Scott Fybush is reporting this morning the death of Jim Nettleton.
Diamond” Jim Nettleton began his broadcast career in Pottstown, then got his big breaks in Connecticut – in Waterbury, New Haven (WAVZ), and most of all in Hartford, where he did afternoons at WDRC in the mid-sixties. He quickly moved south to Philadelphia’s WFIL (560), where he was the “Boss Jock” holding down afternoon drive during one of the decade’s most prominent top-40 radio wars, which pitted WFIL against “Wibbage,” WIBG (990).
Nettleton moved on to overnights at New York’s WABC in 1969, but he continued to be heard in Philadelphia via voicetracks for WCAU-FM (98.1). In 1971, WABC dismissed Nettleton due to the perceived conflict with his work for CBS-owned WCAU-FM, at which point Nettleton went across tow to WPIX-FM.
I never met him, but I learned a lot from just listening to him work, and listen to him I did… and often, particularly when he was WABC’s huge Westinghouse signal from Lodi NJ. He was one of the Kings of the radio profession… and by all reports, a consummate professional. Jim was a poetic 69 years old.
