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51-540: The address of the building, originally named the Philadelphia Ice Palace and Auditorium , was 4530 Market Street. The building stood next to what would become the WFIL TV studio that broadcast American Bandstand . It was built by George F. Pawling , of George F. Pawling & Co., Engineers and Contractors, and opened on Saturday, February 14, 1920, with a college hockey game between Yale and Princeton Tigers ;

102-457: A Christian radio format consisting of teaching and talk programs. Owned by Salem Media Group , studios and transmitter facilities are shared with co-owned WNTP (990 AM) in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania . WFIL transmits fulltime with 5,000 watts, using different directional antenna configurations during the day and at night. Daytime coverage includes metropolitan Philadelphia and portions of

153-582: A 10:16 a.m. speech by John F. Braun, president of the Art Alliance and the Music League. Additional programming featured speeches by William C. Sproul , Governor of Pennsylvania, J. Hampton Moore , Mayor of Philadelphia, Mrs. H. S. Prentiss Nichols of the State Committee of Education, and Horace Groskin of the "Talk Philadelphia Week" Committee. The Gimbel Brothers station, WIP, made its formal debut

204-653: A Roller Derby team, skating every Friday and Sunday, usually to capacity. In 1977, the deteriorating building was auctioned off. It was renovated and renamed in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1980, the Continental Basketball Association 's Lancaster Red Roses relocated to the newly named Martin Luther King Jr. Arena and became the Philadelphia Kings. The Kings were coached by longtime 76er and Basketball Hall of Famer Hal Greer and led on

255-466: A broadcasting station category, which set aside the wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz) for entertainment broadcasts, and 485 meters (619 kHz) for market and weather reports. Philadelphia's first broadcasting station, WGL, was licensed on February 8, 1922 to Thomas F. J. Howlett. This was followed by a scramble among four of the city's department stores to become the first to establish its own station. On March 18, 1922 Strawbridge & Clothier

306-461: A movie theater chain (The Stanley Company of America), acquired the building in 1925 and renamed it the Arena. In 1927 the Arena was purchased by Rudy Fried and Maurice Fishman who operated the facility until 1934, when their partnership was placed in receivership. In 1929, Peter A. Tyrrell (1896–1973) joined the Arena as boxing matchmaker and subsequently became the facility's publicist. In 1934 Tyrrell

357-674: A series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition in 1899. The two most significant buildings in the complex were the original main exhibition hall built in 1899, which later housed the Philadelphia Commercial Museum , and the Municipal Auditorium, later called the Convention Hall, which was built in 1931 to the designs of architect Philip H. Johnson. The site

408-676: A soft adult contemporary format by then). Soon thereafter, the FM became WEAZ-FM so that WFIL could become WEAZ. In September 1991, the AM launched a mostly automated "beautiful music" format known as "Wish", a play on the old WWSH station which had a similar format in Philadelphia back in the 1970s. Then on May 26, 1993, WEAZ became WBEB while WEAZ-FM became WBEB-FM. The AM station was sold for $ 4 million in October 1993 to Salem Communications (which had almost bought

459-520: A speech before an America First Committee Meeting. In 1947 the Arena was sold to Triangle Publications , along with the NBA franchise and the Philadelphia Warriors Basketball team. This transaction made TV station WFIL-TV (Channel 6), owned by Triangle Publications, the first joint ownership of a major professional sports team and TV station. In 1958, a group headed by Tyrrell purchased

510-592: The Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, plus parts of New Jersey and Delaware . Sister station WMCA in New York City, on the adjacent frequency of 570 kHz, also operates with 5,000 watts, and both stations must reduce their signals toward each other in order to avoid mutual interference. On December 1, 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce, in charge of radio at the time, adopted a regulation formally establishing

561-499: The Lit Brothers ). Because at this time 360 meters was the only designated broadcasting wavelength, WFI had to operate within the restrictions of a timesharing arrangement with the other local stations. (Occasionally stations in a few other cities were unable to come to an agreement, and engaged in "jamming wars".) In the race to be the first department store on the air, WFI's formal debut broadcasts were made on March 18, starting with

