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DeBella

J

JH_Radio

Dad and I were talking radio a few weeks ago and somehow DeBella came up.
He and I got into trying to figgure out when the morning Zoo was around. Dad mentiond the Morning Zoo's "Wake-up Song" which went something about wakeing up and having my baby spit on my face... Dad said he did that parity wake-up song and called people and had it played in the mid-late 70's or so. I disagree...
I sware the zoo was around 1985-88 or so? Then again, I was only three in '85', but thought I was a radio nurde then. Dad mentioned that DeBella and Stern had ratings issues in Philadelphia at one point.When was this?
At one time there was this huge fight between the two? Anyone conferm this?
Dad said DeBella moved to WYSP for a bit, I think that was in the mid-late 90's, at first it was mostly a music show, then switched more to talk.
Been wondering if anyone has any DeBella airchecks, preferably unscoped. From in the day on WMMR or WYSP.
Now DeBella has calmed down some I'd think as he is older and appears to an older target demo on WMGK then he had on WMMR or WYSP, no?
Dad says DeBella has been in Philly for about 35 years or so. Somehow that doesn't seem right to me as I have an aircheck from WLIR with him in 1982. Did he go from Philly to Long Island then back to Philly again? Is it true the morning Zoo was the most listen too show in Philly at one point? If so surprised no one taped it, but then again its morning drive, people don't normally tape that stuff.

I am in NYC now so haven't listen lately, should make some airchecks when I get back to Bensalem.
PS: Always never liked Stern, always thought DeBella and the Greeseman were better. Personal preffrence.

What are the ratings these days for DeBella?
See what hearing a DeBella promo on MGK can spark? LOL

I figgure posting on radio-info would get me some answers. I'd e-mail him myself and I know he'd answer as he has answered me before, but figgured why bother him. He's a busy guy.
<P ID="signature">______________
John
E-mail: [email protected]
AIM: RainAngelsRule
MSN: [email protected]</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by John Holcomb II on 10/06/05 12:05 PM.</FONT></P>
 
I'll bet he'd love to hear from you. John is never too busy for a fan.
I wish my dad and I could bond over radio memories.



> I figgure posting on radio-info would get me some answers.
> I'd e-mail him myself and I know he'd answer as he has
> answered me before, but figgured why bother him. He's a
> busy guy.
>
 
DeBella joined MMR about 1983 I believe, but his show wasn't called the Morning Zoo until he was there for about a year. He was definitely not in Philly before then, but at WLIR. When Stern came to town in 1987(?), he did indeed start a public feud with DeBella, but Stern has done that with every market he's entered. DeBella stayed in mornings until the early 90s, when he moved to afternoons for about a year or so. He then took a year off, joined YSP in afternoons, but was eventually demoted to middays (ironically, after Stern).

When Opie and Anthony came to YSP, DeBella was canned completely, took another year off, then was hired by WMGK in June of 2002, where he has been ever since.
Others will fill in the holes I've left.

I have an aircheck of DeBella's last day at WMMR if you're interested. Let me know and I'll email you.
 
For a very brief period, when DeBella was on mid-days at WYSP, he also did a later afternoon talk show on 1210-WPHT. I can't remember if it was 1 or 2 hours, but I did listen to it a few times. But I don't think anyone listened to it more than a few times! But in all fairness to John, that was at a time when Bigby was PD and nothing was going right on 1210. Even with good hosts everything seemed to sound like "amateur hour".


> DeBella joined MMR about 1983 I believe, but his show wasn't
> called the Morning Zoo until he was there for about a year.
> He was definitely not in Philly before then, but at WLIR.
> When Stern came to town in 1987(?), he did indeed start a
> public feud with DeBella, but Stern has done that with every
> market he's entered. DeBella stayed in mornings until the
> early 90s, when he moved to afternoons for about a year or
> so. He then took a year off, joined YSP in afternoons, but
> was eventually demoted to middays (ironically, after Stern).
>
>
> When Opie and Anthony came to YSP, DeBella was canned
> completely, took another year off, then was hired by WMGK in
> June of 2002, where he has been ever since.
> Others will fill in the holes I've left.
>
> I have an aircheck of DeBella's last day at WMMR if you're
> interested. Let me know and I'll email you.
>
 
In DeBelly Of DeBeast

Frum reeding yure poste, I gatther thet yew ar aboutt twenny-thrie yeers olde, em eye kerrect? Eye hoppe yew ar a beter speler then yur poste indeekates. Utherwahs, yew ar inn sirius trubble, dood. :)


