Wee Willie Webber: Difference between revisions
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* [http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/billwebber.html Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Bio] |
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Revision as of 20:05, 18 July 2013
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]
Biography
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 during 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]
Broadcasting
Webber began his broadcasting career in 1948, at a now defunct FM radio station in New York City.[1] He worked for radio stations in both Manhattan and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when he was between the ages 18–24 years old.[1]
Webber was hired as an announcer on WEEU-TV (Channel 33) in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1953.[1] However, WEEU went bankrupt a little more than one year after hiring Webber and went off the air.[1]
In 1954, Webber began working in Philadelphia at WFIL-AM and FM as a "summer relief announcer."[1]
In 1956, Webber became an announcer on Channel 6, WFIL-TV. 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 briefly joined Channel 3 KYW-TV as host of a quiz show. However, Webber's quiz show was cancelled in favor of the existing, more successful The Mike Douglas Show, a talk show hosted by Mike Douglas.[1] In 1965, Webber played the last song on KYW (AM) 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 Channel 17 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club ran for ten years, from 1965 until 1975.[1] From 1976 to 1979, he also hosted the Kids Block television show on Channel 48 in Philadelphia.
Webber worked at the WPEN radio station from 1989 until 2005.[1] From approximately 2007 until 2010, Webber hosted a show on WHAT for five days a week and a Sunday afternoon show on WVLT, which is based 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. Fom 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.
Death
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. Webber lived on Rittenhouse Square at the time.[1]