Jordan Brown oral history interview

2022-06-17

Brown, Jordan (interviewee); Annabelle Smith (interviewer)

Jordan Brown  was interviewed for the Joseph "Tex" Gathings oral history recordings in 2022. 

In this oral history, radio disc jockey and producer Jordan Brown discusses his memories of Joseph "Tex" Gathings.  Mr. Brown listened to Mr. Gathings on WOOK Radio and watched the television show "Teenarama" produced by Mr. Gathings.  Mr. Brown shares some details about the history of radio and television, station owners, and Black programming.  Around 1970, Mr. Brown worked as a DJ at WOOK TV while Mr. Gathings split his time as station manager and professor at local colleges.  In the 1960s, Gathings began teaching technical skills of television to Black students who could then apply for camera, audio, and lighting jobs at major TV stations at a time when most workers in the field were white, and before most communications majors were established in college curricula in the 1970s.  Mr. Brown feels that Mr. Gathings had a great impact on the community through his time as a radio disc jockey and teaching Black youth the skills needed for the radio and television industry.

History Associates, Inc.

oral histories

Broadcasting, Communications

Commercial Broadcasting

Special Collections and University Archives

English

Recording: 00:30:11 (mp3); Transcript: 14 pages (pdf)

Joseph "Tex" Gathings oral history recordings

An interview transcript is available.