Post 1000

1,000 posts.  A bare minimum of 500 hours to listen to everything again.  Thank you for your part in our history.  Thank you for visiting.  Thank you for visiting our sponsors.  Be sure to tip the waitstaff!

AFRTS Anniversaries

AFN - Dave Malone - 1978 CMA Awards

We're up to the last part of the 1978 Network wide broadcast to celebrate the CMA awards.  From Frankfurt, here's Dave Malone.

AFN Frankfurt - Dave Malone 1978 CMA Awards

Thanks Hans Knot for making these available!

Golden Days Of Radio - War Of The Worlds

Frank Bresee is back with another look at radio's golden days.  Today it's part two of War Of The Worlds

Golden Days Of Radio

 

Whistler - 1962

Halloween's coming up and time for a mystery with the Whistler.  With some breaks, the Whistler was on in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.  The shows hold up surprisingly well.

Whistler - Letter to Melanie

More Old Time Radio

AFN Berlin - Rik De Lisle 1978 CMA Awards

AFN's tribute to the 1978 CMA awards continues from Berlin with Rik De Lisle.

AFN Berlin - Rik De Lisle 1978 CMA Awards

Small World - George Church - 1965

Some light music, interviews and companionship.  It's Small World with George Church.

Small World - 1965

Adventures in Good Music - 1970

Detroit's Karl Haas was excited about his job.  For many years he put excitement into music from long gone composers.

AFRTS brought it worldwide.  Here's a 1970 visit.

Adventures In Good Music - 1970

AFKN Reunion

Brian Hartzell

10/21/13

To: Thom Whetston

From:	Brian Hartzell
Sent:	Mon 10/21/13 10:27 PM
To:	Thom Whetston (afrts@live.com)

I've been chatting with a couple of ex-AFKN vets who would like me to reopen the question of organizing an AFKN Reunion sometime in 2014 (probably September or October).  

Could you send out an email or Facebook message asking former AFKN staffers to make some suggestions as to what city (or part of the country) they would prefer such a reunion to be held? It is thought that we would have more success if we hosted the reunion in a city that is centrally located, although I don't necessarily believe that is true.  We are open to suggestions.

I, for instance, live in Ohio.  I know you live in Minnesota.  Dave McAlary lives in northern Virginia. Gary Theiman lives in southern California.  Etc., etc.  Some of our associates also live in Texas (seems popular to many as a retirement favorite).

Any thoughts...care to be a part of this conspiracy?

Brian E. Hartzell
Hartzell Consulting
"Fundraising & Public Relations Counsel to Nonprofits since 1979"

AFN SHAPE - Clark Taylor CMA Awards 1978

Continuing the CMA Awards from all of the network stations.  Clark Taylor does his part from the Benelux

AFN - Clark Taylor - CMA Awards 1978

At AFN-SHAPE,  I did the morning show for two years and since I was an experienced interviewer, I was tasked to interview most celebrities coming through Paris, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam.  So I met Jerry Lewis the actor in Paris, Abba and Barry Manilow in Holland and Merle Haggard and many others in Rotterdam (http://cflradio.net/clark_taylor_bio.htm

Charlie Tuna - 1983

Charlie has almost 50 years in Los Angeles radio.  That's hard for me to even conceive.  Talent..

Charlie was with us from 1971-96.  His day jobs were some of the greatest LA top 40s ever.

Charlie Tuna - 1983

FEN - Teens on Parade - 1960

The kids were dancing on the weekend in Tokyo.  From 1960 Dave Robinson and Ray Goodwin hosting a live show fun for the dependents.  Danny and the Red Coasters is our in studio band.  

FEN - Teens on Parade - 1960

AFN Munich 1981 from a listener

Why was it so important to listen to AFN?  You know, listening to AFN was more than radio - radio was the "Bayerischer Rundfunk" in Munich but THEY  made the music - the listeners in Germany had no contact to the DJs in former days -  so you could not take part in this show... you know?

And then we discovered AFN - very late, when i was over 18 , but you know in former days me as a 18 year old boy was like 16 year old today -

The thing, why AFN was so important for me and my twin brother was, that there where Americans out there on the radio in the Request Show you could talk to - we called in every day and the DJs knew us from our names - and they played the songs for us - that was amazing!

And then one day I met Dick Dale, I just walked to Kaulbachstrasse (AFN Munich) ringed the bell and he opened... And I took part in his show - he smoked 20 cigarettes in 2hours - it was really stress -  before this day I had no idea how much stress is a Request-Show - he was alone in the studio!)

The other thing was: we improved our English - no, our American! I didn't like the "sound" of the British English in school - and I loved the smooth American language - but teachers  didn't! So, tell me, where could you listen to the American Language in Germany? Only on AFN!

;-)

I used American words like truck and not lorry, I pronounced "after" like an American not like a British - this was a process of individualization and emancipation from school - and with the DJs we had Americans, we could ask short questions about the American language - yes really, we did, if we had questions - and got answers.

Today I'm proud to have listened to AFN Munich in the early  80ties - it was the best radio-time of my life!

 

Charlie Tuna (i loved the country count down)  Wolfman Jack, or the great Casey Kasem from the American top 40 - but the best where the Request Shows in AFN Munich.

 

I still have this in my ear: Its 4:05 p.m. the news ended - and the music of the film "Dallas" appeared (that was E. Wattson) and he said":

 

"Hi there, I'm air force sergeant Everard Wattson, welcoming you on a Thursday afternoon here on AFN Munich - if you wanna here a song, gimme a call, my telephone number is 6194 and if you're calling from a civilian phone its 6229-6194, and I'll try to get it on for you"

 

Imagine - I remember this fluently today  - 30 years later....

 

;-)

 

Have a nice  weekend,

Andreas

AFN 1978 Country Music Awards - Jim Johnson

 

Our tribute to the 1978 Country Music awards continues (Thanks Hans Knot).  This time we go to AFN Bremerhaven and Jim Johnson

 

AFN - CMA- Jim Johnson

Just Music - 1967

Peaceful music for the dinner hour?  Music to keep the Colonels off our back?  We ran a lot of it.  During WWII we had a program called "At Ease", 15 minutes of uninterrupted orchestral music.  In 1967 it was the same thing, called "Just Music". 

Just Music - 1967

More Just Music

Wolfman Jack - Halloween 1975

Wolf is rocking.  This came in a while back I've been waiting for the holiday.

Wolfman Jack - Halloween 1975

Sound Off - Bill Goodwin 1942

Here's the other side of a disk from a couple of months ago.  Before we had a network the government was sending radio shows to the field.  Announcer Bill Goodwin shows us a precursor to American Top 40:

 

Sound Off - 1942

 

 

AFN - Dick Beacham - Country Awards Show

Hans sent this one in.  In 1978 AFN Europe celebrated the Country Music Awards with a series of shows from all over the network.  Here's Dick Beacham with the first part

AFN - Dick Beacham 1978

 

 

 

 

 

AFRS Canal Zone schedule 1950