Wee Willie Webber | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 11, 1929 |
| Died | May 23, 2010 (aged 80) |
| Other names | Wee Willie, Bill Webber |
| Occupation(s) | Broadcaster, Radio Personality |
| Years active | 1948–2010 |
| Spouse |
Constance Russell (
m. 1958) |
| Children | Bill Webber Jr. (b. 1959) Wendy Webber (b. 1963) |
Bill "Wee Willie" Webber (June 11, 1929 – May 23, 2010) was an American radio and television personality and pioneer. Webber worked in radio and television in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, region for more than 50 years. [1]
Webber was born in Havana, Cuba. [1] His father was British while his grandfather, an engineer, helped to pave the streets of Havana. [1] His family immigrated to the United States, and Webber was raised in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. [1] Webber graduated from Bushwick High School and attended classes at New York University. [1]
Webber enlisted in the United States Army after World War II and worked as an Army mapmaker while stationed in Japan after the war. [1] He successfully auditioned for the Armed Forces Radio on Honshu, earning the nickname "Honshu Cowboy" because he played country music. [1] His time in the Army allowed Webber to obtain U.S. citizenship. [1]
Webber began his broadcasting career in 1948, at WGYN, a now-defunct FM radio station in New York City. [1] He worked for other radio stations in Manhattan and in Lancaster, Pennsylvania during his early adulthood. [1]
Webber was hired as an announcer at WEEU-TV (channel 33) in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1953. [1] However, the station was unprofitable; it went off the air in 1955, after Webber left. [1]
In 1954, Webber began working in Philadelphia at WFIL and WFIL-FM as a "summer relief announcer." [1]
In 1956, Webber became an announcer at WFIL-TV (Channel 6). He began hosting Breakfast Time, a two-hour, morning children's show on Channel 6. The show, which featured cartoons, weather, and sports, aired until the 1960s. [1] In 1963, Webber joined WRCV-TV (Channel 3) as host of a quiz show. However, Webber's quiz show was canceled in 1965 when Westinghouse Broadcasting acquired the station and moved production of The Mike Douglas Show to Philadelphia. [1] In September 1965, Webber played the last song on KYW radio before the station switched to an all-news format. [1]
He next hosted the Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club, an after-school show which aired on WPHL-TV (Channel 17) in the late afternoon hours. The Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club ran for 10 years, from 1965 until 1975. [1] From 1976 to 1979, he hosted a similar show on WKBS-TV (Channel 48).
In the late 1960s, Webber became the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m air personality at WIP radio. He would remain in that time slot on WIP into the 1980s. Webber later was heard on WPEN radio from 1989 until 2005. [1] From about 2007 until 2010, Webber hosted a weekday program on WHAT radio and a Sunday afternoon show on WVLT in Vineland, New Jersey. [1]
Webber was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 1999. [1] He served as the president of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia from 2002 until 2004. From 2004 until 2006, Webber served as the chairman of the Broadcast Pioneers' board of directors. [1] In 2006, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia named Webber its Person of the Year. [1] In 2007, Webber again served as the organization's Chairman of the Board, a position that Bill held at the time of his death in 2010.
