Vale: James Fisher

Veteran Motown Records manager James Fisher, who read the very first ABC News bulletin in Perth, has died, aged 89.

He died on April 3 in London after complications of from coronavirus.

Fisher read the first news bulletin on ABW2 on Saturday May 7 1960 after its official opening by ABC chairman Sir Richard Boyer and Postmaster-General C. W. Davidson.

The following year he immigrated to the UK. and was employed by Independent Television News as a newscaster.

In 1965, he joined the BBC as continuity editor for its radio networks, and later as presentation editor for BBC Radio 1 and 2. In that role, Fisher recruited then-pirate radio broadcasters Noel Edmonds and Kenny Everett for voiceovers and links.

In 1970 he formed an independent label and publishing firm, Very Good Music, subsequently acquired by RCA Records, where he worked with the likes of David Bowie, Sweet and David Cassidy.

In 1977, Fisher was appointed general manager of Motown Records’ London-based international division, supervising all the company’s European activities, including artist liaison for concert and promotional tours. He later had 10 years as U.K. regional director for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and a further 10 as general secretary of the International Managers Forum, later to become the Music Managers Forum (MMF).

Source: Hollywood Reporter, WA TV History