End of the year

We need your help at the end of the year.  Your memories, the things you saved make this into the special place it is and I thank you.

 

You can help right now by putting a few bucks in the kitty.  Over the year it helps with getting recordings, hardware and the internet things to make it happen to make it available here.  The easiest way is the PayPal link on the left.  That link isn't there if you're using a mobile device, click "donate" to help.

Your help makes this a nicer place. Thank you.

 

If you don't like PayPal, just drop me a note and I'll send the street address.  It's not a secret just best to not post it on the internet. email Thom, click here

 

Thank you for visiting.  Be sure to tell a friend!

Happy New Year!

Thom

Merry Christmas!

 

I hope that you and yours had a wonderful Christmas.

 

Christmas memories on AFRTS

Boston Pops - 1957

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops and AFRTS had a long relationship.  From WWII well into the 1970s they shared the same stage.  Here's a 1957 visit, with works of Ferde Groffe.

Boston Pops - 1957

More Boston Pops

Command Performance - Christmas 1942

So AFRS did run on US radio.  As a special treat, the Christmas 1942 show ran on all of the US networks.  Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Command Performance - Christmas 1942

More Christmas shows

Gail Anderson - AFN Berlin - 1994

In 1994 an era was over, AFN Berlin was shut down.  Gail Anderson had the last morning show.

Gail Anderson - AFN Berlin last morning show - part two 1994

More from AFN

Chris Noel - Christmas 1969

She worked hard.  Chris would have had a lot of frequent flier miles.  She brought home to troops all over the world.  It made the world a better place.  Now Chris is a prolific writer.  She just completed a new book about the making of "Beach Ball", you should read this.  Click here

Here's a Christmas 1969 visit.

Date With Christmas - Christmas week 1969

More Christmas Memories

Jimmy Wakely - Christmas 1968

Jimmy Wakely wishes you a very Merry Christmas 1968.

Jimmy Wakely - Christmas 1968

More Christmas Memories

More Jimmy Wakely

Spectrum USA - 1971

Dick Stark is back with the music of Millard Fillmore.  Not really, but in 1971 he did a great series of shows for Marine Reserve Recruiting.  Soft music and great stories, Spectrum USA.

Spectrum USA - 1971

More Spectrum USA

Stay in touch!

One of the best ways to stay in touch is to "like" the blog facebook page.

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There's also a periodic email list, rarely more than once a week.  Drop me a note to be added.

Email Thom

 

 

 

Jack Spector - WMCA - 1969

Back to the Coke shows!  No one seems to know what the story is on these.  In 1969 AFRTS had some sort of arrangement with some of the great jocks in the states and shows were pressed.  These disks did not have AFRTS labels, most had commercials.  Coke paid the have the albums distributed.  WMCA NY seems to have been represented the best.  Here's a visit with Jack Spector.  Jack mentions the Coke funding.

Jack Spector - 1969 - WMCA

More Coke shows

Hold High The Torch - 2nd Marine Division - 1947

In the late 1940s AFRS did many shows to explain the mission.  A lot of why and how.  Glenn Ford had spent WWII as a Marine.  He stars in this production highlighting the Marines in Tarawa. Take a listen.

Hold High the Torch - Glenn Ford

 

More Old Time Radio

 

Marine killed at Tarawa to be buried at Arlington 2015

AFVN Billy Williams - 1972

“Here's part one, Thom. I started in Vietnam as a Signal Corps bench technician at AVEL Central (Avionics/Aviation Electronics) in 1971. While on the bench repairing helicopter radios at AVEL, most of us also had a radio tuned to AFVN 540 KHz in Saigon. 10 hour shifts--sometimes days and sometimes nights if the backlog justified double shifts. I heard a "cattle call" on AFVN 540 one day. A few weeks later, I arrived at AFVN Saigon and trained on the "backboard" in AFVN television master control for a week or two. Then up country to Qui Nhon AFVN on Vung Chua Mountain to run the TV station mounted in a van. Qui Nhon detachment closed after Tet 1972 when Vung Chua Mtn signal site (where AFVN was co-located) came close to being overrun. Then on to Da Nang AFVN on Monkey Mountain to work TV master control. Also did TV news/sports there and the C&W afternoon show--they must have been very short-handed. When Capt. Webb went to Saigon, I filled in on DDB. Then he came back as Army Spec. Brett Webb and DEROSed not long after. They were daring me to send out "One Monkey" to a General at the bottom of the hill--but no thanks. A few weeks later...on to Saigon. Did Nightbeat and then Orient Express overnight show until returning to U.S. in late Sept. 1972. More on the historical web site that I maintain for the local Amateur "ham" Radio group.

