Ah, those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end. Before satellite, before mpgs, before streaming audio on the internet. Hell, this was before suitcase-sized eight-track tapes. In 1966 pop music was played on 45-rpm records, those little ones with a hole in the middle the size of the cardboard tube in a roll of toilet paper. LP's were still dominated by symphony orchestras and Broadway musical soundtracks. FM radio was only heard in the waiting rooms of doctors offices. All of it seems so long ago and far away.

Tell that to the 200 and more who turned out at the Manayunk Brew Pub Saturday night for the WFIL 40th anniversary party and family reunion. You'd have thought that not only was WFIL currently broadcasting, but that the station had just scored a 10 share in the latest ratings book. These geezers can still party. The whole night seemed like everybody was meeting an old friend for the first time in years (of course a lot of them kept forgetting they'd just talked with each other 20 minutes earlier). I kid the boss jocks. They looked great. And so did the boss chicks. Yes, WFIL was an equal opportunity employer. For every boss jock on air there was a boss chick in promotions. The boss chicks were the ones in mini-skirts. I asked one boss chick what the job interview entailed. She replied, "No comment."

Among the former WFIL luminaries in attendence were Jim Nettleton, Dan Donovan, Bob Charger, Alan Stone, "Banana Joe" Montione, Dick Fennessy, Bobby Mitchell, J.C. Hill, Al Novak and Howard Eskin (yes, he worked as an engineer in the early 1970's). Among the late greats watching the reunion from above (or below) were Jim O'Brien, Joe Niagra, Dr. Don Rose, and "Long John" Wade. Philadelphia radio legends from other stations paying tribute included the venerable Ed Hurst, elfin Dean Tyler, impish Tom Moran and towering Tom Lamaine. Big Al Novak started his radio career, and paid his way through Temple, by driving the flashy red Mustang that cruised the city and suburbs as part of the WFIL Prize Patrol, one of the signature promotions of the station. Part Santa Claus, part stalker, Novak would follow a particular car of his choosing and then call the station and announce live on the air the model and license plate of the car he was trailing. If the car stopped that meant the driver was listening to WFIL and would get the prize. The first time the station offered a $5,000 check as a prize, the general manager told Novak to look for a car with a driver who obviously wouldn't be listening to rock and roll radio. He chose an elderly couple in a green 1953 Chevy in Willow Grove. He announced their license plate on the air and they pulled over. And THAT's how big WFIL was back in the day.