James Fisher, whose extensive music industry career included senior international posts at Motown Records and ASCAP as well as a key role at the Music Managers Forum, died April 3 in London after complications of the novel coronavirus.
He was 89. Born in Perth, Australia, Fisher worked initially in radio and television there, and read the first news bulletin broadcast by the ABC-TV network in his hometown on May 7, 1960.
The following year, he immigrated to the U.K. and was employed by Independent Television News as a newscaster. In 1965, Fisher joined the BBC as continuity editor for its radio networks, and later as presentation editor for BBC Radio 1 and 2.