Battaglieri Anthony

Anthony Battaglieri, 87, of Pennside, passed away on May 15, 2021, at Berkshire Center.

Born in Reading, he was a son of the late Antonio and Josephine (Franco) Battaglieri.

He was a graduate of Reading High School in 1953.

After high school, Anthony was a cameraman for Channel 3, Philadelphia and Channel 12 in Wilmington, DE and Philadelphia. In 1963 Anthony founded WRFY, Reading, where he served as the sales manager his entire career retiring in 1992. He was instrumental in the purchase of WRAW in 1976, founded WMMB AM and FM in 1986 in Melbourne, FL, helped to bring WFMZ 98.5 to Reading, produced the first Polka program on WRFY and later switched to WRAW, and produced the first Hispanic Radio Show on WRAW.

Not limited to radio, Anthony founded the first live TV show on local cable (Berks TV cable), and spearheaded local efforts in putting the antenna on top of the Court House in Reading. He also owned and managed movie theaters in Topton, Nazareth, and Hamburg.

He is survived by his daughters: Angelina M. (Kenneth) Fick; Judith A. Stricker, all of Pennside; Jeanne J. Allen,, all of Pennside; and Josephine J. (Andrew) Carr, Phoenixville. Six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren also survive him.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service on Friday, May 21, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. at Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, West Reading with burial to follow at Gethsemane Cemetery. Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., West Reading is honored to serve the Battaglieri family. Condolences may be expressed at www.kuhnfuneralhomes.com.