for him, this site would have never been created.
Thanks,
Paul!
To listen to any audio on my site, you will need the "Realplayer", which is available as a free download below.
In addition to the air talent, there were many
folks behind the scenes that helped make WFIL the success that it was. One of
the most important was a man by the name of Jerry Donahue. Jerry was Production
Director at WFIL for over 30 Years. It seems that everyone who worked with
Jerry over the years has a story or two to tell. All of which end with a warm
smile and a fond memory. Even though Jerry is no longer with us, his
contribution to the history of WFIL is one that will live on forever.
If you have a special memory of
WFIL, or if you would like to contribute something, such as pictures,
airchecks, surveys, etc.,
please send me an e-mail.Thanks!
Don't
Forget To Check Out The Classic Philadelphia Radio Website, For More Info On
WFIL, WIBG, Etc. Just Click The Banner Below.
Please note; This site is in no way affiliated with WFIL, owned by Salem Communications, and broadcasting a religious format on 560 AM, in Philadelphia.
8
Ron Turner. The jingles, and airchecks are
used by permission, from their various copyright holders, if known, and may not be used without the consent of the webmaster. No claim
is made for material that has been donated to me, for use on my site. For more information, or to
report an offender, please contact;
Library of Congress
Copyright Office
Register of Copyright
101 Independence Ave., S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
This
material is presented as an historical tribute, and complies with current
copyright laws, regarding "Fair Use", and "Incidental Use"
of copyrighted material. Information presented at this site is for research
and enjoyment.
™
