Manuel Fitch, Oral History
Title
Manuel Fitch, Oral History
Description
Manuel Fitch, long time gospel announcer currently on WJLD Radio AM 1400 and 94.1 FM, on Saturday mornings from 6-8AM. Manuel began working in Birmingham radio in the 1970’s and shared his recollections and stories from his scrapbook pictures. His early nickname was “The Mellow Man.”
Creator
Manuel Fitch
Bob Friedman
Publisher
Birmingham Black Radio Museum
Date
February 05, 2011
Contributor
Leciel Hubbard
Gary Richardson
Mark Usry
Emily Bibb
Format
MP3
PDF
JPG
Language
English
Interviewer
Bob Friedman
Interviewee
Manuel Fitch
Transcription
<b>Transcript from audio snippet:</b>
Bob Friedman: Um, so ..so..what did this machine do?
Manuel Fitch: That machine would ...just play music. Somethin’ like...what we got now… the...satellite.
BF: Mhm
MF: It played music and...you would come in and...maybe talk like you...maybe a minute or so to present the music.
BF: Mhm
MF: And rest of it, you didn't have to worry about bringin’ no music. It was… everything was programmed. Pre-programmed.
BF: But you had to put music on that tape didn't you?
MF: Oh yeah those tapes...they already had them made up
BF: Who made ‘em?
MF: A guy named Tony. Big, large guy. He was ‘bout four, five hundered pounds...
BF: He worked at JLD?
MF: Worked at JLD. Matter of fact, he worked at the company in Florida where the machine was originated from.
BF: and he brought the tapes already made?
MF: He made ‘em up
BF: Here at JLD?
MF: Yeah he made some of ‘em up before he got here. Cause he was, ya know, makin’ old music up...
BF: Mhm
MF: And sent ‘em out to other...Black radio stations. And he came in and he then he just program everything.
BF: You gonna say somethin’ Mr. Hubbard?
H: There were a lot of tapes…
MF: Mhm
BF: Mhm
MF: Well what he's talkin’ about, there was a program came on on Friday… A fact, another reason I left because they faded my program out with somethin’ that they had a program like...BB King and different artists was singin’...it was just a tape that was used, made with our program. It might have been somethin’ like...Rhythm and Blues program on Saturday mornin’.
BF: Uh huh
MF: And those tapes was pre...made and...they came in through the maill. I don’t think..and all ya had to do is listen at ‘em when they end and put in your commercial. Matter of fact, like I said I did it for a while and I got tired of doin’ that and I so I told Tony that I was tired of that.
BF: Mhm
MF: So he told me. He said, “well if the program don’t do no good, we gonna give it to someone else." And he did I left
Bob Friedman: Um, so ..so..what did this machine do?
Manuel Fitch: That machine would ...just play music. Somethin’ like...what we got now… the...satellite.
BF: Mhm
MF: It played music and...you would come in and...maybe talk like you...maybe a minute or so to present the music.
BF: Mhm
MF: And rest of it, you didn't have to worry about bringin’ no music. It was… everything was programmed. Pre-programmed.
BF: But you had to put music on that tape didn't you?
MF: Oh yeah those tapes...they already had them made up
BF: Who made ‘em?
MF: A guy named Tony. Big, large guy. He was ‘bout four, five hundered pounds...
BF: He worked at JLD?
MF: Worked at JLD. Matter of fact, he worked at the company in Florida where the machine was originated from.
BF: and he brought the tapes already made?
MF: He made ‘em up
BF: Here at JLD?
MF: Yeah he made some of ‘em up before he got here. Cause he was, ya know, makin’ old music up...
BF: Mhm
MF: And sent ‘em out to other...Black radio stations. And he came in and he then he just program everything.
BF: You gonna say somethin’ Mr. Hubbard?
H: There were a lot of tapes…
MF: Mhm
BF: Mhm
MF: Well what he's talkin’ about, there was a program came on on Friday… A fact, another reason I left because they faded my program out with somethin’ that they had a program like...BB King and different artists was singin’...it was just a tape that was used, made with our program. It might have been somethin’ like...Rhythm and Blues program on Saturday mornin’.
BF: Uh huh
MF: And those tapes was pre...made and...they came in through the maill. I don’t think..and all ya had to do is listen at ‘em when they end and put in your commercial. Matter of fact, like I said I did it for a while and I got tired of doin’ that and I so I told Tony that I was tired of that.
BF: Mhm
MF: So he told me. He said, “well if the program don’t do no good, we gonna give it to someone else." And he did I left
Duration
Full interview: 31 minutes
Audio snippet: 2 minutes
Audio snippet: 2 minutes
Files
Collection
Citation
Manuel Fitch and Bob Friedman, “Manuel Fitch, Oral History,” The Birmingham Black Radio Museum, accessed October 5, 2024, https://www.thebbrm.org/item/102.
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