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612-570: The NBA when the Philadelphia Convention Center was unavailable. The arena was also a major venue for boxing and wrestling before the opening of the Spectrum . Throughout the history of the Arena, such legends as Sugar Ray Robinson , Lew Tendler , Gene Tunney , Joe Frazier , Jack Delaney , and Primo Carnera fought there. Several championship wrestling matches occurred there, both for

663-694: The NWA and the WWWF (including Stan Stasiak winning the WWWF championship belt in 1973, the only time until 1977 the belt ever changed hands outside of Madison Square Garden ). Roller Derby also was held there, through the team named the Philadelphia Warriors, not connected with the basketball team, owned by Bill Griffiths, the owner of the Los Angeles Thunderbirds and Roller Games . "Didja Get Any Onya?" on

714-548: The Pennsylvania Convention Center in the city's central business district); prior to this, it also hosted college basketball in the form of the 1986 MEAC men's basketball tournament . Afterwards, it served as a soundstage for movies and the TV series Hack starring David Morse . The championship fight scenes in the 1990 movie Rocky V was shot there. The Auditorium's M.P. Moller 86-rank pipe organ , built in 1931,

765-461: The Spectrum opened in 1967, the Civic Center continued on as an alternate venue to the larger arena for events requiring less seating or overall space. On February 5, 1970, The Jackson 5 played their first official concert for Motown Records there. The building was later used for Atlantic 10 Conference and Big Five basketball games. Jim Crockett Promotions , under the NWA banner, and later

816-576: The Ted Turner -owned WCW , also staged professional wrestling there, which included three pay-per-view events: Halloween Havoc in 1989 and 1992 and the 1994 Slamboree event. The Civic Center also hosted the World Hockey Association 's Philadelphia Blazers and the minor-league Philadelphia Firebirds hockey teams. The University of Pennsylvania used the building for commencements (due to it being larger than Penn's own basketball arena,

867-457: The 1960s, both underwent a format evolution as AM radio faded as a music medium, and both have a Christian/religious format today. Both stations also maintained Call For Action telephone help lines , being among the first radio stations in the United States to do so. The telephone number of WFIL's Call For Action line was GReenwood 7-5312. (Under the present-day North American Numbering Plan ,

918-547: The Arena from the Walter Annenberg Foundation, to which ownership had been transferred by Triangle Publications. At the time of Tyrrell's retirement in 1965, the Arena building was sold at auction to James Toppi Enterprises, a sports promotion concern. The building fell out of popular use in the 1970s, due to the building of the Spectrum in 1967. From 1967 to 1974, the arena was home to the Eastern Warriors,

969-417: The Arena, the first broadcast facility in the nation specifically designed for television broadcasting. It was in this new broadcast center that Triangle began broadcasting Bandstand (later called American Bandstand ), first with Bob Horn , then with Dick Clark as host. Clark started on WFIL radio as a disc jockey in 1952, arriving from Utica, New York . He continued hosting the TV program for 31 years,

1020-535: The Bulldogs won, 4–0, before a crowd of over 4,000 despite the fact that the arena had only one small entrance at the time. One of the first teams to make the Arena home was the Yale University men's ice hockey team. Yale did not have a suitable on-campus venue in 1920 and played home games in Philadelphia. During the 1920–1921 season, Yale, Princeton, and Penn made the Arena their home ice. Jules Mastbaum , owner of

1071-507: The Municipal Auditorium, the arena hosted many events, including the 1936 and 1948 Democratic National Conventions , and the 1940 and 1948 Republican National Conventions . Thus the building became known as Convention Hall. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there, and The Beatles , The Grateful Dead and the Philadelphia Mummers each performed there. The Philadelphia Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers both played many of their games in

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1122-609: The Philadelphia arena in 1943. The Roy Rogers Rodeo played the Arena every season for more than 20 years, and in 1946, when a young cowgirl died after riding a bucking bronco, her funeral was held there. Rogers and the Sons of Pioneers sang "Roundup in the Sky", and after the closing prayer, everybody rode out to the cemetery. It was also the home of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Banquet. Professionally,

