Cancer has claimed the life of longtime Philadelphia radio personality Jim Nettleton at the age of 69. Here is a look back at the career of one of the original “Boss Jocks” of the glory days of “Rock n Roll Radio in Philadelphia”.
Mixing personality in with more music at WFIL put Nettleton’s team over Wibbage in one of the greatest radio face-offs ever.
There was Hartford, New York and Tampa, but it’s his Philadelphia work for which Nettleton will be best remembered included stints at WOGL and WPEN. Although his first stop was his fondest, as he recalled at a reunion three years ago:
“It was the best experience of my radio life; worked with, probably, the most talented group of people that, I think, ever had gotten together in one spot.”
Ironically, his last on-air gig was down the shore -- a recorded morning show for a re-created “Wibbage.”
Jim was a great guy, always happy to share with us baby dj's who hovered around, hoping that the Nettleton lightning would strike and propel us on to the next level. I had the good fortune to spend a few hours with him when he worked at WCAU-FM (later WOGL), watching him make the pioneering automation that CBS was using on their FM's play the songs and vt's the way he heard it in his head.
And as he worked, Jim smoked one unfiltered Chesterfield cigarette after another...
That "recreated Wibbage" where Jim ended his career? Owned by the guy who was my newsman at WTTM/Trenton, Rick Brancadora.
The broadcast world is shrinking.