> Dad and I were talking radio a few weeks ago and somehow
> DeBella came up.
> He and I got into trying to figgure out when the morning Zoo
> was around. Dad mentiond the Morning Zoo's "Wake-up Song"
> which went something about wakeing up and having my baby
> spit on my face... Dad said he did that parity wake-up song
> and called people and had it played in the mid-late 70's or
> so. I disagree...
> I sware the zoo was around 1985-88 or so? Then again, I was
> only three in '85', but thought I was a radio nurde then.
> Dad mentioned that DeBella and Stern had ratings issues in
> Philadelphia at one point.When was this?
> At one time there was this huge fight between the two?
> Anyone conferm this?
> Dad said DeBella moved to WYSP for a bit, I think that was
> in the mid-late 90's, at first it was mostly a music show,
> then switched more to talk.
> Been wondering if anyone has any DeBella airchecks,
> preferably unscoped. From in the day on WMMR or WYSP.
> Now DeBella has calmed down some I'd think as he is older
> and appears to an older target demo on WMGK then he had on
> WMMR or WYSP, no?
> Dad says DeBella has been in Philly for about 35 years or
> so. Somehow that doesn't seem right to me as I have an
> aircheck from WLIR with him in 1982. Did he go from Philly
> to Long Island then back to Philly again? Is it true the
> morning Zoo was the most listen too show in Philly at one
> point? If so surprised no one taped it, but then again its
> morning drive, people don't normally tape that stuff.
>
> I am in NYC now so haven't listen lately, should make some
> airchecks when I get back to Bensalem.
> PS: Always never liked Stern, always thought DeBella and
> the Greeseman were better. Personal preffrence.
>
> What are the ratings these days for DeBella?
> See what hearing a DeBella promo on MGK can spark? LOL
>
> I figgure posting on radio-info would get me some answers.
> I'd e-mail him myself and I know he'd answer as he has
> answered me before, but figgured why bother him. He's a
> busy guy.
>
 
The first year of the DeBella Show was called the DeBella Travesty. What people don't remember, is how ruthlessly he went after Harvey in the Morning and WIOQ with absolutely no provocation. I guess he suffered the same fate when Stern came blazing into town in August of 1986. Oh well, turnabout is fair play.

> DeBella joined MMR about 1983 I believe, but his show wasn't
> called the Morning Zoo until he was there for about a year.
 
> The first year of the DeBella Show was called the DeBella
> Travesty. What people don't remember, is how ruthlessly he
> went after Harvey in the Morning and WIOQ with absolutely no
> provocation. I guess he suffered the same fate when Stern
> came blazing into town in August of 1986. Oh well, turnabout
> is fair play.
>
> > DeBella joined MMR about 1983 I believe, but his show
> wasn't
> > called the Morning Zoo until he was there for about a
> year.
>

I'm glad you mentioned that. I've heard about that, and supposedly DeBella has claimed that it wasn't as bad as what Stern put him through and that he only went after Harvey for a couple of weeks. Harvey, I believe, shed no tears for DeBella after what Stern put him through.
 
>
> I'm glad you mentioned that. I've heard about that, and
> supposedly DeBella has claimed that it wasn't as bad as what
> Stern put him through and that he only went after Harvey for
> a couple of weeks. Harvey, I believe, shed no tears for
> DeBella after what Stern put him through.
>
Ironic to have DeBella on WMGK now...Harvey's last home.
 
Re: In DeBelly Of DeBeast

I'm 23. You exzagerate my spelling faults.
John
> Frum reeding yure poste, I gatther thet yew ar aboutt
> twenny-thrie yeers olde, em eye kerrect? Eye hoppe yew ar a
> beter speler then yur poste indeekates. Utherwahs, yew ar
> inn sirius trubble, dood. :)
>
>
<P ID="signature">______________
John
E-mail: [email protected]
AIM: RainAngelsRule
MSN: [email protected]</P>
 
Going after jocks, does that mean they simply steal all there bits? Or.... Never heard a jock wor like that...
John

> The first year of the DeBella Show was called the DeBella
> Travesty. What people don't remember, is how ruthlessly he
> went after Harvey in the Morning and WIOQ with absolutely no
> provocation. I guess he suffered the same fate when Stern
> came blazing into town in August of 1986. Oh well, turnabout
> is fair play.
<P ID="signature">______________
John
E-mail: [email protected]
AIM: RainAngelsRule
MSN: [email protected]</P>
 
I had forgotten about WPHT. At least they were still broadcasting in AM Stereo at the time, though I didn't know of the technoligy. I've always thought that John did a mixture of music and talk on his shows. At least that's what MGK is, but then again PD's seem to tell people the formatics in stations these days. I think John was PD at WMMR when it was AAA at one point, too?
John

> For a very brief period, when DeBella was on mid-days at
> WYSP, he also did a later afternoon talk show on 1210-WPHT.
> I can't remember if it was 1 or 2 hours, but I did listen to
> it a few times. But I don't think anyone listened to it more
> than a few times! But in all fairness to John, that was at
> a time when Bigby was PD and nothing was going right on
> 1210. Even with good hosts everything seemed to sound like
> "amateur hour".
>
>
<P ID="signature">______________
John
E-mail: [email protected]
AIM: RainAngelsRule
MSN: [email protected]</P>
 