1173-493: The album Weasels Ripped My Flesh by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention was recorded at this venue on March 2, 1969. The Arena was not used as much for political and other events, as those events tended to be held at Convention Hall . However, many of the city's mayoral inauguration parties were held there. Evangelist Billy Sunday spoke there, and before the United States entered World War II, Charles A. Lindbergh gave

1224-912: The arena was the home of the Philadelphia Quakers of the NHL in their only season, 1930–1931, as well as home ice for several minor league hockey teams such as the Philadelphia Arrows , Philadelphia Ramblers , the Philadelphia Comets, the Philadelphia Falcons/ Philadelphia Rockets and the Philadelphia Ramblers (EHL) , as well as the Philadelphia Warriors and part-time home of the Philadelphia 76ers of

1275-637: The arena; the 1960 NBA All-Star Game was played there. President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke at a campaign appearance on October 29, 1964, at Convention Hall. He appeared at the Hall alongside many notable Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Democratic leaders. Four days later, The Beatles played the venue on September 2, 1964, during their first tour of the United States. Tickets went on sale in May 1964 and sold out within 90 minutes. The Rolling Stones played Convention Hall on May 1, 1965, during their third American tour . After

1326-535: The court by former NBA superstar Cazzie Russell . The franchise lasted just one season at the legendary arena before returning to Lancaster. The arena was finally destroyed by arson on August 24, 1983. As of 2007, the former site of the arena now contains a housing complex, adjacent to the former TV studio which has become the Ron Brown Commerce Center. WFIL WFIL (560 AM ) is a radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States, with

1377-452: The downward trend. The station switched to an " oldies " format in September 1983, called "The Boss is Back", with a new line up of "Boss Jocks", playing the hits of 1955 through 1973. This format lasted until April 8, 1987, when new owner WEAZ Inc. discontinued locally originated music programming in favor of Transtar's "Oldies Channel", a satellite-delivered service. The end of live programming

1428-477: The early afternoon on 485 meters. In May 1923 additional "Class B" frequencies were made available, which included two Philadelphia allocations, with WFI and WDAR assigned to 760 kHz (395 meters) on a timesharing basis, while WOO and WIP were assigned to the second Philadelphia Class B frequency, 590 kHz. WDAR's call sign was changed to WLIT in early 1925. As of May 31, 1927 both WFI and WLIT were assigned to 740 kHz. On November 11, 1928, as part of

1479-507: The fall of 1977. At some point after that, the WFIL studios were relocated to Domino Lane in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia; they moved into the building of FM station WUSL , which WFIL owner LIN Broadcasting had acquired in late 1976. Growing competition from FM stations in this period did serious damage to WFIL's ratings. In September 1981 country music was tried, but this failed to reverse

1530-430: The first buildings constructed specifically for television broadcasting, as well as being the site for American Bandstand . In February 1964, Triangle moved the WFIL stations to a new state-of-the-art broadcast center at the corner of City Line Avenue and Monument Road in Philadelphia, from which WPVI continues to broadcast. Starting on September 18, 1966, WFIL began playing " Top 40 " rock and roll . It quickly became

1581-507: The implementation of a major nationwide reallocation under the provisions of the Federal Radio Commission 's General Order 40 , WFI and WLIT were reassigned to a "regional" frequency, 560 kHz. By the late 1920s, WFI and WLIT, although licensed separately, were working jointly on various programs, promotions, and sponsorship efforts. In 1935, the two operators agreed to merge, with each department store having representation on

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1632-574: The last 30 as a national show carried by the ABC Television Network . Clark moved the program to Hollywood in 1964. Shortly after Clark's emergence on the national stage, he became a major figure in the early days of rock and roll as "Bandstand" proved pivotal in helping promote the major stars of the era. The WFIL studio at 4548 Market Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 for its significance as one of

