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I was going through crates of ETs looking for something else, and found this. Glad I did. Air Force SGT Herb Manchester did this from AFVN.
Sometimes AFRTS-LA would have contests. If something was really well done, it was distributed worldwide.
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Vance Graham 1973
"Vance Graham", was a radio announcer, on-the-scene news reporter and later disc-jockey. He was born in Denver, Colorado. In 1927 he received a scholarship from the United Daughters of the Confederacy to attend the University of Virginia where he studied journalism. After graduation he traveled to Los Angeles. Soon after his arrival, he worked as a cook in a downtown hotel.
Blessed with a deep, clear and resonant voice, he soon found work at radio station KMPC in Hollywood as an announcer, newscaster, interviewer and disc jockey.
During World War II, he worked as "Assistant News Editor" for KMPC and because he was bi-lingual, speaking both English and Spanish, he recorded Latin American music shows for the Armed Forces Radio Network. He did live reports for the station in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
In the 1950s and 60s, there was a huge surge in the popularity of Latin music with the "cha cha cha" and "bolero", so he had a radio show called "Bolero Time" heard every Sunday on KMPC. A recorded version of Bolero Time was also heard on AFRTS. He was married from 1954 to 1958 to Estrellita Santos who acted as co-host for his radio program during that time.
In the 70s he had 2 more Latin American shows on KMPC, KFI and KTYM. Graham hosted the shows called "Latino" and "Viva" as a character he named "Victor".
We lost Vance Graham in 1984, his ashes were spread over the Pacific.
(a more complete version of the above is at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=49068615 )
But now, from 1973, here's Victor:
Roland Bynum 1974
Roland Bynum has another "Soul In Motion". Roland has touched a lot of people, both as a broadcaster and as an educator. Today it's all about the Air Force and some legendary music.
Gene Price 1974
Gene and Janet
Thank you Mr. Pierce. Gene Price has the best in country on the Country Express, for today's Army!
Thank you Arie!
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Gary Owens 1969
Gary's back with more of his patented brand of silliness. KMPC, the voice of Space Ghost, Laugh-In. Somehow it ties together but always great.
In 1969, heard worldwide on AFRTS
Charlie Tuna 1982
Charlie's back to start your day. And there's a special broadcast, the third launch of the Columbia space shuttle (all went well).
Chris Noel Interview 1968
In 1968 Chris Noel was visiting the troops. She stopped at Johnston Atoll and it was a big moment to get an interview.
My name is John Rodman and I was a sailor on Johnston Atoll from 1967-1968.
Sometime in 1968 Chris Noel's plane stopped in for fuel and she did an interview for our AFRTS station which I was able to record to reel to reel tape. The tape and player are old and noisy but I converted it to MP3 just to save it for posterity? Anyhow it is attached to this email and you're welcome to it. Maybe a pro like you can clean up the hiss and uneven volume levels. Some one might get a kick out of it, I know it was a big deal at the time. There were no woman on the Island in the sixties!Wonderful! Thanks for sharing the memories.
"Really enjoyed the interview with Chris Noel. I remember well stopping at Johnson Island in 1951 on the way to Manila. There was nothing there but an old airstrip and gooney birds!"
Best,
Jim Gough
AFRS Sangley Point 1951
Herman Griffith 1968
Sure was some great music. Herman Griffith came to us from KGFJ. A while back I found out what the deal was where he's not "hitting the posts", when AFRTS upgraded their studios there wasn't a proper headphone output. Herman would have been more dependent on a headphone output that most. Love the energy and the music.
Monday, June 26, 2023
Kris Erik Stevens 1983
Kris Erik Stevens made a lot of great radio, taking Chicago then Los Angeles by storm. Over the last few years, Kris has been the voice of the pre-show music at the theatre. Here's part of 1983 with Kris Erik:
Wow Thomas........
Hearing my radio show performed years ago was
quite a wakeup call on my Sunday morning -----
Takes me back in time.....
Thanks for sharing memories of my AFRTS radio days.
Kris Erik Stevens
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Mary Turner 1983
In the 80s and 1990s Mary Turners show was so popular she had two programs on the network. Her regular Mary Turner Show and "Off The Record", where she interviewed rock's biggest stars.
She made waves in Los Angeles radio too, and eleven year run at KMET and returning in the 90s to KSLX. Now she's involved in many charitable causes including the Betty Ford Center in Ranch Mirage.
