Sunday, August 30, 2015

Roger Carroll - 1981

Roger and Beverly Carroll

Thanks again RC for sharing the memories.  Seems like only yesterday, I'd finish my show and The Happy Hour was there.  Roger was with us for three decades.  Give a listen...



Tuesday, August 25, 2015

AFRTS - Iran

An AFRTS radio station, and later a television station, became operational in Tehran, Iran, in 1954. Its listeners, and later viewers were American military personnel stationed in Iran as part of ARMISH and MAAG programs, as well as non-military Iranians and foreigners living in Iran. The AFRTS ceased to operate on October 25, 1976, the day before Shah's 57th birthday. Radio 1555 closed with presenter Air Force Staff Sergeant Barry Cantor playing Roger Whittaker's "Durham Town (The Leaving)". This was followed by a closing announcement by Chief Master Sergeant and Station Manager Bob Woodruff ("After 22 years of audio broadcasting and 17 years of telecasting in Tehran, AFRTS Radio 1555 and TV Channel 7 cease all operations in this country at this time.
 
This is odd, a few clips from the last day of our station in Iran.  After the Iranian government took us off the air in 1976, the government put on an English language service, featuring Ted Anthony from KLAC and some mostly British talent AND Wolfman Jack, Charlie Tuna and the Golden Days of Radio?


 
 
Ali Parsa was a listener:
I listened to AFRTS in Tehran from 1967, when I was a high school student, to 1976, when I went to California to continue my university work. It help much to improve my English. I also enjoyed the music programs. I even briefly visited their office in Saltanat Abad once in 1970 or 71.

I remember very few Iranians of my age that listened to AFRTS. To me it meant much: it was good for my English, it kept me connected to the American culture, it provided news from a non-Iranian government source, and it aired the music that I liked. I also watched episodes of The Twilight Zone, Combat, Peter Gunn, and then later Laugh-In on their TV channel.

These days I am writing a page in my web site about my interest in jazz music and I am looking to find out the names of the jazz programs on AFRTS. The address is:

http://www.aliparsa.com/jazz/jazz.html

Monday, August 24, 2015

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...



Sunday, August 23, 2015

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. 


Dick still does a weekend Polka Party show for CRN Click here 
It's available on TuneIn Click Here


Thursday, August 20, 2015

Roger Carroll - 1974


Roger's in fine fettle today, it's a Tuesday in 1974 with the Best Sounds In Town...



Wednesday, August 19, 2015

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



Sunday, August 16, 2015

Chris Noel - 1967


A pretty girl, nice music and Chris Noel was perfect for this.  During the Vietnam war Chris did "A Date With Chris".  In 1967, this was the third week of the broadcast and it starts to fall in place.






Saturday, August 15, 2015

Navy Swings - 1965



These are just amazing performances.  Joe Williams sings with the Billy Taylor quartet, with Wes Montgomery, Ben Tucker and Grady Tate... it's magic.  Jack Haskell hosts.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

AFKN Tony Booth 1969


Wouldn't this be the career that we've always wanted.  Tony Booth was at Yongsan in 1969 with "Tempo"

He has a pretty decent career.

KAYC [Beaumont TX] 1966
AFKN Good Morning, Korea [Seoul, Korea] 1968
KDOK [Tyler TX] 1970
KLIF [Dallas TX] 1970
KBBC [Phoenix AZ] 1974
WFBG [Altoona PA] 1977 - Nat PD, Gilcom Corp
WLEE [Richmond VA] 1984 - GM
WHJB [Pittsburgh PA] 1990 - GM
WLEE [Richmond] 1992 - GM
WRCL [Richmond] 1999-2002
WCHV [Charlottesville VA] 2004
WBBT [Richmond] 2007-date

So from September 1969 (OJ Simpson is still in the AFL) AFKN presents "Tempo"



AFKN 1969 Tempo - Tony Booth


If you're in Richmond hear Tony Booth on WBBT.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Army Hour - 1967


SGM Stan Bishop goes to Vietnam to talk with the demolition troops and about their mission of destroying dud rounds before they are retrieved by the Viet Cong.  Will Thompson on Okinawa talks about sysops and the battle for minds.



Sunday, August 9, 2015

Roger Carroll - 1970


Roger Carroll's back with another hour of the best sounds in town.  From the 1950s through the 80s Roger was an important part of the worldwide facilities of the AFRTS.


Just Music - 1967



Just music had several incarnations.  Sometimes an hour of segues, sometimes back announced.  In 1967 Bruce Wendell, originally from KCBH in Beverly Hills had the reigns.  Several years earlier Bruce was the host of "Enchantment of Music", an early show to show off Hifi and FM.  Today it's "Just Music"

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Arthur Godfrey - 1967


Arthur Godfrey was a bridge to a much more genteel era of radio.  His show was on from the 1940s through the 1970s and was the last big deal show on the networks.  He was the voice of mid-America.  In 1967 he was talking about a trip to Vietnam.  It's an interesting perspective.



Thursday, August 6, 2015

Spectrum USA - 1967

We've heard Spectrum USA before.  In 1967 it went out on AFRTS.  LTC Richard Stark USMCR is your host and narrator, with a look

Dick Stark was born on November 7, 1911 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA as Richard Salisbury Stark. He died on December 12, 1986 in Sotogrande, Andalusia, Spain of a heart attack.

Besides being a Marine officer he had quite a career, beginning in silent films, with TV announcing credits on What's my Line, Marge and Jeff, Perry Como's Music Hall, Danger and It Pays To Be Ignorant.


Monday, August 3, 2015

21st Precinct - 1967

We had stations in a lot of places without television. Some of the Old Time Radio still worked.  AFRTS had a huge library of programs that were still available.

21st Precinct was an early 1950s CBS show with a realistic, gritty sound.  This is from a 1967 issue.






Bobby Bare - Detroit City

We played this one a lot...


AFN - Berlin at Night - Ray Tubberville - 1971

Robert Barker was troop in Berlin in 1971.  At the time he had a nice reel to reel, recorded AFN and saved the tapes.  It's a great thing.  At night Ray Tubberville had the sound of Berlin...



Saturday, August 1, 2015

Our Musical Heritage - 1967

AFRTS introduced a lot of listeners to classical and orchestral music.  In 1967 Donald Higood (sic?) hosted "Our Musical Heritage", with light classical music and stories.





AFVN Jingles

Doug did a great job on these...