AFVN Da Nang - Billy Williams - 1972

More from AFVN

Silhouette - 1969

Sunday mornings AFRTS ran chapel shows.  Silhouette was contemporary music and stories.  Jerry saved this one.  He was in Thailand and AFTN ran this one was focused on the Vietnam war.  It's a powerful show.

Silhouette - 1969

More from the chapel

Dan Daniel - WMCA - 1969

Dan Daniel

In 1969 the Coca Cola Company and AFRTS somehow arranged for a series of albums to be recorded to be distributed to the troops.  I can't find documentation of the project. Some of the top jocks in the country recorded them. These are hard to find.  Dan Daniel was a mid 1950s AFRTS vet in the Navy.  Last week Neil found this one.  Enjoy!

WMCA Dan Daniel 1969

More Coke albums

Chris Noel - 1969

Chris did so much for us, The Date With Chris show, toured all over the world, particularly in the hotspots and has been one of the most outspoken advocates ever. Today Chris has a homeless shelter for veterans.  Take a look Click here Please do what you can.  Here's how it sounded in 1969.

Date With Chris - 1969

More Chris Noel

Benny Brown - AFN

Benny Brown went from AFN to great career in European radio, including Radio Luxembourg blasting all over Europe. In February we heard a different part of this broadcast. Benny Skype'd be to talk about AFN and Radio Lux.  He explained that the breaks sound sloppy in this because of he was feeding the rest of the network.

Benny Brown AFN 1995

Welcome back Benny, thanks for great radio!

More from AFN

One Night Stand - 1959

The great big bands continued touring well into the 1970s.  In the 1940s, 50s and 60s AFRTS aired remote broadcasts of the best on One Night Stand.  On this night in 1955 it was the music of Charlie Barnet from the Hollywood Palladium

One Night Stand - 1959

More One Night Stand

Chris Noel - 1967

Chris did one of the most popular shows ever.  A pretty girl, great music and caring.  She brought "home" everywhere.

Chris Noel - 1967

More Chris Noel

Halloween

Halloween Memories on AFRTS

Spectrum USA - Halloween 1968

Dick Starke brings us the stories of Halloween in a 1968 "Spectrum USA" for the Marine Corps Reserve.

Spectrum USA - 1968

More Spectrum USA

Most Popular

AFRTS Roger Carroll 2539F 9-8.mp3	51
AFRTS Date With Chris 194TH 8-8.mp3	49
USAF Wolfman Jack s32 Apr74 4.mp3	46
AFRTS Date With Chris 500 a 18-9.mp3	38
AFRTS Jim Pewter 205 680203.mp3	37

Those are the top five for this week... 10/25/2015

Stay in Touch!

To get all of the updates, join the facebook group "afrtsarchive.blogspot.com" or connect with Thomas Whetston on linkedin.  Get on the email mailing list at afrts@live.com

 

 

 

Chris Noel - 1969

Chris Noel in Pleiku 1968

Chris really stepped to the plate, did a wonderful show and went to the troops.  Today she still supports the troops in need with her homeless shelter for veterans. Vetsville

Date With Chris - 1969

More Chris Noel

Inner Sanctum - 1949

This disk was played may times on our stations in Canada.  A great mystery program never really ages.  We still ran them in the 1970s and 80s.  This program was originally broadcast in 1949 and rebroadcast on AFRTS may times.

"The Unburied Dead". A good story about a woman who first finds out that she's not who she thinks she is, then, that she's been dead for six years, and finally, that she's wanted for murder! 

Inner Sanctum - 1949

More Old Time Radio

Date With Chris - 1968

Memories of 1968.  Chris Noel takes us home with "A Date With Chris"

Date With Chris - 1968

More Chris Noel

Jim Ameche - 1965

Jim Ameche has an hour of the world's most beautiful music...

Jim Ameche - 1965

More Jim Ameche

WBG - Fort Bliss

Part of our history that seems to be gone was the stations in the United States.  A lot of posts had radio,  Seemingly supported by AFRS.  In El Paso, presumably Fort Bliss was WBG.  Many of the big country acts performed there.

Peter Birch was a dancer, choreographer and musician who most famously directed Captain Kangaroo for 25 years.  In January 1949 he performed at WBG.

FEN - Tokyo Calling - Burr Hoyle - 1965

Tokyo Calling was a long running show on FEN.  Today a 1965 visit with Airman Burr Hoyle.

FEN - Tokyo Calling - 1965

More from FEN

AFN Derrick in the Morning

Derrick has checked in.  Welcome!

I was very happy to find your site and the page where you featured my Zfm show. I was the morning show guy from 1994 - 1995 at AFN HQ.