Harry Newman 1980
Top (l to r): Harry Newman and Hoss Barnes
Below (l to r): Corky Mayberry, Bob Jackson, Hugh Jarrett and Larry Scott
Time for more of your country favorites with Harry Newman: Today Harry's guest is Jimmy Rogers.
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Welcome newcomers
If you're new here, here's what its all about.
About 40 years ago I was a troop at the AFRTS stations in Korea and Panama. Great times.
About 20 years ago I went to Google on a whim and couldn't find much about our network and did the first generation of this blog. It grew, people cared. The URL changed a few times.
Over the years we received may great stories that didn't have sound and needed a more permanent home. They're being moved to:
https://afrtsradio.blogspot.com/
Four years ago Roger Carroll contacted me all excited. "I have a website!!!" He had purchased a URL and I helped get a streaming station online. After we lost Roger (an amazing friend) I made some small changes, but RC was the inspiration.
If you'd like to help, your contributions help keep stuff running and new material coming in. I'm very grateful to anyone who's shared a story, picture, recording or a few bucks.
Please click the "Donate" button near the top.
Happy listening and remembering!!!
Jubilee 1942
I normally don't bother with "split" shows but Jubilee is always special. In late 1942 we recorded the (Nat) King Cole trio, Mantan Moreland with wonderful comedy, Judy Carroll and Noble Sissle. Supporting the troops should always be this good.
Thursday, June 22, 2023
AFN Turn your radio down...
When I was a teenager in Minneapolis in the early 1970s this clip periodically ran on Mark Durenberger's WLOL-FM jazz show. Somehow he still had, could locate and sent me a copy of it. Unfortunately he had no further information other than probably late 50s or early 1960s. Do you know who it is?
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Jim Pewter 1981
Jim Pewter has your required dose of the greatest hits of the 1960s. His feel for that music has never been matched. Easy to see how this AFKN vet could start with the network in 1967 and stay to the very end of AFRTS-LA programming.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
AFN Nightside - Craig Miller and Abba 1974
The Craig Miller tapes continue. I had always heard in the past that their English was limited. What we heard was wrong.
Monday, June 19, 2023
Tom Campbell 1971
Tom Campbell is back with what's happening stateside. Today we see what's going on in Honolulu from KPOI.
Tom has sent over a bunch of shows that he did and his best wishes. Enjoy!
Chuck Cecil 1961
In the late 1950s Chuck Cecil was doing an oldies show on KFI. "The Swingin' Years" spotlighted the hits of the 30s and 40s. It was picked up by AFRTS and was still running well into the 1980s. Chuck was still doing the show in 2010s on a public station in Los Angeles although he was retired. Quite a run, a bit of fun, The swingin' years...
Saturday, June 17, 2023
Friday, June 16, 2023
Wolfman Jack 1985
Wolf has his shows back in syndication, visit the online museum http://www.wolfmanjack.org
And here's how it was done:
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Joe Ferguson 1983
From Portland to you. Joe Ferguson from KUPL did a series of shows for AFRTS in 1983. A few years ago he shared them with us. It's a fun listen.
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Roland Bynum 1973
Roland Bynum with his daughter and son
It's the best Bynum. Roland has the songs of 1973 in this Air Force recruiting program recorded for Roger Carroll's company and heard from coast-to-coast.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
AFVN Quang Tri 1970
Here's some silent film of AFVN Quang Tri
Seems to take forever to buffer
Doug Jennings had some more information: "That is SFC Jim Psak editing the film, pulling the slides and later in the TV Studio. The TV Van was brought from Hue to Quang Tri. From the biography of Vic Sage on the MACOI site, it says, "When he arrived in Saigon as a SP5, he was met by the network OIC, LTC Ray Nash, who explained that he was to be a part of the rebuilding of Detachment 5, which had been relocated following its destruction by Communist troops during 1968's Tet Offensive from Hue to Quang Tri. Victor left immediately, and once the TV van was hauled to its new location he was part of the crew that patched and refitted the equipment. Although damaged, the van was found to be serviceable. There were three bullet holes in the electronics bay and another in the studio section, where an announcer would sit."
Gene Price 1974
This is another program from a nice cache of transcriptions I picked up last month, Gene Price's Country World
Mary Helen Barro 1983
Mary Helen Barro, "la voz de su casa" She carried on on the Latino tradition of Chiquita, Victor, Hernan Escodon and others.
Pete Smith 1976
When I was in the field, the easy listening shows felt painful. As I "mature" I can understand the genius behind them. Thanks for asking, Chris!
