(Left to right seated) Ed Voynow of Edward Petry & Company
Dean Fitzer of WDAF; Mrs.A. T. Hild of WLIT and Isaac Levy of WCAU
(Left to right standing) Roy Thompson and K. C. Sink of WFBG
Father J. A. Wagner of WHBY; Ednyfed Lewis of WFI
H. J. Brennen of WJAZ/KQV and Benedict Gimbel of WIP
September 1934

Persons of note in the shot include Mrs. A. T. Hild of WLIT Radio. WLIT was owned by the Lit Brothers Department shared the same frequency with WFI, owned by Strawbridge Department Store. The next year, the two stations would merge into one station using the call letters, WFIL. Also included in this historic picture is the Legendary Ike Levy. The Levy Brothers (including Leon Levy) owned WCAU for over three decades. Both were also major stock holders in CBS.

Another major player is Ednyfed Lewis of WFI (which would later merge with WLIT). Lewis was part of WFI since they went on the air in 1922. When the two stations merged, "Ed" stayed with Strawbridge and worked in their advertising department until his retirement in 1955. The final person of Philadelphia interest is Ben Gimbel of the Gimbel Brothers Department store which owned WIP. Ben was an executive for the station for decades.

From the official archives of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
Photo originally donated by Broadcast Pioneers member Gerry Wilkinson
© 2006, All Rights Reserved

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com