>

DeBella debuted in November 1982. Before DeBella, mornings at WMMR
were a revolving door. In 1980-81, Michael Picozzi had the shift, followed
by Steve Sutton for awhile, and then Steve Martarano and Anita teamed up in
the spring/summer of 1982.
DeBella's show started to take off around 1984, when he re-christened it
"the Morning Zoo." It became THE morning show in Philadelphia. What a crew! DeBella, Mark the Shark, Clay Heery (Who?), and a lot of bits that became water cooler material. Remember Gonzo Friday? WMMR soared and became the number one station in Philadelphia. They stayed there for five years or so. At the time, Harvey was the top morning DJ, and DeBella destroyed him in the ratings. As a matter of fact, nearly every FM station's morning show suffered in the years 1984-87, when DeBella won every book and pulled in herculian ratings (He pulled in a 13 share in the Spring '86 book).

DeBella ruled until 1987, when Stern's show got hot. By 1988, Stern
beat DeBella and the Morning Zoo slowly faded. By 1991, the show was being
called "In the Morning with John DeBella." Shark moved to afternoons and DeBella was teamed with Eskin on the abominable "SportsRock." By this time, John Lander
had become must listening on Eagle 106, and SportsRock bombed. DeBella was moved to afternoons on WMMR in April 1993(and was number one in his time slot) and left on September 30, 1993.



The first year of the DeBella Show was called the DeBella
> Travesty. What people don't remember, is how ruthlessly he
> went after Harvey in the Morning and WIOQ with absolutely no
> provocation. I guess he suffered the same fate when Stern
> came blazing into town in August of 1986. Oh well, turnabout
> is fair play.
>
> > DeBella joined MMR about 1983 I believe, but his show
> wasn't
> > called the Morning Zoo until he was there for about a
> year.
>
 
What I meant by that remark, is that DeBella went after Harvey and WIOQ on a personal level. What he basically attempted to do was to undermine the position of Harvey as the top morning jock, by finding the weak spots and preying on them. It had nothing with stealing show material. Although the Morning Zoo was not DeBellas' creation. I believe that distinction goes to Scott Shannon. DeBella was simply doing whatever he felt was necessary to topple Harvey from the mountain top of Philly radio. His methods were harsh by 80's standards, whereas today, they are the status quo. People have done worse things in the pursuit of success in business. Looking back, it was competition, pure and simple.

> Going after jocks, does that mean they simply steal all
> there bits? Or.... Never heard a jock wor like that...
> John

>
 
> Dad and I were talking radio a few weeks ago and somehow
> DeBella came up.
> He and I got into trying to figgure out when the morning Zoo
> was around. Dad mentiond the Morning Zoo's "Wake-up Song"
> which went something about wakeing up and having my baby
> spit on my face... Dad said he did that parity wake-up song
> and called people and had it played in the mid-late 70's or
> so. I disagree...
> I sware the zoo was around 1985-88 or so? Then again, I was
> only three in '85', but thought I was a radio nurde then.
> Dad mentioned that DeBella and Stern had ratings issues in
> Philadelphia at one point.When was this?
> At one time there was this huge fight between the two?
> Anyone conferm this?
> Dad said DeBella moved to WYSP for a bit, I think that was
> in the mid-late 90's, at first it was mostly a music show,
> then switched more to talk.
> Been wondering if anyone has any DeBella airchecks,
> preferably unscoped. From in the day on WMMR or WYSP.
> Now DeBella has calmed down some I'd think as he is older
> and appears to an older target demo on WMGK then he had on
> WMMR or WYSP, no?
> Dad says DeBella has been in Philly for about 35 years or
> so. Somehow that doesn't seem right to me as I have an
> aircheck from WLIR with him in 1982. Did he go from Philly
> to Long Island then back to Philly again? Is it true the
> morning Zoo was the most listen too show in Philly at one
> point? If so surprised no one taped it, but then again its
> morning drive, people don't normally tape that stuff.
>
> I am in NYC now so haven't listen lately, should make some
> airchecks when I get back to Bensalem.
> PS: Always never liked Stern, always thought DeBella and
> the Greeseman were better. Personal preffrence.
>
> What are the ratings these days for DeBella?
> See what hearing a DeBella promo on MGK can spark? LOL
>
> I figgure posting on radio-info would get me some answers.
> I'd e-mail him myself and I know he'd answer as he has
> answered me before, but figgured why bother him. He's a
> busy guy.
>
When Sanborn and i first came to Philly in 1987,De Bella was the guy to beat in mornings,His battles with Stern actually helped us gain ground in Philly.
We crossed paths more than a few times including a tv show that featured the top morning shows in town w/Harvey on the panel.
We were lucky ,Philly was very rich with talent in those days..the Nut Hut(EAGLE106) etc...We were also second to Stern at one time ( although the Inquirer wrote 'DEBELLA FALLS' but not CNS RISES...LOL.)
But it was okay John is a class act,at least he has been to myself and Sanborn.
He was one of the first to call and wish us well on our return this Jan.
 
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