1683-1106: The late 1930s and early 1940s, until WIP became a primary Mutual station. Starting in December 1944 the station produced Hayloft Hoedown , picked up by ABC Radio in 1945. WFIL was purchased in 1947 by Walter Annenberg 's Triangle Publications , which also owned The Philadelphia Inquirer . By then WFIL was an affiliate of the newly named ABC Radio Network . WFIL's sister stations under Triangle Publications ownership were WFIL-FM and WFIL-TV in Philadelphia; WNHC AM - FM - TV in New Haven, Connecticut ; KFRE AM -FM- TV in Fresno, California ; WFBG AM - FM - TV in Altoona, Pennsylvania ; WNBF AM -FM- TV in Binghamton, New York ; and WLYH-TV in Lancaster / Lebanon, Pennsylvania . Triangle Publications sold WFIL AM-FM-TV to Capital Cities Broadcasting in 1971 with

1734-492: The most successful non-RKO "Boss Radio" formatted station, known locally as "The Pop Explosion". The original line up of air personalities, or "Boss Jocks" had the following schedules: 6-10 am: Chuck Browning; 10am-2pm: Jay Cook; 2-6pm: Jim Nettleton ("Diamond Jim" Nettleton); 6-10pm: George Michael ("King George" Michael); 10pm-2am: Long John Wade; 2-6am: Dave Parks ("Dave the Rave" Parks). Weekends featured Frank Kingston Smith. WIBG

1785-406: The nearby Palestra ), as did Drexel University , Temple University , St. Joseph's University, and La Salle University . Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela both spoke there. Convention Hall was torn down in 2005, after more than a decade without a regular tenant. The 1996 Atlantic 10 Men's basketball tournament was the last event ever held there (its convention functions were taken over by

1836-438: The new board of directors. WLIT's final broadcast ended at 9:00 pm. on January 21, 1935. WFI's call sign was changed to WFIL, a combination of the two previous ones, which also resulted in a phonetic spelling of the first syllable of "Philadelphia". WFIL's three-hour debut broadcast came immediately after WLIT's final sign-off. It again featured a speech by Mayor Moore, along with the current governor, George Earle . The new WFIL

1887-411: The primary telephone numbering plan in the United States, this number would have corresponded to (215) 477-5312.) In November 1987 FM stations WOGL and WIOQ both adopted oldies formats and quickly won the majority of the oldies audience. The Oldies Channel format continued with minimal success and listenership until 1989, when WFIL quietly began simulcasting sister station Easy 101.1 WEAZ (which had

1938-572: The radio stations spun off to new owners, WFIL to LIN Broadcasting and WFIL-FM to Richer Communications which changed the call letters to WIOQ . WFIL-TV took on the new call letters of WPVI-TV . Studios for the early WFIL radio stations were in the Widener Building in downtown Philadelphia. Under Triangle Publications' ownership the stations were moved to a new broadcast facility at 46th and Market Street in West Philadelphia adjacent to

1989-714: The ratings books in nearby Wilmington, Delaware, where it has an excellent signal. In addition, WFIL was a popular listening choice in Reading and Allentown, both in Pennsylvania. WFIL announcers heard in later years of the Top 40 era included Dr. Don Rose, Jim O'Brien (who later also became a WPVI-TV weather broadcaster and station personality), Dan Donovan, J. J. Jeffrey , Dick Heatherton, Tom Dooley, "Tiny" Tom Tyler, Mitch "K.C." Hill, "Big" Ron O'Brien, Kris Chandler, Geoff Richards, Joel Denver, Brother Lee Love (Alan Smith), and Banana Joe Montione. The format evolved into adult contemporary in

2040-408: The same day beginning at 11:00 a.m., although it also reported that it had made unspecified preliminary transmissions beginning at 9:00 a.m. the previous day. Under the local timesharing agreement, WFI's August 17, 1922 schedule on 360 meters consisted of "Late news Items" at 1:16 p.m., a musical program from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., and baseball scores from 5:30 to 6 p.m. On 485 meters,

