4389284602.jpg &&& JIM NETTLETON'S 50-year career in radio spanned the East Coast from Connecticut to Florida, including a stint in New York City, but it was in Philadelphia that he felt most at home. Well-known as one of the "Boss Jocks" at WFIL, playing his beloved rock 'n' roll in the '60s, Jim once said in an interview that rock music "became almost as famous in Philadelphia as the Liberty Bell." "Philadelphia is a very loyal town," he said. "It is a small town in many ways because so many natives stay in the area, and it is a city with neighborhoods where people get to know each other. "There are people at the club nights that I go to now that I've been seeing for decades in Philadelphia." Jim Nettleton, who became a legend in local broadcasting, died yesterday of cancer. He was 69 and lived in Cherry Hill, N.J. In the interview, Jim also noted that there were "64 notable rock recording artists who grew up within 16 blocks. "No other city has come close to having that much rock music talent," he said. Most recently, Jim was on the air at a new program with the brand name "Wibbage" on station WILW-FM, in Wildwood. "It sounds just like WIBG, Philly's pioneering rock 'n' roll station," a critic wrote when the broadcasts began in April. There is some irony involved since Jim Nettleton was one of the "Boss Jocks" on WFIL who went up against the WIBG "Good Guys," and WFIL prevailed. Wibbage went out of business in Philly in 1977. Jim recalled "the thrill of the competition and professionalism. We had a pitched battle on the field, but off the air we'd shake hands and have a drink." "He was a gentleman," said Jerry Wilkinson, president of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. "He was one of the good people in the industry. "A lot of people you work with wouldn't hesitate to put a knife in your back or step on you on their way up. Not Jim. "He was not only a legend who reached the pinnacle of his career, you couldn't find a nicer guy in the business. I never heard Jim say a bad word about anybody," said Wilkinson, onetime operations manager at WDAS and a former producer for Channel 12. Christy Springfield, WXTU personality who worked with Jim at WOGL and WPEN, quoted her husband as saying, "If you knew Jim for five minutes and you didn't like him, you had serious issues." "There aren't enough words to describe him," Christy said. "He was a legend, but he never made you feel inferior. He was always helpful, a friend, a mentor, a sounding board. An all-around good guy." Jim Nettleton, a native of Boston, came to Philadelphia in 1966 as an afternoon-drive disc jockey at WFIL "Famous 56," which the Broadcast Pioneers called the "greatest rock 'n' roll station in the world." Over the years, he worked for other stations here, including WCAU, now WOGL, as well as WPEN and WUSL, on the air and in management. He also had his own business syndicating radio specials, worked as a consultant and often appeared at local clubs and benefits for charity. In 1974, Jim received Billboard Magazine's Program Director of the Year Award for his work as director of programming/operations and afternoon-drive personality at WOGL-FM. Jim had no intention of getting into radio in his youth, but as a student at Rutgers University in the late '50s, he was asked to audition for a spot on the campus radio station, WRSU. He got the job and was hooked. "I immediately fell in love with the business," he once said. He dropped out of college after three months and was hired at WPAZ, in Pottstown, doing a morning show. After that, he moved on to WHTG, in Eatontown, N.J., then to WATR, in Waterbury, Conn. At WDRC in Hartford, Conn., he got the nickname "Diamond Jim" from a producer who had a fondness for Diamond Jim Brady, an outrageous character of the 19th century. Jim moved to New York in 1969 to join WABC as an-on air personality and also became involved in developing, writing and voicing a nightly series, "Retro Rock," a musical history of rock 'n' roll. In 1971, Jim formed Cantaur Productions, Ltd., a syndicator of radio specials to the injustry. He built a studio at his house where he produced specials on rock history, the Beatles, a history of country music and others. Jim worked at CHUM, in Toronto, for a brief time as a consultant and on-air performer. In 1972 he returned to Philadelphia. He worked at WUSL as director of programming and co-host of a morning show. From 1979 to 1982, he did afternoon drive on WPEN and produced and hosted a Saturday night Big Band show. From 1984 to 1993, he was vice president of operations for WDAE, in Tampa. He became a freelance commercial announcer in the Tampa-Orlando-Miami area, and also appeared on Channels 8 and 10 in Tampa. He was back in Philly in 1993, affiliated with WOGL again. He then went to WPEN to do an afternoon program. He left when the station changed its format in 2005. Jim is survived by his wife, the former Diane Fearfoss; two sons, Todd and Tedd; and a daughter, Tammy. Services: A memorial service is being planned.