Hy Lit

The fast-talking old-style rock ‘n roll DJ went by the names “Hyski,” and “Hyski O’Rooney McVoutie O’Zoot,” but was born Hyman Aaron "Hy" Lit on May 20, 1934 in south Philadelphia. He was heard in the Philadelphia area from the 1950s until 2005.

Lit, whose family moved from Fifth and Ritner Streets to 46th Street and Osage Avenue when he was young, got started in the business in 1955, fresh out of the University of Miami.

He was known as "the Jet Jockey on Flight 99" which was the frequency for WIBG. He flourished in radio alongside such popular Philadelphia DJs of the early rock era as Frank X. Feller, Dean Tyler, Jimmy Bishop, and Joe Niagara.

Mr. Lit's biography credits Georgie Woods, another influential radio personality, with saving him one night during an early appearance, when the mostly African American audience did not believe that the white man at the microphone truly was Hy Lit. It's said that in the 1960s, Mr. Lit's nighttime show on WIBG drew three-quarters of the listening audience, many under covers defying parents' direct orders to shut off that music and go to bed.

Lit dominated AM radio from the late 1950s through the 1960s as one of WIBG's "Good Guys," as his Hall of Fame show drew a 71.0 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. Around 1978, Lit moved to California after a brief but successful stint with the Harlem Globetrotters before once more returning to the Philadelphia area. In 1977 WIBG went off the air forever. Jerry Blavat was the last DJ on the air.

With the Beatles and the Rolling Stones

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), where he'd close his commercials by saying, "I wanna see your face in the place!" Lit moved to WOGL-FM in 1989, hosting the highly rated "Top 20 Countdown" on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in addition to his weekday afternoon shift. In the mid 80's, rival radio DJ, Jerry Blavat, went to mob boss, Nicky Scarfo to put a hit out on Lit!

In the mid-1990s, it was revealed that Lit was suffering from the beginnings of Parkinson's disease. 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, 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 and abandoning thousands of listeners left to wonder what happened to the legendary broadcaster.

The Monkees are guests on the Hy Lit Show on WKBS-TV in Philadelphia

Lit’s awards included: City of Philadelphia Award, January 17, 1982, 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's “Best Weekend Show” November 13, 1997. Radio & Records Magazine named Lit the Oldies Personality of the Year for 1999, and was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003.

Hy Lit died on November 17, 2007. He was survived by his son, Sam, a daughter, Benna, three grandchildren, and a sister. Lit was divorced from the former Miriam Uniman in the 1970s. His second wife, Maggie, died in 2000.

WHERE DID HY WORK? Here is the list: WHAT, WRCV, WIBG, WDAS-FM, WPGR, WSNI and WOGL.