From the MMaRchives: WMMR Moves Into a New Home
WMMR has had a handful of homes over 50+ years of being on air in Philadelphia. This is the story of the station’s first big move. On February 3rd, 1992, the staff boarded Harleys on Rittenhouse Square bound for Independence Mall joining sister stations KWY and KYW-TV in our new home.
Moving from Rittenhouse Square to 5th and Market. L-R: Pierre Robert; Kevin Gunn; Earle Bailey, John DeBella; Pat Godwin; Grover Silcox; Howard Eskin
MOVIN’ OUT
Leaving the only home you have ever known can be daunting. Not only are you moving on from a place with strong memories and emotional ties, but when you have been there a while, you tend to collect a lot of stuff as well. In our case, mostly records! And since WMMR had set up camp at 19th and Walnut in April of 1968, when new owners Westinghouse Broadcasting told us we were moving in early 1992, we started packing. And kept packing. Then packed some more. The last thing we did before our final departure was to sign the wall outside the main air-studio, which overlooked Rittenhouse Square. We passed on smoking the carpet, but only after lengthy deliberation.
John DeBella is off to WMMR’s new home in Philadelphia, 1992
GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNIN’
Fittingly, it was John DeBella and the Morning Zoo who roared into our next stop at 5th and Market, where we’d set up shop with our new sister stations KYW-AM and KYW-TV. So, as to loudly announce our arrival, DeBella, the Zoo Crew, and Pierre Robert, boarded Harleys provided by the Tr-State Hog club and ABATE, and promptly circled Rittenhouse Square one last time, then headed east. DeBella and Pierre broadcast the entire trip, and upon arrival, a welcoming committee of our new colleagues met us.
The WMMR staff rode Harleys to WMMR’s new home in Philadelphia, 1992
LET’S ALL GO TO THE LOBBY
The cast of the AM and the TV station, along with behind-the-scenes staff had all gathered outside the main lobby of the building when our entourage pulled up. But DeBella being DeBella, told his driver to keep going, right up the ramp and into the lobby. Others followed, then revved their engines to make it official. Much to the chagrin of our new hosts, the lobby and been decorated, and a spread of bagels, donuts, coffee, and the like were set up by our hosts. Now all was swimming in exhaust fumes!
Moving from Rittenhouse Square to 5th and Market in Philadelphia, 1992
NEW DIGS
After that first impression, we all toured our new home. The offices (not cubes) were all freshly built and had modern amenities that the old girl at 19th and Walnut just couldn’t support. We were now able to use brand spanking new studios, including an air studio that was four times the size of our old space. The mindblower was a double decker cart rack. Carts (think 8 tracks) were a mainstay of audio in the era, and we had zillions. Once the front was filled, we hit a button, and it disappeared down below revealing another rack for EVEN MORE CARTS? It was at once christened “The DeBellavator!”
The first day at the new WMMR studios in 1992 at 5th and Market
FIVE YEARS
We all loved Rittenhouse Square and the energy we felt while working there. But Independence Mall was far from dull. From our third-floor vantage point, we could look out and see the Liberty Bell, Carpenter Hall, and Independence Hall. It was a constant parade of tourists, school trips, buses, horse drawn carriages, not to mention all kinds of new restaurants and the like to be sampled. Throw in the fact that with the KYW-AM crew, and the KYW-TV Eyewitness News cast, we were finally around other people who were working all hours as well. It was a great five years. In early 1997, we moved once again, this time to suburban Bala Cynwyd, where we reside to this day.
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