Hy Lit
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Hyman Aaron "Hy" Lit (May 20, 1934 – November 17, 2007) was an American
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
based in the
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
area from the 1950s until 2005. In his 50-year career, Hy Lit broadcast from WIBG, WDAS/ WDAS-FM, WKBS-TV,
WIFI Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
, WSNI/ WPGR, KPOL,
WKXW WKXW (101.5 FM, "New Jersey 101.5") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Trenton, and broadcasting to most of the state of New Jersey. It is owned by Townsquare Media with studios and offices on Walters Avenue in Ewing. On weekdays ...
, among many others. His last station was 98.1
WOGL WOGL (98.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by Audacy, Inc. The station broadcasts a classic hits radio format. WOGL's transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, an ...
, 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. The
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is a state-chartered, federally recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, devoted to collecting information about and promoting cultural work related to broadcasting and communications in Philadelphia, Pe ...
inducted Lit into their Hall of Fame in 2003.


1960s & 1970s

Lit dominated AM radio in Philadelphia 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. In 1977, when WIBG signed off the air, Hy Lit was the last DJ on the station. Around 1978, Lit moved to California after a brief stint announcing for the
Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...
before once more returning to the Philadelphia area. In the late 1960s, Lit hosted the nationally syndicated ''Hy Lit Show'' from WKBS-TV in Philadelphia, which aired in more than 30 markets nationwide. Guests on the weekly hour-long show included such musical acts as
The Fifth Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American vocal group. Their music encompasses sunshine pop, pop soul, and psychedelic soul. They were an important crossover music act of the 1960s and 1970s, although both praised and derided for their particular music ...
,
The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...
,
The Four Tops ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
and
Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...
.


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 Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and it is located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which it borders directly on the Delaware River. As of the 202 ...
), where he'd close his commercials by saying, "I wanna see your face in the place!" Lit moved to
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
-owned WOGL 98.1 FM in 1989, hosting the highly rated "Top 20 Countdown" on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in addition to his weekday afternoon shift.


Personal life

Lit was born to Sam and Mona (Kessler) Lit, in South Philadelphia. He shares two children and three grandchildren with his first wife Miriam "Mim" Uniman whom he met while a rising star in Philadelphia. Uniman was a former Miss Universe contestant via being named Miss Philadelphia in 1956. He later married his third wife, Maggie (Russo) Lit.


Lawsuit

In the mid-1990s, it was revealed that Lit was suffering from the beginnings of
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
. 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 (98.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by Audacy, Inc. The station broadcasts a classic hits radio format. WOGL's transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, an ...
, 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.


Death

Lit died at 12:30 pm November 17, 2007, at Paoli Memorial Hospital of kidney failure. He is buried at
West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is in size, and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in nearby Philadelphia. ...
in
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...
.


References


External links


Hy Lit - Philadelphia / New Jersey Radio Legend
*
Hy Lit History
– detailed information on Hy's career from 1954-1980
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lit, Hy 1934 births 2007 deaths American radio DJs Deaths from kidney failure Radio personalities from Philadelphia Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery