Steve Phillips AFRS Adak 1968

 And I'll bet the weather was cold... Steve Phillips returns with another visit, 1968

Steve later went on Fort CONUS to KISN Portland.  He's got of bunch a nice radio at his website RadioDiscJockey

 

Steve Phillips - AFRS Adak 1968

More AFRS Alaska

AFRN Alaska - Michael Brown 1971

 

Yes, Adak, Alaska, (halfway out the Aleutian chain), has a radio station.  Two of them actually,  The AM station on 890 kHz (yep WLS) and an automated  FM.

I was in the Navy and was a CTM-2 when I arrived on Adak, June 1970.  I  left 1 year, 22 hours and 15 minutes later (plane landing to plane takeoff).

My main job had nothing to do with radio, but since I had an interest in being a DJ, I managed to get a weekend shift in the late night hours on Sunday, for 1.5 hours.  I eventually got moved to Sat afternoons for 2 hours and then expanded to 3 hrs.  I have tapes of pretty much all of my shows, which I've recently transferred to WAV files on the computer.

While there, the staff of the station did a radio series called Ptarmigan Tim.

At my last tour of duty, which was Edzell, Scotland, I did four DeeJay gigs at the EM club near the end of 1973. Did some private party deejaying for a few years after getting out.

During the hey-day of Doctor Who on PBS, I did pledge drives answering phone banks and a few times did on camera pledge drives.

Otherwise, I got into electronics as well as computers; self taught Unix system adminstration long before Microcrap came along. So, I am one of those computer geeks and my house has the computers to show for it.

 

AFRS Adak - Michael Brown May 29, 1971 Last show

More AFRN

AFRS Alaska - Steve Phillips 1967

 

Here's our first visit with AFRS Alaska.  It's 1967 and Steve Phillips brings the music.

AFRS Adak - Steve Phillips 1967

More AFRS Alaska

AFRS Alaska 1944

TIME OUT from pool game to listen on the radio.  Portable radios are furnished by the Special Service division of the Army.  Radio reception is not too good in most sections of the Highway, due perhaps to mountains, mineral deposits, and Northern Lights.  Pool tables are, however, a late addition to most camps.  They were furnished by the American Red Cross.

(The Alaska Highway "Truck Tracks" 16 Feb 1944)

AFRTS Adak - Michael Brown 1970

Michael Brown counted down the greatest hits of 1970 on AFRS Adak.

Michael Brown 1970 year end countdown AFRTS Adak

More AFRTS Alaska

Alaska 1944

(Adak) Actors and actresses gather around during rehearsal for a play over station WXLB operated by GIs on barren Adak in the Aleutians.  Station is operated for the entertainment of the men who man the lonely frontier and once a week a play is featured.  

Left to right: Kathy Kellett (Butte, Montana), Sid Chauken (Long Beach, California), Muriel Couchman (Iowa City, Iowa), Andy Eger (Hollis, New York), Alice Chilgren (Little Fork, Minnesota), Jack Pulliam (Dallas, Texas)

10/31/44

More AFRS Alaska

Walt Pinto - AFRS Alaska 1961

The only thing I have is a picture, since I did mostly TV.  (And there was no videotape in 1961 and 62.

Greely had the Arctic Test Board and the Cold Weather and Mountain School.  I think I mentioned that we broadcast on Channel 8 with 200 watts.  That got us into Delta Junction about 10 miles away.  The only other TV the town had was one translator from a Fairbanks TV station.

But I worked in radio for two years before the Army.  I enlisted for the 3 years because I was about 6 months from being drafted.  As you know the 3 year enlistment guarantees the school and no reserves after separation.  Went to the Defense Information  school at Ft. Slocum in NY.  Spent a year at Bragg in Psywar, doing details.  Then the year and a half in AK.  Discharged 45 days early in Nov. 62.  Went back to radio and am still in it today.

www.legendsradio.com

When I got there in May of '61, the TV station was halfway between the New post and the Old post.  The staff...all 3 of us lived at the station, which was great.  We had a kitchen and private rooms.  Then about 6 months later, they moved the radio station into the building and built several more rooms for those people.

We were the first station to get the weekly shipment of films from LA.  After we used them, they were sent on, eventually reaching the middle east about nine months later.  The shows...an entire week's worth of programming...arrived two weeks before they were supposed to air.  We had a projection room with two projectors which an editor used to watch every piece of film to make sure there was no commercial or even a commercial frame on those films.  I became friendly with a couple of the MPs, and many weekends they would come by late at night on the weekends and we'd have a beer party watching the shows before they aired.

Living at the TV station was great.  Not one inspection or any kind of the usual oversight.

I have wanted to go back to Alaska since I left, and three years ago got the chance.  My wife and I flew to Anchorage and drove around for two weeks.  Before I left from here, I contacted the Info office at Greely about getting a tour.  They said OK, and we had a nice tour when I got there.  The post was closed a few years ago, but reopened later and now is a missile base.  Part of the post is now top secret, but I got to see the rest...almost nothing recognizable from 50 years ago.

AFRS Alaska - 40th anniversary

There's a lot of great video stories.  Larry Rogers shared with us the 40th anniversary of the Alaska network.

 

 

AFRS Alaska 40th (video)

 

 

More AFRS Alaska

Michael Brown AFRS Adak Alaska 1971

Thanks again to Michael Brown for sharing his AFRS memories.  Today it's almost three hours of the request show.

Michael Brown - AFRS Adak - 1971

We went to different high schools together...

Chad Johnson on the board in Adak

This is a page of memories from the Kodiak station.

AFRS Adak - Michael Brown 1971

A while back Michael Brown sent a bunch of great quality airchecks of his shows from the AFRTS station in  Adak Alaska.  Quality is great and it's request time...

AFRS Adak - Michael Brown 1971

More from AFRTS Alaska

We now join our affiliate station...

I thought you may have some fun with this.  Airchecks from the field

AFN Europe

AFVN Vietnam

AFKN Korea

FEN

AFTN Thailand

AFRS Alaska

AFRS Iceland

AFN France

SCN Panama

Mosquito Network

Did you save any airchecks?

AFRS Adak - The Great Dogsled Race

Everywhere we did community programming, carnivals, fairs, blooddrives.  This was a February day in 1971.  AFRS Adak TV and radio covering "The Great Dogsled Race".  After that it's Michael Brown playing favorites.

Adak

890 KHz

250w

AFRS Adak 1971

AFRTS Adak Alaska - Michael Brown 1970

A while back Michael Brown send a bunch of shows that he did in Adak.  Time for another, this was shortly after he arrived...

 

AFRTS Adak - Michael Brown 1970