Bernie Dittman
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Bernard Sidney Dittman was the longtime owner, president, and general manager of radio station WABB on the AM and FM bands in Mobile, Alabama. Since Dittman assumed ownership in 1959, WABB has been one of the longest running Top-40 radio stations in the United States.
Born in Ohio in 1927, Dittman's interest in broadcasting became known in the sales and marketing department of his family's appliance store in Cleveland, Ohio. He was involved in the purchasing of advertising time on local radio stations. When Dittman attended the University of St. Louis, he did not study broadcasting, but engineering. After earning his engineering decree, Dittman's interest in broadcasting kept him away from a career in engineering. His interest finally peaked when he decided to buy a radio station up for sale, with the help of a broker. Dittman found out that the Mobile Register was selling its country music station WABB. He seized the opportunity in 1959 and shortly after arriving in Mobile a year later, the station began broadcasting Top-40 music. The format was such a success in the 1960s that WABB added a new FM simulcast in 1973. Dittman and his staff encouraged drivers in a series of on-air promotions to install low-cost FM radio receivers. WABB-FM eventually continued the Top-40 format after the AM station switched to a news/talk format.
Dittman’s service to his fellow man extended beyond FM radio receivers. Since he came to Mobile, the WABB Community Club Awards Program of Greater of Mobile has provided thousands of dollars in financial awards to local organization. The station’s longtime sponsorship of the Greater Gulf State Fair in Mobile began in 1965, along with the long running High Striker game, a charitable promotion at the entrance to the fair’s Midway. For years Dittman was seen operating the game himself. The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (sponsored by WABB since 1970) the Senior Bowl, and the GMAC Bowl received financial support from Dittman and WABB through the years. Since WABB was the Emergency Broadcast System for Mobile, Dittman and his radio staff kept residents informed during severe weather, especially during, and after hurricanes.
Dittman has received numerous awards of recognition for his professional and public service, but he was not always fond of the attention. When the Alabama Broadcasters Association was about to honor fellow member Dittman as the 2005 Alabama Broadcasters Association's Broadcaster of the Year, his daughter Betsey and radio competitor David Coppock found a clever way of getting Dittman to the awards banquet.
In October 2006, Dittman had a stroke and was placed in a hospital. On the night of October 25, he died at the age of 79 following an illness that had begun just the week before. In the days following his death, friends and family expressed their feelings and shared memories of the man many came to know as someone who cared deeply for his stations, current staff, and former staff. Betsey Dittman succeeded her father after relocating from Chicago, Illinois to Mobile, fulfilling the promise Bernie Dittman had of never selling out in an age when a single corporation can own multiple stations and radio stations are mostly automated.