Bill Webber died of a heart attack at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia on May 23, 2010, at the age of 80. He was awaiting heart surgery at the time of his death. [1] He was survived by his wife, Constance; daughter, Wendy Scheid; son, William Webber Jr.; and four grandchildren (Taylor, actor Drew Scheid, Owen, and Grace). Webber lived on Rittenhouse Square at the time. [1]
| Year | Station | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | WBRE-TV | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | First TV job |
| 1953 | WEEU-TV | Reading, Pennsylvania | WEEU-TV was a short-lived TV station replaced by WITF-TV, anchored the weekend TV news at 11 pm and did the weather at 6:15 pm [2] |
| 1956-1963 | WFIL-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Breakfast Time, [3] substitute booth announcer on American Bandstand, [4] host of Hess's Fashion/Toy shows, [5] the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Mummers Parade |
| 1964 | WRCV-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Hosted TV quiz show Tug-o-War (cancelled so the studio could be used for The Mike Douglas Show) [6] and regionally syndicated Challenge Billiards [7] |
| 1965-1975 | WPHL-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club, [8] The Bill Webber Show (the Philadelphia Phillies' pregame show) [9] |
| 1976-1979 | WKBS-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Kids Block [10] |
| 2000 | WHYY-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | A Walk Up Broad Street [11] |
| Year | Station | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | WGYN | New York, New York | First broadcast job [12] |
| 1950-1951 | Armed Forces Radio | Honshu, Japan | Korean War, nicknamed the "Honshu Cowboy" for playing country music to the U.S. troops [13] |
| 1952 | WLAN-AM | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | [10] |
| 1953 | WPEN-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Sunday shift [13] |
| 1954-1963 | WFIL-AM & WFIL-FM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Started as a summer relief announcer, then hosted an evening shift followed by an afternoon show [10] |
| 1964-1965 | WRCV-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Did celebrity interviews that ran locally on WRCV-AM and nationally on NBC Radio Network program Monitor, [14] played last record before switch to KYW-AM all-news format [15] |
| 1966-1988 | WIP-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Long time mid-day host [16] |
| 1989-2005 | WPEN-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Long-running Saturday show during "Station of the Stars" period [17] |
| 2006-2010 | WVLT-FM | Vineland, New Jersey | Sunday afternoon show [18][ circular reference] |
| 2009-2010 | WHAT-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Mid-day program [19] |
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Naedele, Walter F. (2010-05-23). ""Wee" Willie Webber, local TV fixture, dies at 80". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ "Philly's Bill Webber Dies At 80".
- ^ "Bill Webber on "Breakfast Time" WFIL-TV 1957".
- ^ "Dick Clark & Bill Webber, WFIL-TV, 1958".
- ^ "Channel 6 celebrity Bill "Wee Willie" Webber on the interview set in Hess' Department Store, Allentown, 1965".
- ^ "The Set of "Tug-O-War", WRCV Studios, 1619 Walnut Street, Center City Philadelphia, 1963".
- ^ Wee Willie Webber on Challenge Billiards in 1964 playlist on YouTube
- ^ WPHL-TV Channel 17 50th Anniversary Show - Intro/Sign On/Wee Willie Webber on Vimeo
- ^ "Wee Willie Webber Photos". 26 August 2015.
- ^ a b c "Bill Webber".
- ^ "A walk up Broad Street [videorecording] : with Bill Webber & Hy Myers / produced by WHYY-TV12 ; producer & director, Ed Cunningham".
- ^ "Wee Willie Webber 2010 Tribute".
- ^ a b "'Wee Willie' Webber dies, a beloved radio, TV star". 24 May 2010.
- ^ "'Johnny Carson & Bill Webber in 1964".
- ^ Bill Webber on KYW-AM transition from music to all-news format in 1965 on YouTube
- ^ "Philadelphia Radio Archives WIP".
- ^ "Tribute to Bill "Wee Willie" Webber".
- ^ "WVLT (FM)".
- ^ "Philly TV Legend Bill Webber Dies at 80".
- Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Bio
- The Encyclopedia of Philadelphia Children's Television
- Wee Willie Webber entry in Philadelphia Television book preview
- Wee Willie Webber Photos on PHL17 website
- 'Wee Willie' Webber dies, a beloved radio, TV star
- Wee Willie Webber Broadcast Pioneers Tribute on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber Philly Kids Legend on TV and Radio on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber on Breakfast Time in January of 1963 playlist on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber on Challenge Billiards in 1964 playlist on YouTube
