This Is The Story - 1948

"This is the Story" was a repackaging of anthology shows with a positive, patriotic theme.

In 1948 Ida Lupino starred in Hallmark Playhouse. December 9, 1948. CBS net. "Woman With A Sword". How a woman helped Abe Lincoln to win the Civil War. Ida Lupino, Gerald Mohr, James Hilton (host), Frank Goss (announcer).  Wonderful story.  AFRS repackaged it as "This Is The Story"

This Is The Story - Woman With A Sword - 1948

More Old Time Radio

Our story

For the last ten years I've had an AFRTS blog online with a lot about the history of the network.  It's quite a story.

I know a lot of the people who made the history and have some pretty amazing sources if a question comes up that I can't answer.


If your office/station/paper would be interested in pursuing the story let me know if I can help.

afrts@live.com

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

Welcome!

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Have a great day!


Thom

AFVN - 1968 A Year in the Life of Man

Here's the 1968 year end show from AFVN.  Gary Gears, who went on to great things at the best Chicago stations voices this.

1968 A Year in the Life of Man

More From AFVN

Words With Music - Kim Hunter

Kim Hunter reads poetry.  She later became a huge star in Streetcar Named Desire.  In 1945 she had poetry for the troops.

Words With Music - Kim Hunter - 1945

Casey Kasem 1932-2014 updated

We lost Casey Kasem last week.  American Top 40 was a very important part of AFRTS.  I've never been able to locate anyone who could give us permission to run some of those shows, with Casey doing the PSAs. Casey was drafted in 1952 and ended up at Radio Vagabond.

RADIO IN KOREA
American Forces Korea Network Provides Security, Information, Education, And Entertainment
Pacific Stars and Stripes April 25, 1953
By PFC John Sack, Pacific Star and Stripes Korea Bureau

TEN-THOUSAND MEN were listening to the radio a few months ago when it went off the air.  "We are going off the air," said the announcer.  "We will be back in three hours."  Then he picked up his mikes, discs, "pets," tapes, and antennas and threw them all in a van, and moved lock, stock and barrel five miles down the road.

"It was the damned artillery," he explained later.  "Kept jiggling the phonograph needle."

Short-wave is one source of AFKN programs.   Transcriptions from the States are another.  Each station has 20 or 30 thousand records too, for disc jockey shows.  "Mail from Home," incidentally -- where people in America request songs to be played in Korea -- is the network's most popular show.

But AFKN has the most fun making programs of its own.   PFC Bert States, head of production, has carried his tape recorders from orphanages to the frontlines and once, for a story on VD, hid a microphone in his field jacket while a street-walker took him in tow.  Pvt.  Kemal Kasem has been working one month on a jet pilot documentary.  Kasem used to appear in "The Lone Ranger" before he joined the Army (a sample speech, in husky, sinister tones:  "OK, if you know who the masked man is, we'll get it from you.  If you don't know, we'll find out for ourselves."), but last week he was interested only in getting his sound effects down perfect.

Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

AFRTS 1979 from Torrejon

Vicente recorded a lot of these in Madrid in the 1970s and 80s but for the most part very similar to what we were doing everywhere.  There's clips of Wolfman, Jerry Bishop, Bob Kingsley with ACC, Jim Pewter and some of DINFOS best.

AFRTS - 1979 - Torrejon Spain

Here's more from 1979

Negro College Choir - 1960

In the 50s and 60s the United Negro College Fund presented a series of choirs from member universities of the fund.  The series was run on the ABC radio network, hosted by Metropolitan Opera host Milton Cross.  AFRTS picked up the series and ran it worldwide.

Today we have the Fisk University Choir from Nashville.

Negro College Choir - 1960

Thanks for stopping by!

If you enjoy your visit, please tell a friend.  There is a mailing list.  About once a week I send out an email about the things that have been added.  If you'd like to be included, drop me an email afrts@live.com

There are other ways to help Click here

Golden Days Of Radio - 1968

Starting in 1968 Frank Bresee celebrated the Golden Days Of Radio.  The last network shows had just went off the air in 1962.  Frank managed to keep the show on AFRTS until 1996.  One pretty amazing accomplishment.  Old time radio was a win in a lot of places.  Many countries didn't have television.  Many of our television stations had severe restrictions in the programming they could show. This show is very early in the run.  Next, the Golden Days of Radio!

Golden Days Of Radio - 1968

More Golden Days of Radio

Country Crossroads - 1978

Country Crossroads was one of my favorites in the Sunday morning slots.  It was a show of faith but incredibly low-keyed with interesting interviews and good music.  Here's a visit with Charley Pride.

Country Crossroads - 1978

More shows from 1978

World of Show Business - 1962

Bud Widdom started with the network during WWII and did a lot of shows.  By the 1960s he went off to run FEN at Camp Drake.

In 1962 Bud was doing the World Of Show Business on McCadden Avenue.  A few weeks ago I posted one with a Jackie Gleason one.  Today it's Ross Bagdasarian, the record producer that became Dave Seville with Alvin and the Chipmunks.  Who has a picture of Bud Widdom?

World Of Show Business - 1962

More From Bud Widdom

Dave Wachenschwanz - Torrejon, Spain 1977

Vicente lived in Madrid at the time and recorded a lot of the Torrejon AB station on nice quality cassettes, and saved them.  Dave's no longer with us.

Dave Wachenschwanz - AFRTS Torrejon 1977

More from AFRTS Spain