Home Login RADIO ONLINE RSS Facebook
Advertisement

John DeBella Hosts Final Morning Show on WMGK/Philly


John DeBella
John DeBella

WMGK-FM/Philadelphia morning personality John DeBella stepped into the studio to host his final morning radio show on Friday, June 30. The legendary host is retiring after more than 48 years on the radio airwaves. DeBella's final goodbye show featured members of his family along with Beasley Chief Executive Officer Caroline Beasley, who congratulated him on his incredible career.

To commemorate his final month on the air, the station ran a special tribute segment to celebrate DeBella's legendary career entitled "41 & Done!," where DeBella recounted some of his favorite stories on the air. In addition, the station played old live performances from the Morning Zoo broadcasts in Atlantic City and clips from the yearly shows the legendary personality would do in London. He also read a few tear-jerking emails from longtime listeners.

In addition, numerous artists and comedians, including the Who's Pete Townshend, E Street Band Guitarist Steven Van Zandt, Joan Jett, Graham Nash, The Eagles Don Felder, James Young of Styx, Yes' lead singer Rick Wakeman, Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake and Palmer were featured in recorded goodbye and thank you messages to John in the "41 & Done!" flashback segments.

On Wednesday, June 21, WMGK hosted a special party with listeners at Parx Casino, where fans could have a photo taken, hang out and chat with John one last time. In addition, this past Monday, WMMR-FM midday personality Pierre spent the entire 8am hour of John's show recounting old stories with him from their time together on the air at WMMR.

On Friday, June 30, Fox 29's Good Day Philadelphia will air an interview segment with John and Mike Jerrick.

The Longtime morning show personality has been synonymous with Philadelphia radio entertainment for 41 years. In addition to serving as the morning host of WMGK-FM for the past 21 years, he was a major force doing mornings from 1982 to 1993 on sister 93.3 WMMR-FM.

As one of the originators of the Morning Zoo format, his morning show not only became an unprecedented number one rated show in Philadelphia, but he also achieved the highest ratings in local radio history at that time.

In addition to DeBella's nationally honored radio career, he has appeared as a stand-up comedian, is a local Emmy award winning host & producer, has co-anchored the Philadelphia Mummers Parade and has won numerous local service and humanitarian awards. Along with his morning show on Classic Rock 102.9 WMGK, John heads Husky Productions, a local TV production company.

In June of 2023, DeBella was named among the finalists for the National Radio Hall of Fame and was officially inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame this past April.

"Being on air 48 years in a business where someone else usually decides your retirement date, I was happy to decide this on my own," said DeBella. "I have been blessed over the years with so many talented coworkers and managers- all of whom helped me be my best and had my back when I needed it. Combine that with a very supportive audience, I leave grateful to them all."

"John's desire to win and his efforts in prepping each and every show have never diminished. DeBella is just one of a kind and I've been fortunate to be his PD," stated Beasley Media Group Vice President of Talent Development and station Program Director Bill Weston.

"In typical John DeBella style, he's leaving on a high," said Beasley Media Group Chief Content Officer Justin Chase. "He spent his last few shows raising hundreds of thousands for Veterans, gets a nomination for the National Radio Hall of Fame and maintains top ratings in the Philadelphia market. Congratulations John, you will be missed by everyone here at Beasley."

Advertisement

Latest Radio Stories

Report: Audio Still Reigns in Podcast Consumption
Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights
Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights
Despite the surge in watchable podcast content and the growing dominance of platforms like YouTube, audio remains the core mode of podcast consumption, according to the newly released Podcast Download-Spring 2025 Report from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights. Now in its fourteenth edition, the study -- More

Lori Voornas to Sign Off After 32 Years in Portland Radio
Lori Voornas
Lori Voornas
After more than three decades as one of Portland, Maine's most familiar radio voices, Lori Voornas has announced she will step away from morning radio. Her final broadcast on 94.9 WHOM will be June 27, concluding a 32-year run on Maine's airwaves. Voornas began her Portland radio career in 1993 on WMGX More

Global Ad Market Growth Slows, Digital Remains Resilient
MAGNA
MAGNA
The global advertising industry is expected to grow by 4.9% in 2025, reaching $979 billion, according to MAGNA's Summer Update of its Global Ad Forecast. While that represents a notable deceleration from 2024's 10.3% surge, the report points to digital platforms as the main driver of More
Advertisement

Letty B Joins WBBM (B96) in Chicago as Midday Host
Letty B
Letty B
Audacy has announced the addition of Letty B to the weekday lineup at CHR WBBM-FM (B96) in Chicago. Beginning immediately, she'll be heard on-air from 9am-2pm CT. Most recently, Letty B was with iHeartRadio, where she hosted across KIIS-FM and KOST-FM in Los Angeles, KHTS-FM in San Diego, KYLD-FM in San More

Radio.Cloud Launches Playlist-Specific Assistant AI
Radio.Cloud
Radio.Cloud
Radio.Cloud has unveiled a new AI-powered feature designed to streamline content creation for radio broadcasters. Dubbed Assistant AI, the tool functions as a hybrid research and content development assistant tailored to each station's specific music playlist. Integrated directly into Radio.Cloud's Smart More

''The Bret Mega Show'' Expands to Philly, Kansas City
''The Bret Mega Show''
''The Bret Mega Show''
Audacy has announced that "The Bret Mega Show," co-hosted by Bret Mega, Hannah Gibbs, Kevin Berghoff and Anna Bohlmann is expanding. The show can now be heard weekday mornings on KZPT-FM (99.7 The Point) in Kansas City and on WTDY-FM (The New 96.5) in Philadelphia, starting June 23. The program, which More

Return to Menu

Advertisement

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Radio news and headlines delivered right to your e-mail box -- and it's free.

Advertisement

Advertisement