(Left to right) WOGL's Tommy McCarthy with
Broadcast Pioneers members Hy Lit & Bill Wright, Sr.
Broadcast Pioneers Luncheon at the Holiday Inn, City Avenue
Wednesday, February 15, 2005

Broadcast Pioneers member Tommy McCarthy was bitten by the bug to be a radio disc jockey after meeting Dick Clark and dancing on American Bandstand as a part of his fourteenth birthday celebration. Music was always a big part of his life even before he saw Elvis Presley on "the Ed Sullivan Show." This was when he began his legendary record collection of 45's, LP's, and CD's.

A native of New Jersey (with the exception of four years in the United States Air Force) Tommy has spent his entire life in the Delaware Valley. Tommy started his radio career in November of 1975 at various radio stations in the southern New Jersey area including WMVB, Millville; WRDR, Hammonton; WJJZ, Mount Holly; WCAM, Camden and WMID, Atlantic City.

McCarthy also began to perform at various night clubs in the Philadelphia region including Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grill in King of Prussia, where he hosted the New Year's Rockin' Eve and was appointed by Dick Clark for the advisory board to the American Bandstand Regulars committee.

In October 1982, Tommy started broadcasting on WSNI/WPGR in Philadelphia. Tommy has also worked on WIOQ in Philadelphia and New Jersey 101.5 FM in Trenton joining WOGL in 1990 Through the years Tommy has hosted shows with many stars including Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Drifters, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Beach Boys, The Temptations and many more.

A couple of his fondest memories of hosting shows was with three of Philadelphia's favorite sons, "The Golden Boys Of Bandstand," Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell. Recently, he was the host of Dick Clark's 40th Anniversary of American Bandstand on the PBS television network with many of the original dancers and film clips.

Since 1993, McCarthy has been the music director of WOGL-FM. In addition to his duties on radio, for the past seven years he has been seen hosting music specials on QVC-TV as the music authority for various music products.

In 1997, Tommy received two nominations for "Achievement in Radio Awards" (A.I.R.) and is a five time nominee for "The Best Overnight Host" for the Tommy McCarthy Show. Plus another for "Writer And Producer" for the Top 20 Countdown Show both in 1997 and again in 2007. Also he's spotlighted in the national publication "Philadelphia City Of Music"

In September of 2004, Tommy started another faze in his broadcasting career with a weekly internet radio and television show on the QBC TV2 cable network in southern New Jersey. Every Saturday nite from 7 pm to 10 pm it's a live radio show on TV, "The Tommy McCarthy Treasure Chest." Still adding more exciting projects to his schedule, as of December 2005, Tommy McCarthy now is the music director on the nationally syndicated "Ross Brittain Hit Machine" a weekly four hour show with various features and news events covering the 1960's and 1970's.

With a full schedule at the radio station and television, Tommy still finds time to enjoy his many hobbies of boating on his 24' Bayliner named the "Li'l Rock N' Roller" and cruisin' with the top down in his red Corvette, also collecting records and CD's. There is hardly a song from the Rock N' Roll era that Tommy doesn't have in his collection. McCarthy said, "I have been blessed with a great career, good health, and a wonderful family. Life has its moments."

From the official archives of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
Photo originally donated by Broadcast Pioneers member Gerry Wilkinson
© 2008, Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
All Rights Reserved

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com