Monday, June 12, 2023
Gary Owens 1967
You may find this a bit garish. From the big 810, here's the insegrevious Gary Owens.
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Kris Erik Stevens 1981
Milwaukee born Kris was with us after taking Chicago by storm WCFL, WLS (replaced Art Roberts) and to CKLW and Los Angeles. Visit his website http://kriserikstevens.com/ In 1981 here's what happened...
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Mary Turner 1992
It was a scandal. In the early 80s when the network started the Mary Turner show. Loud Rock and Roll. What will the generals say? We'll find out. Mary brought her KMET show to the world and it was a very good thing.
Harry Newman 1986
Time for more Harry Newman. The next time "Cops" comes on, listen closely to the announcer. From 1986, welcome back Harry Newman..
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Jim Pewter 1980
Jim Pewter was great. Such a mixture of the familiar and unfamiliar that was the Jim Pewter show. Jim was an AFKN vet, starting a super Los Angeles run shortly after.
This time it's back to 1980. Friday night, I was at SCN, getting ready for "Evening of the Isthmus". Time for Jim Pewter
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Learn someting new every day
We've got our first monthly subscriber. THANKS SCOTT!!! Paypal will let you pick an amount that's good for you and automatically take care of it. Couldn't be easier. Thank you!
Tom Campbell 1975
Tom Campbell always had a fun show and sometimes the strangest mixes... Tall Tom revisits 1975. The mustard colored labels were the ugliest ones ever.
AFRN Alaska - Michael Brown 1971
Yes, Adak, Alaska, (halfway out the Aleutian chain), has a radio station. Two of them actually, The AM station on 890 kHz (yep WLS) and an automated FM.
I was in the Navy and was a CTM-2 when I arrived on Adak, June 1970. I left 1 year, 22 hours and 15 minutes later (plane landing to plane takeoff).
My main job had nothing to do with radio, but since I had an interest in being a DJ, I managed to get a weekend shift in the late night hours on Sunday, for 1.5 hours. I eventually got moved to Sat afternoons for 2 hours and then expanded to 3 hrs. I have tapes of pretty much all of my shows, which I've recently transferred to WAV files on the computer.
While there, the staff of the station did a radio series called Ptarmigan Tim.
At my last tour of duty, which was Edzell, Scotland, I did four DeeJay gigs at the EM club near the end of 1973. Did some private party deejaying for a few years after getting out.I was in the Navy and was a CTM-2 when I arrived on Adak, June 1970. I left 1 year, 22 hours and 15 minutes later (plane landing to plane takeoff).
My main job had nothing to do with radio, but since I had an interest in being a DJ, I managed to get a weekend shift in the late night hours on Sunday, for 1.5 hours. I eventually got moved to Sat afternoons for 2 hours and then expanded to 3 hrs. I have tapes of pretty much all of my shows, which I've recently transferred to WAV files on the computer.
While there, the staff of the station did a radio series called Ptarmigan Tim.
During the hey-day of Doctor Who on PBS, I did pledge drives answering phone banks and a few times did on camera pledge drives.
Otherwise, I got into electronics as well as computers; self taught Unix system adminstration long before Microcrap came along. So, I am one of those computer geeks and my house has the computers to show for it.
AFRS Adak - Michael Brown May 29, 1971 Last show
Monday, June 5, 2023
Wolfman Jack 1983
When I arrived in Panama, they were scheduling him late in the night. Wolf said something that made someone mad. In a very charming way.
Sunday, June 4, 2023
Roland Bynum 1973
1973 was an amazing year for Soul music. Was the music great or did Roland make it that much better? I think it was a bit of both. We just received several "Soul In Motion", the Air Force recruiting show Roland did for Roger Carroll's company. These are great listening:
Gene Price 1974
Gene Price always had a fun show, characters, comedy. Leonard Finsterwald says listen now!
Friday, June 2, 2023
Gunsmoke 1957
Gunsmoke radio cast, upper left is William Conrad (Matt Dillon), also the announcer on Rocky and Bullwinkle and Frank Cannon.
We had a lot of places where television was late to the mix. Radio dramas and comedies ran well into the 1990s. "Professor Lute Bone" originally broadcast October 20, 1957. This recording of the show is from a 1967 reissue.
Pete Smith 1993
Pete Smith has your easy favorites, with great stories. "Sketches in Sound". Roger Carroll told me Pete had a pretty incredible day job. KMPC had him as full-time standby. Fulltime check for just being able to cover any shift. I don't think that's done anymore.
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