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A while back we receive a lot of unlabeled material from AFN, mostly from the early 1950s and Munich.
Question for our German friends, how has the way you use AFN changed over the years?
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Early AFN
A while back we receive a lot of unlabeled material from AFN, mostly from the early 1950s and Munich.
Question for our German friends, how has the way you use AFN changed over the years?
Roland Bynum - 1973
Time for another visit with Roland Bynum. It's 1973 and the music is great. Al Green, Roland's future boss Stevie Wonder and more.
It's for the Air Force from Roger Carroll Enterprises. Play it loud.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Jim Pewter - 1980
Jim Pewter at AFKN
Time to check in at the Candy Store. Jim checks if rock is here to stay. I've said it before but Jim Pewter was another AFKN vet.
Play it loud!
Thursday, September 22, 2016
AFVN RIP Jane Cook Lewis "Jane the Weathergirl:
“Janie the Weathergirl,” as she was known to the viewers of the American Forces Vietnam Network TV station in Saigon, was killed in an automobile crash September 12, on Interstate 5 just north of Oceanside, California.
She and her twin sister Joan were born May 6, 1942, in San Diego. Jane was a graduate of Hoover High School in San Diego and attended San Diego State University where she met her husband-to-be, George Lewis. They were married August 22, 1964.
As a young wife, Jane encouraged her husband to pursue his TV career and accompanied him to Vietnam when NBC News sent George to cover the war for the network in 1970. From late that year until early 1972, Jane became the “weather girl” on American Forces TV in Saigon. She also traveled in combat zones, helping entertain the troops at various firebases and visiting the U.S. Navy fleet patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin, dropping in on some of the vessels at the end of a helicopter hoist line.
One of her trademarked bits on AFVN was the way she wrapped up the weather report on the late news. She’d recline on a couch, whisper “goodnight fellas,” and turn off the light. It was decidedly un-p.c. by today’s standards, but a big hit with the troops.
During her time in Southeast Asia, Jane developed an interest in Asian art and was later co-founder of Vagabond House, a small business that imported Asian decorative accessories. She and her partner Susan Lord, the wife of NBC News producer Art Lord, were among the first American businesswomen to visit China on a buying trip a couple of years after President Richard Nixon’s historic opening of relations in 1972.
With the birth of her first daughter Sarah, in Houston in 1977, Jane’s focus shifted to motherhood. A second daughter, Katherine, was born in 1980 in Washington, D.C. Two years later, the Lewis family returned to California when George was assigned to the NBC Los Angeles bureau.
Jane and George went their separate ways in 1993 but remained connected through their children and grandchildren. They vowed to live out their lives as friends and welcomed grandsons Carter, Jack and Owen into the family in recent years.
Jane’s final decade was spent in San Diego and she lived at the home she inherited from her mother in 2005. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be sent to AIWF San Diego, 2683 Via de la Valle, Del Mar, CA 92014. Checks should be made out to AIWF and “Jane Cook Lewis Scholarship Fund” should be written on the memo line. AIWF is a 501(c)(3) charity and contributions are fully tax deductible.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Don Tracy -1995
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Thanks George for taking the time to record these in 1995. It's a Don Tracy Friday. The party starts now!
Chris Noel - 1969
Chris Noel and Bob Crane.
Chris Noel made a lot of days a lot brighter. Her show A Date With Chris made a huge impact in the lives of Vietnam era troops. It's a Tuesday in 1969.
Link fixed
Small World - 1965
Small World was a catch all show hosted by the always affable George Chruch. On todays show the guest is singer Gogi Grant.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Joe Ferguson - 1983
From Portland to you. Joe Ferguson from KUPL did a series of shows for AFRTS in 1983. A few years ago he shared them with us. It's a fun listen.
Friday, September 16, 2016
After this important message..
We did spots. PSAs by the ton. Usually the stations fell under the influence of one or more Public Affairs shops. The stuff written by the journalists there was usually workable, but the ones written by the officers wife with the club were awful. The one written by the OIC of the MPs not too hot. 4 minute spots, remember those? It turned out to be great training for the civilian world when a sponsor would send over their own copy.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Ira Cook - 1964
Ira started his Los Angeles career at Classical KFAC, but his success and long-term longevity came at 710/KMPC.
He began at KMTR in 1938 as a record librarian and sometime announcer. He had just graduated from Stanford with a degree in basic medical science. His love affair with radio started at age 8 on a
visit to a local station with his father. Ira was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota. "During World War II, I was at the Battle of the Bulge and we lost 10 – 15 guys in my platoon," said Ira in a detailed interview. After World War II service, Ira hooked up with Frank Bull to broadcast boxing and wrestling from the Olympic Auditorium. He went on to host Lucky Lager Dance Time on KFAC. He also had a fascination with being a songwriter.
In a 1957 Newsweek story connected with a payola probe, Ira made the following comment about being a DJ: "It's safer than stealing, more legal than gambling, easier than loafing, and it beats working!"
Ira made a career out of his association with Hawaiian music. He played one Hawaiian song an hour and brought Don Ho to the Mainland at the height of Ho's career. "In college I became intrigued with Hawaiian music and I went to the Islands for 12 years straight." Another of his popular features was "Star of the Day," in which Ira featured one track from one artist every half-hour. Ira hosted over 3,000 AFRTS programs "It was really fascinating getting letters from servicemen in Iceland asking about Hawaiian music. It seemed to be as popular there as country music."
He had an extraordinary relationship with sponsors. Wallichs Music City sponsored his
program for 20 years and Felix Chevrolet for 10. In 1968, Ira appeared in the Gene Barry tv series, Name of the Game. About the same time, he was broadcasting a show called "Lunch With the Stars," from Universal Pictures' lot, each day at noon.
Ira retired in the early 1980s. "The music really turned bad. I don't know how I could exist.
Since retiring, I haven't had a dull day." He loved golf and shot 6 holes-in-one at the Los Robles course. "At Simi Valley I shot a hole-in-one on a 170 yard hole. "The very next week I'm playing with Red Skelton,Art Gilmore and AFTRA's Claude McKeen and I shot another one on the very same hole."
Ira died May 15, 2007. His wife for 58 years, Virginia had preceded him.
From 1964, here's Ira
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