Mississippi Public Broadcasting is remembering Jack K. Schweitzer – a wonderful man who was considered the voice of Mississippi Educational Television (ETV) for 33 years. Schweitzer died April 18 after a lengthy battle with dementia. He was 85.
Schweitzer had been a part of Mississippi ETV, now known as Mississippi Public Broadcasting, since its inception when he was hired as an announcer in 1970. He retired in 2003. Early on, Schweitzer did all the voiceovers and promos for the public broadcasting television station. He produced and hosted a weekly public affairs show in the 1970s called The Peoples Business. In the 1980s, the show was renamed Access, and in the 1990s it was renamed Open Air.
Schweitzer also did a daily program called Job Bank that ran from the early 1980s until the mid to late 2000s. Job Bank aired for 5 minutes around the close of the broadcast day back when Mississippi ETV signed off at night.
“I never met Jack Schweitzer, but I do remember that show and that voice. Anybody who lived in Mississippi back then had to remember Job Bank,” said MPB Executive Director Ronnie Agnew, who came to the agency in 2011.
Others recount how Schweitzer was so memorable. “He had a particular inflection in his voice (when announcing the job positions). He made it interesting no matter what the topic was,” said Claudia Singletary, MPB executive assistant who started at MPB years after Schweitzer’s retirement.
Jayne Buttross, a family friend and Jackson resident, said Schweitzer was an Mississippi ETV icon known for his resounding voice, his talk shows and Job Bank. “The show had a cult following. He read those job openings with all the enthusiasm in the world.”
One humorous incident that happened during the taping of Job Bank involving Schweitzer and pesky fly became legendary within the walls of Mississippi ETV. As the story goes, the fly kept buzzing around Schweitzer’s face during the show, even landing on him at times by some accounts. Schweitzer was extremely annoyed but never flinched. He waited until someone yelled “Cut!” to which he responded, “It’s about time” and then he took care of the fly. People still laugh at the story to this day.
Some current MPB employees remember working with Schweitzer years ago and recall him fondly.
“Jack had a warm personality, always laughing, quite affable. He was an all-around guy. I think everyone loved him,” said MPB News Director Teresa Collier, who joined MPB in 1994 as a public affairs producer. On a few occasions, Collier filled in hosting Open Air when Schweitzer was out. “It was an exciting experience because the show covered open topics ranging from light-hearted to serious matters.”
Eddie Bunkley was hired at age 19 in 1976 as a production assistant and works at MPB today in a variety of roles. What he remembers most about Schweitzer was his work ethic.
“He was a consummate professional. He followed scripts correctly and took care of his voice. Though there was a teleprompter, he always kept copies of his script in his pocket in case the teleprompter malfunctioned,” Bunkley said. “He was never confrontational when he interviewed people. He was more of guide who pulled stories out of his guests…a great person to know.”
Glenroy Smith, who was hired as a cameraman in 1979 and works in the MPB Television department today, recalls some of Schweitzer’s other talents. “He was a good musician,” Smith said. “There was a piano in the hallway that he would play. He often had musicians come on his shows.”
Buttross was working as the senior assistant to Lt. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove when she met Schweitzer and his wife, Tessie, in the late 1990s. Since then they’ve had many meals together at restaurants in Jackson and in their homes. She describes the couple as smart, great, sweet people who cared about the right stuff and who tried to help others.
“He loved asking people questions and listening to their stories,” she said. “He loved public radio and television. He was a history buff who was incredibly well-read and really smart. He was also someone who believed in the mission of public broadcasting.”
His obituary from Dignity Memorial website states that Schweitzer was born Sept. 19, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri to Albert and Eleanor Schweitzer. He was a charismatic and intelligent child and a voracious reader. He attended St. Louis University where he majored in Radio and Television. He met his beloved wife, Tessie, who preceded him in death, in St. Louis where their life together began after marrying in 1964. In 1970, he was hired as the announcer for Mississippi's first PBS affiliate in Jackson. Jack truly became the voice of Mississippi Educational Television, later to be known as MPB. From the late 1970s until his retirement in 2003, he produced and hosted a weekly interview show, "Access," later renamed "Open Air." This is where Jack shined. Or, more aptly, where he let his interviewees shine.
Jack was a warm and kind-hearted man who will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He is survived by an older brother, Albert L. Schweitzer, Jr., his daughters, Nancy Schweitzer Polidi (Ari) and Margaret Schweitzer Tucker (Kevin) as well as his beloved grandsons, Adam and Ethan Polidi.
Services will be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. The Cathedral will be open at 9 a.m.
MPB is a state agency that also operates as a PBS and NPR affiliate broadcasting station. For more information visit www.mpbonline.org. Find all MPB press releases here.