Legendary Diné broadcaster dies at age 57
Radio station KTNN's Ernie Manuelito fought to keep the Navajo Language alive

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Ernie Manuelito, who participated in the first broadcast on KTNN radio station, died early Friday morning in Albuquerque at the age of 57.

Manuelito was there from the beginning of KTNN as one of “the voices of the Navajo Nation.” He was a DJ, chief engineer and rodeo/sports announcer at the station for more than 23 years.

Marcia Peshlakai of KTNN said that Manuelito will always be remembered as a Navajo radio icon.

His was one of the most famous voices on the Navajo Nation — whether keeping sheepherders company as they watched over their animals or broadcasting the Super Bowl in the Diné language. While television and Internet have not been easily accessible in rural areas and thousands of homes lack electricity on the Navajo reservation, most homes have a radio and batteries, and Manuelito was one of their connections to the outside world.

At KTNN, where Manuelito often said he loved to work, a photograph of him in Oakland, Calif., during a broadcast of a Raiders game is already being displayed at the front with the words “In Loving Memory of Ernest Manuelito.”

He was the first person to broadcast on KTNN AM 660 on Feb. 28, 1986, at 6:30 a.m. He also played a primary role in the planning and construction of the radio station.

On Friday mornings, Manuelito’s Morning Golden Oldies Show was a popular treat and helped add to KTNN’s reputation for its unique mix of country, oldies and Native American music.

Manuelito earned many awards throughout his career. His biggest recognition came when he broadcast Super Bowl 30 in Navajo, which won him the BoJack Sports Award for Announcer of the Year in 1996.

Manuelito told the San Francisco Gate in November 2005 when he and sports/rodeo director L.A. Williams broadcast a Raiders game in Navajo, “That is a part of the mission — to keep the language alive.”

Manuelito worked at KTNN until health problems hindered his ability to continue, Peshlakai said.