Juha Jokinen died at the age of 85 from a sudden illness on the tennis court. Another narrator legend Pentti Salmi remembers Jokinen as a great and helpful colleague.
Mika Halonen,
Timo Uusitalo
Yleisradio’s long-term sports reporter and Urheilurutu’s screen face Juha Jokinen died at the age of 85 of a sudden attack on the tennis court on Wednesday.
Jokinen started his television career already in 1961. He became a permanent commentator for Yleisradio in 1979 and continued in the job until 1993.
Jokinen is undeniably one of the biggest legends of Finnish sports reporting. He also distinguished himself as the legendary voice of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, F1 competitions and Jukola’s message.
Also the legendary narrator, Pentti Salmi, worked in Yleisradio’s sport 1972–1991. In addition to his career as a journalist, Salmi has worked in basketball as a coach, referee and background influencer. 95-year-old Salmi still helps the Basketball Association with statistics, among other things.
– At this age, when people leave… No one stays here forever. But it does touch. It is clear. Especially good colleagues like that. When many tens of years have been pushed together, Salmi says.
Salmi reminds that Jokinen took care of his skin. Death also came in a beloved place, on the tennis court.
Jokinen and Salmi are among the pioneers of TV narration.
– We did athletics together, skiing and everything that was on the screen at the time, as they said. With Juha, things always went smoothly. We had a great time. Great as a colleague, helpful.
– After all, he is a “jumper” by profession, exercise has come to him since those days, Salmi reminds.
Someone worked as a freelancer for a long time before being established. It was very common at the time. According to Salmi’s memories, when he started as a permanent reporter, TV1 had two permanent reporters, Anssi Kukkonen and Seppo Kannas. After that it was Salme and Jokinen’s turn. Of course, the TV2 side was its own organization then.
At the 2014 Sports Gala, Jokinen was awarded for his work with the Blue and White Voices of Sports recognition. At the same time Salmi, Kannas, Kukkonen, Paavo Noponen and Raimo Häyrinen.
– Our whole old clan got a job then. It’s over there in the corner, Salmi smiles.
Jokinen’s legendary accounts include, among other things Tapio Korjusen Seoul Olympics gold medal throw in 1988, Keke Rosberg’s the first Finnish F1 championship and Juha Miedon one hundredth loss To Thomas Wassberg In Lake Placid 1980.
Jokinen is also especially remembered for his narrative style in Jukola’s messages. Jokinen’s style of hiding near the ticks and whispering remained in life.
Jokinen also once used a special way of pronouncing sequence numbers in his narrations. For example, he said that someone is forty-third and not forty-third. Jokinen has said that he even received small feedback about his style from the Language Office.
Among other things, Jokinen comments on that detail, the growth and development of narration culture, and his cooperation with other narrators in 2019 on the Lindgren & Sihvonen radio program.