Chris had only been doing the show for about three months but it was radio at it's best.
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Joe Ferguson 1983
Home certainly encompassed many places. In 1983, AFRTS partnered with local radio personalities across the nation to bridge distances. Joe Ferguson, who was with KUPL, extended Portland's radio reach globally.
Thursday, August 29, 2024
John Doremus 1969
A legendary talent, in a style that probably won't return. John Doremus could tell a story, with words, delivery and music.
Gene Price 1975
Gene Price mailed me an autographed promo picture (displayed). It means a lot to me. Gene did a similar show to his AFRTS program for army recruiting through Roger Carroll's company. ...
Gene started a lot of our days at zero dark thirty, with Leonard Finsterwall and the crew.
Gene Price - 1975
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Charlie Tuna 1983
Charlie Tuna with Del Shannon
25 years anywhere is an amazing accomplishment. In a lot of ways Charlie Tuna was the voice of AFRTS. We miss you Charlie.
Joe Allison 1965
Time to visit the Country Corner! Joe Allison with another hour of your country favorites. Joe was the first to bring a "modern country" presentation to what had been hillbilly music.
Monday, August 26, 2024
Wolfman Jack 1983
Ready to howl? These came in with a bunch of wonderful disks from when I was at SCN. Ah, the memories.
Let's howl with Wolfman Jack
Roger Carroll 1974
Roger's in fine fettle today, it's a Tuesday in 1974 with the Best Sounds In Town...
Sunday, August 25, 2024
The In Sound - Harry Harrison 1967
Harry Harrison was the only disc jockey to have been a WMCA "Good Guy," a WABC "All-American," and a personality on WCBS-FM's oldies format. Harrison retired in June 2005 and was affectionately dubbed New York's "Morning Mayor," a testament to his long tenure hosting morning drive time.
In 1967, Harry told us the virtues of today's Army.
Harry Harrison - The In Sound 1967
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Mary Turner 1984
Time for another visit with Mary Turner, She started at the network in 1981 or so, bringing a new perspective. It was rocking...
Mary checked in last time with good words about her AFRTS time.
Herman Griffith 1967
Jim Pewter, Herman Griffith and Roger Carroll
Herman Griffith kicked up a storm, with KGFJ and with AFRTS. I wish I knew more of his story. Roland Bynum says that Herman helped him get his job with us.
Thursday, August 22, 2024
America's Popular Music 1964
Andy Mansfield continues his tribute to Glenn Miller. We're up to part 15 on America's Popular Music.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Sportsreel 1968
'We weren't really rigged to do sports talk shows. Over the years Fred Hessler from KMPC recorded Sports feature shows. Let's take a look at 1967.
Tom Campbell 1980
Tom was another guy who worked Minneapolis. He was Paul Bunyan at WDGY before getting to the coast and killin' it in San Francisco.
Great phone number...
So, from Torrejon...
Roland Bynum 1983
Roland Bynum was making some great radio in 1983. He was always a Voice of Home. Thanks for the memories!
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Coffee Break 1978
Bruce Phillip Miller did "Coffee Break" for AFRTS. His day job was at KIIS, he had been at KWIZ and KKDJ prior. Later Bruce was the Captain in the "Alien Worlds" radio show.
Pull up a chair and take a Coffee Break.
Jim Pewter
Jim Pewter in a 1967 promo picture at AFRTS
(picture courtesy Jim Pewter)
Jim spent 30 years at AFRTS from 1966 through 1996, every show a painless education of rock.
Guenther recorded a bunch of these from AFN and it's some great listening. Thank you Guenther and Jim!
Don Tracy 1993
Don paid his dues in Connecticut radio, through WPOP, WNHC and WAVZ then to win in Los Angeles.
KGFJ, KDAY, KABC-TV, KNX as a sales executive, his own ad agency and editor of the R&B Report.
Monday, August 19, 2024
Chris Noel 1970
Chris Noel made a bunch of long tours a little shorter. Date With Chris touched a lot of troops.
Joe Ferguson 1983
Time for more of the "Joe Show" from 1983 and KUPL Portland (OR). Ah the memories...
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Jim Ameche 1952
Jim Ameche did his show for many years for the network. Brother Don was also quite the host. In the early 50s AFRS did a program called Across the Board, misc musical broadcasts. Randy thinks this is a heavily edited program from the "Here's to Romance" series. Don and Jim sound a lot alike:
Music and the Spoken Word 1970
The Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir was an early tradition of radio. AFRTS ran the show many years in an extended Sunday morning block.
AFVN Orient Express - Paul Bottoms 1969
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Here's a mostly complete AFVN Orient Express. 1969 with Paul Bottoms.