2091-641: The station broadcast produce market and live stock reports at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m. In late September 1922, the Department of Commerce set aside a second entertainment wavelength, 400 meters (750 kHz) for "Class B" stations that had quality equipment and programming, and WFI was assigned use of this more exclusive wavelength, joining WOO, and later joined by WDAR and WIP. WFI's March 27, 1923 time slots were 1:15 to 2:00 p.m., 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. and 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. for entertainment programs on 400 meters, plus agricultural reports at 10 a.m. and during

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2142-469: The station three years earlier for $ 6.5 million but backed out of the deal at the last minute) and on November 1, 1993, the station was renamed WPHY, with a religious format focusing on Christian talk and teaching. WBEB-FM then became WBEB and to this day, continues on with its adult contemporary format. The Christian teaching and talk format is still in use today. After a TV station in South Carolina

2193-460: Was WFIL's main rock 'n roll rival in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In its rock-and-roll heyday, WFIL was known colloquially as "Famous 56" and employed the slogan "Rockin' in the Cradle of Liberty." Its 5000-watt transmitter enabled its signal to be heard as far away at times as Staten Island , the southernmost borough of New York City. During its top 40 years, WFIL also consistently showed strongly in

2244-546: Was an affiliate of NBC ; some sources say the station never became established as either a "basic Red" or " basic Blue " outlet, but at least one early WFIL advertisement claimed that it was a "basic Blue" station. Westinghouse 's KYW had replaced WFI-WLIT as the NBC primary for Philadelphia when it moved in from Chicago, Illinois, a few years before. WFIL had a secondary affiliation with the Mutual Broadcasting System in

2295-550: Was host to national political conventions in 1900, 1936, 1940 and 1948. The Convention Hall arena was located at 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, on the edge of the campus of the University of Pennsylvania , and just to the southwest of Franklin Field . It was built in 1930 and its highest capacity was approximately 12,000. The building was an Art Deco landmark, notable for its many friezes and other decorative aspects. Originally known as

2346-402: Was imploded on March 4, 2007. The University of Pennsylvania Health System 's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine opened on the site in October 2008. One limestone frieze that adorned the Civic Center, 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and 48 feet (15 m) long and depicting the history of labor from the days of the ancient Egyptians to the 20th century, was carefully removed before the building

2397-478: Was issued a license, with the randomly assigned call letters WFI, for a new station operating on the 360 meter "entertainment" wavelength. The station later received an additional authorization for market reports on 485 meters. The other three Philadelphia department store stations authorized in the first half of 1922 were WOO (licensed March 18, 1922 to John Wanamaker ), WIP (now WTEL , licensed March 20, 1922 to Gimbel Brothers ), and WDAR (licensed May 20, 1922 to

2448-432: Was marked by a production piece consisting of a portion of the song American City Suite by Terry Cashman and Tommy West interspersed with old WFIL airchecks. The "Epilogue to WFIL" was produced by Charlie Mills, who at the time was working cross-town at WPEN, and had been an avid fan of WFIL during his teen years. Sister station WMCA (at 570) in New York City has had a similar history: both were Top 40 stations in

2499-482: Was named a friendly receiver-in-equity by George Welsh, a federal judge. Tyrrell became general manager of the Arena and served in that capacity until 1958, returning the corporation to profitability and enriching the variety of public entertainment. The arena was the site of several historic sporting events, including the professional debut of Sonja Henie , fresh from her triumph in the 1936 Winter Olympics . Roy Rogers, cowboy movie star, performed in his first rodeo at

2550-489: Was randomly assigned the calls, but decided not to use them when signing-on, Salem reclaimed the historic call sign, and the call letters returned to WFIL on September 6, 1994. Philadelphia Civic Center The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center , commonly known simply as the Philadelphia Civic Center , was a convention center complex located in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . It developed out of

2601-578: Was removed just prior to the building's demolition and placed in Pennsylvania Hall in temporary storage. In October 2006 the organ was donated to the University of Oklahoma's American Organ Institute where it was partially installed into the Sharp Hall. The Institute however was disbanded in 2019 and the uninstalled pipework sold. The last remnant of the Civic Center, Pennsylvania Hall (built in 1978),

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