Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Chris Noel 1967



To find out the history of Chris Noel, her biography at IMDB is a great place to start Click here

Chris sent the radio shows she did for AFRTS to us to hear again.  I'm grateful.

She still does the GIs proud.  Please consider making a generous donation to Chris's Vetsville Ceasefire House.



Saturday, December 28, 2019

Joe Ferguson 1983

In Panama, my biggest complaint with the network was how LA centric the programming was "There's nobody good in New York?" would usually be how that tirade started.  They surprised me with series of jocks from around the country with an AFRTS connection.

In the weeks before the Bob Moke show, Joe Ferguson from KUPL in Portland had his turn.  Joe also saved the disks and has made them available once again:
First of all, I was an army brat with my dad a 30 year career man. In the early sixties, we were stationed in Germany and I attended high school in Frankfurt. The school had a radio club and produced a weekly program for teenagers. We produced and recorded it at AFN studios just outside Frankfurt. I was part of that club and got my first exposure to radio and was hooked.


When I graduated, I returned to the US for college and got a job as a dj at a local station to pay for my education. After graduation, I went to visit my family, now stationed in Italy. On the way I had a stopover in Frankfurt and went to see a couple of people that were still at AFN from my high school days. They told me there was a civilian announcer job open in Italy and I should talk to the SEN folks, so I did.

SEN was interested and offered me the job. As a result, I was in Vicenza for a couple of years. It was great and I have many wonderful memories from the experience. Next stop, (1971) KFOX AM-FM Los Angeles, where I was the afternoon jock. I was working with people whose programs I had played while at SEN. While I was at KFOX, I was on staff with Charlie Williams, Hugh Cherry and Gene Price as well as some other great talent. I had to pinch myself frequently to convince myself I was actually there.

I also did some syndication work in Hollywood for Programming DB which was one of the pioneers for syndicating long form programming. It was a partnership of two of the innovative programmers of the day, Ken Draper and Chuck Blore. At one time, I think I was doing a daily 4 hour program in 20 or so markets, all via voice track and automation equipment.

My next encounter with AFRTS was in 1983 when they contacted me at KUPL AM-FM in Portland, Oregon, where I was the program director. They asked if I was interested in doing a 30 minute, daily show from Portland for 13 weeks. It was part of a project where they selected a personality from a different part of the country to highlight a new area every quarter. Of course I was delighted to accept.



Don Tracy 1980



Never really mattered what day it was, it always felt like the weekend during the Don Tracy Show.




Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Arthur Godfrey Xmas 1964

Arthur Godfrey was broadcasting, from his mournful coverage of the funeral of President Roosevelt to the franchise he had built in the 1950s, to his CBS radio show which was the last bigtime network entertainment show, he was America with a genius in giving America what they wanted.  The Christmas 1964 show (recorded Christmas 1963).


Monday, December 23, 2019

Roger Carroll Christmas 1973


I really wish I had audio of one of Roger's Christmas shows, with that familiar open... (Do you have one??)  But this is very nice, in 1973 he did an Air Force recruiting show with Ray Conniff.  Great radio!  Have a Happy Holiday!



!

Wolfman Jack Christmas

It's 1975 and the Wolf brings in the holiday.  Christmas week the AFRTS network talent did a week of Christmas shows.  Rare when it wasn't week 48-x did they ever play songs of the holiday season.  It was too unpredictable when the shows would be aired.  The Christmas week shows went out 3 or 4 weeks before Christmas week so we'd be ready to go.


This Is Your FBI - Christmas



Stacy Harris

In 1976 we were still airing Old Time Radio like "This Is Your FBI", starring Stacy Harris, who you may remember from Dragnet.  Here's the Christmas show..

The system cue at the end of the show sure sounds like George Fenneman..




Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Chris Noel 1970


Chris Noel brought America to thousands of Vietnam era troops on a Date With Chris.  By the 1970s it rocked.




Friday, December 13, 2019

Don Tracy 1983


Don Tracy's back with some 1983 fun.  Don just called earlier this week, had a great chat.




Joe Ferguson 1983,


Time for another visit with "The Joe Show", Joe Ferguson did a run of shows from KUPL in Portland.  AFRTS sought out jocks with an AFRTS connection and put them back on the air.  It's mid 1983, here's Joe!





Tuesday, December 10, 2019

WGBY, Cuba - Bill Stiles 1966


The US military had a radio presence in Cuba for over 100 years.  Jose Fritz did a nice writeup on this.  Click Here. In 1966 WGBY, the AFRTS station had a very special guest on the Bill Stiles show




Thursday, December 5, 2019

Chris Noel 1969


These are great, Chris Noel playing a mix of music that I never would have though would work.  They'd tell us at the DINFOS about the "Mixed Music Format" Hard C&W, R&B and rock all mixed together and everyone would like it.  Chris made it work.




Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Jim Pewter 1967



Neil found us a bunch of late 60s Jim Pewter shows.  I'm very happy about that.  When you see something that might be interesting for all of us, drop me a note afrts@live.com 

Jim was an AFKN vet who shaped the world of music, his command of the oldies inspired a lot of people.  It's December 1967 "Let's Go"



Know Your Ally - China 1943

Here's an early 1943 production "Know Your Allies" about China.  At the time we even had stations there.  Those would be stories I'd love to hear. Times sure have changed.  No credits on the production but it sounds a lot like a young Marvin Miller

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Roger Carroll 1980


So if it weren't broadcasting, probably baseball?  Coulda been a contender!  Roger's back with an update of "The Best Sounds in Town"



Monday, November 18, 2019

Don Tracy 1983



1983 was a great year for me, I finished up at SCN and within the year had made it onto Boston radio (part time). Don Tracy had the happy music. Rockin the world was Don Tracy!


Don Tracy 1983


Joe Ferguson 1983


It's still one of the coolest AFRTS moves ever.  In the early 80s the network reached out to jocks around the country to cut shows.  Joe Ferguson was at KUPL in Portland OR and shared this with us:






French Radio Tribute to AFN 1947






Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Wolfman Jack 1974


Welcome back Wolf, here's a 1974 USAF recruiting show.  Will there ever be radio like this again?




Sunday, November 10, 2019

Chris Noel 1969




Chris had a documentary a few years ago, a DVD called "Blonde Bombshell".  If you can find a copy it's very interesting and worthwhile.  I pulled out my copy again this week.  Thanks Chris.


Thursday, November 7, 2019

RIP Buzz Rizer


It is with deep sadness that I report the death of a legend in the Navy public affairs community—Mr. Jordan “Buzz” Rizer. Buzz passed away on Tuesday, 5 November.

Those of us who knew Buzz will always remember him as the architect of putting television entertainment systems aboard our ships. To our younger members who understand our current technology, they probably cannot relate to the significance of Buzz’s work in the 1970s. But to those who served in that timeframe, I can attest that his accomplishments were the result of an incredible vision. That vision helped set the Navy apart from its sister services by dramatically increasing the morale of our Sailors.

In 1981 Buzz was given the Navy’s highest civilian award for his work—the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal. The award not only cited the impact Buzz’s work had on morale and retention but discussed how Buzz’s systems provided commanders and commanding officers new and unique communications tools. After his service to Navy, Buzz was named the director of the Armed Forces Information Service.

Prior to his roles as a distinguished civil servant, Buzz served in the Army and Air Force. He retired as an Air Force lieutenant colonel. Buzz was a USNPAA plank owner, one of the first individuals to join our organization in 1994.

For those who knew and worked with Buzz, we not only admired him as a professional and a visionary but as a wonderful human being. I will always remember Buzz for his kindness, civility and warmth. He had the unique ability to touch everyone with those qualities, and I can still remember several of my conversations with him in the CHINFO spaces. He had a very unique ability to put people at ease and make them feel special. Perhaps the best way to capture Buzz, his personality and his character is to cite the Facebook posting his daughter-in-law, Nancy, posted after his passing:

One of the greatest men I’ve ever known took his last breath this morning. He was my Boss, my best friend, my father in law and my Pop.  Jordan Edward (Buzz) Rizer was professionally the most unselfish, dedicated military and civilian public servant. Nearly all of his life he served his country and the Department of Defense, first in uniform, Army and Air Force, then as a civilian, Director of Navy Broadcasting Service (Armed Forces Radio and Television), and retired as an Assistant Secretary of Defense (Director, American Forces Information Service). I was blessed to work with him for many years. My life was immensely touched by this man. He introduced me to my husband. He was a wonderful grandfather to my children. I love you Pop. I know, I know, you “love me more.” I can’t thank you enough for being such a great part of my life. It hurts that you are gone, but I know we will see each other again one day soon.

Arrangements for Buzz are as follows:

Fairfax Memorial Park / Funeral Home
9900 Braddock Rd
Fairfax VA 22032
(703) 323-5202

Friday, November 1, 2019

Jim Pewter 1985


Not the Beatles tribute band.  1964 was sure a great year for music, the Beatles had pretty much changed everything.  Motown got better.  It was a great topic for another theme show by Jim Pewter.  Jim was one of us, having spent 1964 working for AFKN.