The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Hy Lit with the Four Tops
1964

Broadcast Pioneers member Hy Lit has been the voice of Philadelphia radio for the last 50 years! He was a pioneer of rock n’ roll radio and emceed shows with Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and a galaxy of other stars and celebrities during his illustrious career. He also traveled on the road with the Beach Boys and the Harlem Globetrotter as their master of ceremonies.

Born on Sunday, May 20, 1934, Hyski has had shows on Channel 10, Channel 48 and a syndicated television show seen in over 30 cities including Detroit, Cleveland and San Francisco.

Hy has dominated the radio ratings over the years on Oldies 98.1 FM and has won countless awards. His honors include the following: City of Philadelphia Award, January 17, 1982; B’nai B’rith Award, November 8, 1957. Inducted into the Philadelphia Avenue of the Arts Walk of Fame, April 2, 1993. Very first recipient of the March of Dimes Lifetime Achievement of Radio Award in 1994. Achievement in Radio (A.I.R.) “Best Weekend Show,” November 13, 1997. Radio and Records Magazine named Hy Lit the Oldies Personality of the Year for 1999.

Hy has been an outstanding spokesperson for the fight for a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. He hosted Fashions for Parkinson’s Disease on May 17, 2002 at the Bellevue Hotel for the Greater Philadelphia Parkinson’s Foundation.

Hy Lit, the Goodwill Ambassador of Philadelphia Radio was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia' Hall of Fame on Friday, November 21, 2003. Hy passed away on November 17, 2007

His son, Sam runs a wonderful website, http://www.hylit.com which Sam and Hy started in 2005. According to some WIBG publicity literature from the mid-sixties:

Hy was 6 feet tall and weighed 185 pounds. His hair was black and eyes were hazel. His favorite color was blue and loved steaks and Caesar salads. His hobbies were auto racing and baseball. His dislike was people who lied and put you down. His favorite type of girl was one who was up-to-date with styles.

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