On one occasion I helped SRA Angie Pianga re-launch Spagndahlem's radio station which had been dormant for decades. I was there with a fan dressed as a chicken to do the inaugural show. A few years earlier Angie and I were radio broadcasters at AFKN in Seoul, Korea.

AFN Frankfurt - Derrick In The Morning - 1994

More from AFN

Chris Noel - 1967

In 1967, the biggest show was "A Date With Chris".  Chris Noel brought a helping of home every day.  She still does way more than her share with her veterans shelter in Florida.  Please do what you can to help.  Click here.

Chris Noel - 1967

More Chris Noel

Kate Smith - 1944

In WWII AFRS did a series of shows called "Personal Album", these were 15 minutes of minutes with a popular star, usually with the star talking about their music and lives.  Today a visit with Kate Smith and Ted Collins.

Personal Album - Kate Smith

More Old Time Radio

Enchantment of Music 1964

There was a lot of orchestral music over the years, perfect to the dinner hour.  "The Enchantment of Music".  Bruce Wendell hosted from KCBH in Beverly Hills, showing high fidelity sound.

Enchantment of Music - 1964

More Enchantment of Music

Fall cleaning?

If you have a bunch of AFRTS disks in storage somewhere, we'd really love the chance to be able to share them with others.  Many times those memories just end up packed away.  I could tell you stories... If you'd like to share them with folks just like us who'd appreciate it, contact me. afrts@live.com or let me know on the "Hit Line"612-356-2377.  Thanks!

Continental Varieties - 1962

On todays show, Dick Crawford has a tribute to the great Bruno Walter, who had died recently.

Continental Varieties - 1962

More Continental Varieties

Chris Noel - 1971

A pretty girl IS like a melody.  Chris made home just a little closer for Vietnam era troops.  Here's a 1971 listen.

Date With Chris - 1971

More Chris Noel

Chickenman

I had posted this on the Facebook afrtsarchive page (click here)  Someone, not me has posted Chickenman.  The White Winged Warrior was even broadcast in Afghanistan during the early part of the war.  He's an all time hero.

Chickenman

AFN Patty Cunningham 1986

Start your day with Patty Cunningham on AFN!

AFN - Patty Cunningham - 1986

More from AFN Europe

Chris Noel - 1970

Chris Noel brought sunshine into the day for a lot of Vietnam era troops.

Date With Chris - 1970

More Chris Noel

Robert Q Lewis - 1958

Robert Q was perfect for his times.  In 1958 radio was in a transitional period and he was on CBS.  AFRTS ran it worldwide.

 

John Miller thought Bob Crewe was singing on this:

I am Bob's brother Dan and after listening to the recording I can say without any doubt that it is he. Although I am not familiar with this event, I know Bob was by 1957 very active in promoting his singing career. Although he did have some success as a performer he changed direction and focused on song writing and record production. I joined him in 1962 and together we had a great run with artists such as the Four Seasons, Mitch Ryder etc. Bob passed away September 11,2014 here in Maine where he was in a medical nursing home. Thank you for this forgotten event. By the way, I know Bob and       Robert Q. enjoyed a long friendship.

Best regards,
Dan Crewe

Robert Q Lewis - 1958

More Robert Q Lewis

Whistler - 1962

So how on earth do you date these?  We were running the Whistler well into the 1980s.  It wasn't so much "Old Time Radio" as an interesting story on the radio.  This is a 1961 reissue of a 1950 broadcast. "The Chinese Elephant Puzzle" is the story of a wooden puzzle filled with diamonds, an elusive prize.

The Whistler - 1962

More Old Time Radio

Chris Noel - 1966

In 1966, Chris Noel started "A Date With Chris".  This is from the second show she did for us and you can hear talent in the making.  Must have been scary...

Date With Chris - 1966

More Chris Noel

Mel Tillis - Stateside - 1967

Polka Party - 1967

By the 1950s, Polka was a link to home for European families in the United States.  Even today sometimes a polka show will come on on the radio or usually cable access TV, but in the 50s and 60s Dick Sinclair was the voice of the polka.  Dick was one of the first AFRS jocks in the pacific and after the war went to Los Angeles, created very successful polka radio and television shows that were syndicated from coast to coast.  These shows were picked up by AFRTS. 

Polka Party - 1967

Dick still does a weekend Polka Party show for CRN Click here 

It's available on TuneIn Click Here

Animals - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

From the Hall of Fame...

To The Rear March

A couple of weeks ago we posted "To The Rear March".  Michael came up with another one, in really great quality.  Since they "go back to 1945", this is probably a 1946 broadcast

To The Rear March

More Old Time Radio