- Whatever Happened To Wee Willie Webber on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber and Pixanne on See Them Now on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber on 60s Revolution on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber on Larry Kane Time Capsule on YouTube
- Philadelphia WPVI Action News Extra Disc Jockeys 1981 on YouTube
- Broadcast Pioneers Bill Webber Interview '00 on YouTube
- Bill Webber on KYW-AM transition from music to all-news format in 1965 on YouTube
- WPHL-TV Channel 17 50th Anniversary Show - Intro/Sign On/Wee Willie Webber on Vimeo
- American children's television presenters
- 2010 deaths
- Radio personalities from Philadelphia
- Mass media in Philadelphia
- Television personalities from Philadelphia
- People from Havana
- People from Bushwick, Brooklyn
- 1929 births
- Local children's television programming in the United States
- Television in Philadelphia
- Bushwick High School alumni
Wee Willie Webber | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Born | June 11, 1929 |
| Died | May 23, 2010 (aged 80) |
| Other names | Wee Willie, Bill Webber |
| Occupation(s) | Broadcaster, Radio Personality |
| Years active | 1948–2010 |
| Spouse |
Constance Russell (
m. 1958) |
| Children | Bill Webber Jr. (b. 1959) Wendy Webber (b. 1963) |
Bill "Wee Willie" Webber (June 11, 1929 – May 23, 2010) was an American radio and television personality and pioneer. Webber worked in radio and television in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, region for more than 50 years. [1]
Webber was born in Havana, Cuba. [1] His father was British while his grandfather, an engineer, helped to pave the streets of Havana. [1] His family immigrated to the United States, and Webber was raised in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. [1] Webber graduated from Bushwick High School and attended classes at New York University. [1]
Webber enlisted in the United States Army after World War II and worked as an Army mapmaker while stationed in Japan after the war. [1] He successfully auditioned for the Armed Forces Radio on Honshu, earning the nickname "Honshu Cowboy" because he played country music. [1] His time in the Army allowed Webber to obtain U.S. citizenship. [1]
Webber began his broadcasting career in 1948, at WGYN, a now-defunct FM radio station in New York City. [1] He worked for other radio stations in Manhattan and in Lancaster, Pennsylvania during his early adulthood. [1]
Webber was hired as an announcer at WEEU-TV (channel 33) in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1953. [1] However, the station was unprofitable; it went off the air in 1955, after Webber left. [1]
In 1954, Webber began working in Philadelphia at WFIL and WFIL-FM as a "summer relief announcer." [1]
In 1956, Webber became an announcer at WFIL-TV (Channel 6). He began hosting Breakfast Time, a two-hour, morning children's show on Channel 6. The show, which featured cartoons, weather, and sports, aired until the 1960s. [1] In 1963, Webber joined WRCV-TV (Channel 3) as host of a quiz show. However, Webber's quiz show was canceled in 1965 when Westinghouse Broadcasting acquired the station and moved production of The Mike Douglas Show to Philadelphia. [1] In September 1965, Webber played the last song on KYW radio before the station switched to an all-news format. [1]
He next hosted the Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club, an after-school show which aired on WPHL-TV (Channel 17) in the late afternoon hours. The Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club ran for 10 years, from 1965 until 1975. [1] From 1976 to 1979, he hosted a similar show on WKBS-TV (Channel 48).
In the late 1960s, Webber became the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m air personality at WIP radio. He would remain in that time slot on WIP into the 1980s. Webber later was heard on WPEN radio from 1989 until 2005. [1] From about 2007 until 2010, Webber hosted a weekday program on WHAT radio and a Sunday afternoon show on WVLT in Vineland, New Jersey. [1]
Webber was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 1999. [1] He served as the president of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia from 2002 until 2004. From 2004 until 2006, Webber served as the chairman of the Broadcast Pioneers' board of directors. [1] In 2006, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia named Webber its Person of the Year. [1] In 2007, Webber again served as the organization's Chairman of the Board, a position that Bill held at the time of his death in 2010.
Bill Webber died of a heart attack at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia on May 23, 2010, at the age of 80. He was awaiting heart surgery at the time of his death. [1] He was survived by his wife, Constance; daughter, Wendy Scheid; son, William Webber Jr.; and four grandchildren (Taylor, actor Drew Scheid, Owen, and Grace). Webber lived on Rittenhouse Square at the time. [1]
| Year | Station | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | WBRE-TV | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | First TV job |
| 1953 | WEEU-TV | Reading, Pennsylvania | WEEU-TV was a short-lived TV station replaced by WITF-TV, anchored the weekend TV news at 11 pm and did the weather at 6:15 pm [2] |
| 1956-1963 | WFIL-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Breakfast Time, [3] substitute booth announcer on American Bandstand, [4] host of Hess's Fashion/Toy shows, [5] the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Mummers Parade |
| 1964 | WRCV-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Hosted TV quiz show Tug-o-War (cancelled so the studio could be used for The Mike Douglas Show) [6] and regionally syndicated Challenge Billiards [7] |
| 1965-1975 | WPHL-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club, [8] The Bill Webber Show (the Philadelphia Phillies' pregame show) [9] |
| 1976-1979 | WKBS-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Kids Block [10] |
| 2000 | WHYY-TV | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | A Walk Up Broad Street [11] |
| Year | Station | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | WGYN | New York, New York | First broadcast job [12] |
| 1950-1951 | Armed Forces Radio | Honshu, Japan | Korean War, nicknamed the "Honshu Cowboy" for playing country music to the U.S. troops [13] |
| 1952 | WLAN-AM | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | [10] |
| 1953 | WPEN-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Sunday shift [13] |
| 1954-1963 | WFIL-AM & WFIL-FM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Started as a summer relief announcer, then hosted an evening shift followed by an afternoon show [10] |
| 1964-1965 | WRCV-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Did celebrity interviews that ran locally on WRCV-AM and nationally on NBC Radio Network program Monitor, [14] played last record before switch to KYW-AM all-news format [15] |
| 1966-1988 | WIP-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Long time mid-day host [16] |
| 1989-2005 | WPEN-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Long-running Saturday show during "Station of the Stars" period [17] |
| 2006-2010 | WVLT-FM | Vineland, New Jersey | Sunday afternoon show [18][ circular reference] |
| 2009-2010 | WHAT-AM | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Mid-day program [19] |
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Naedele, Walter F. (2010-05-23). ""Wee" Willie Webber, local TV fixture, dies at 80". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ "Philly's Bill Webber Dies At 80".
- ^ "Bill Webber on "Breakfast Time" WFIL-TV 1957".
- ^ "Dick Clark & Bill Webber, WFIL-TV, 1958".
- ^ "Channel 6 celebrity Bill "Wee Willie" Webber on the interview set in Hess' Department Store, Allentown, 1965".
- ^ "The Set of "Tug-O-War", WRCV Studios, 1619 Walnut Street, Center City Philadelphia, 1963".
- ^ Wee Willie Webber on Challenge Billiards in 1964 playlist on YouTube
- ^ WPHL-TV Channel 17 50th Anniversary Show - Intro/Sign On/Wee Willie Webber on Vimeo
- ^ "Wee Willie Webber Photos". 26 August 2015.
- ^ a b c "Bill Webber".
- ^ "A walk up Broad Street [videorecording] : with Bill Webber & Hy Myers / produced by WHYY-TV12 ; producer & director, Ed Cunningham".
- ^ "Wee Willie Webber 2010 Tribute".
- ^ a b "'Wee Willie' Webber dies, a beloved radio, TV star". 24 May 2010.
- ^ "'Johnny Carson & Bill Webber in 1964".
- ^ Bill Webber on KYW-AM transition from music to all-news format in 1965 on YouTube
- ^ "Philadelphia Radio Archives WIP".
- ^ "Tribute to Bill "Wee Willie" Webber".
- ^ "WVLT (FM)".
- ^ "Philly TV Legend Bill Webber Dies at 80".
- Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Bio
- The Encyclopedia of Philadelphia Children's Television
- Wee Willie Webber entry in Philadelphia Television book preview
- Wee Willie Webber Photos on PHL17 website
- 'Wee Willie' Webber dies, a beloved radio, TV star
- Wee Willie Webber Broadcast Pioneers Tribute on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber Philly Kids Legend on TV and Radio on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber on Breakfast Time in January of 1963 playlist on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber on Challenge Billiards in 1964 playlist on YouTube
- Whatever Happened To Wee Willie Webber on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber and Pixanne on See Them Now on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber on 60s Revolution on YouTube
- Wee Willie Webber on Larry Kane Time Capsule on YouTube
- Philadelphia WPVI Action News Extra Disc Jockeys 1981 on YouTube
- Broadcast Pioneers Bill Webber Interview '00 on YouTube
- Bill Webber on KYW-AM transition from music to all-news format in 1965 on YouTube
- WPHL-TV Channel 17 50th Anniversary Show - Intro/Sign On/Wee Willie Webber on Vimeo
- American children's television presenters
- 2010 deaths
- Radio personalities from Philadelphia
- Mass media in Philadelphia
- Television personalities from Philadelphia
- People from Havana
- People from Bushwick, Brooklyn
- 1929 births
- Local children's television programming in the United States
- Television in Philadelphia
- Bushwick High School alumni