Saturday, August 17, 2024
Gene Price 1974
I was pretty excited to get a bunch of Gene Price Army recruiting shows that I hadn't heard before. I'll give them a good home. Gene had a two and a half decade run on the network. Roger Carroll worked out a deal to make these Sunday morning recruiting shows. Let's go back to the Summer of 1974 and Watermark studios.
Mary Helen Barro 1983
This was home in 1983. Panama was a beautiful place. Beaches, ocean, music.
Here's Mary Helen Barro, Bailar!
Charlie Tuna 1974
You look like you could use some Breakfast Serial. Charlie Tuna woke the world for 25 years.
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Charlie Williams 1971
Charlie picked up the Country Corner after Joe Allison. Charlie was another songwriter/DJ came from KFOX, 1960-72, where he did afternoon drive. Charlie moved to Nashville and built a home on a lake. He managed Bobby Bare and hosted a talk show on WSIX. Charlie passed away in 1995.
Monday, August 12, 2024
Wolfman Jack 1975
I was visiting a radio pal "Somewhere I have a Wolfman ET, want it?" That's an easy question. The disk was trashed and I've spent most of a year trying to get it to track. The recruiting shows were recorded at the big deal recording studios rather than AFRTS. Wolf is on a tear...
Roger Carroll 1972
Roger Carroll on a remote for WFMD
Roger Carroll is well known in the Los Angeles area as a radio personality
His older brother was an announcer at WCAO-Baltimore and at the CBS network in New York. Roger’s brother never returned from World War II, and Roger became the announcer in the family.
His first radio job was WFMD Frederick, Maryland at the age of 15. In 1948 at 18 years old, he was the youngest staff announcer in the history of the ABC network.
Roger was a Korean War vet, working at AFRTS in Los Angeles, a relationship that continued for over three decades.
In 1959 he left ABC to join number one-rated, Gene Autry-owned KMPC radio in Hollywood. His KMPC radio program lasted until 1979 and was one of the most popular radio shows in Southern California.
In 1979, Roger moved to evening talk, later becoming head of a new Golden West Syndication Features wing. In 1981, he resigned from Golden West and go into syndication and station ownership. To this day, Roger praised the management of KMPC for creating such a professional environment.
1965 A Swingin' Summer
Musical adviser and Radio announcer (uncredited)
1967 The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (TV Series)
Alternate Announcer
1968 Hunter (TV Series)
Played Quentin in "Crusader" episode
1969 What's It All About, World? (TV Series) - Episode 1 announcer
1969 The Leslie Uggams Show (TV Series)
1969-1972 The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (TV Series)
1973 The Bobby Darin Show (TV Series)
Bobby Darin in Concert (1973) ... Himself - Announcer
1976 Tony Orlando and Dawn (TV Series)
Himself - Announcer
1979 The Onion Field
Radio voice (uncredited)
Sunday, August 11, 2024
Mary Turner 1984
Time for another visit with Ft McCadden's Mary Turner. Mary really did rock the world. KMET, AFRTS, Off the Record. Classy and always done well.
urner 1984
Herman Griffith 1972
Herman Griffith with Jim Pewter and Roger Carroll
Hey, brave and the bold! He sure rocked. Here's more of the KGFJ vet. Herman's story is here.
Herman Griffith - 1972
Thursday, August 8, 2024
Turn Back the Clock 1958
Andy Mansfield and Kay Starr
Turn Back the Clock was a fascinating show. Andy and Virginia Mansfield were playing the songs of 20 and 30 years ago. Of course in the mid-50s that could mean Al Jolson and acoustic cylinders. Let's revisit 1958 and Turn Back The Clock.
Tom Campbell 1978
Tom was "Paul Bunyan" for WDGY in the 1960s.
Tom did two shows for us "Stateside" with current hits. Later a weekend show "Playback" was added, with a wider playlist.
Tom shared a bunch of his shows, enjoy!
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Roland Bynum 1984
Roland Bynum sent a note with good words for the blog. This is another great moment in radio, Roland Bynum 1984. I always admired how personable his presentation was and still is.
Rocketing Rhythms 1961
We counted them down. The first rock countdown show was Rocketing Rhythms, usually hosted by Jack Brown. Today Jack is on vacation and KLACs Bill Stewart steps in with the hits from the pages of Cash Box. Here are the pre-Beatles years hits!
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
JimPewter 1981
Picture from Jim Pewter, copyright Playgound Productions
Barry White was a big man, with a big voice and a big talent. He stopped in to talk with our friend Jim Pewter. Jim and Barry had been friends since 1966, producing sessions for Mustang and Bronco records in Los Angeles.
Don Tracy 1995
The network kept rocking til the end. In 1995 the Network we all knew was changing but Don Tracy still had his chops...
Monday, August 5, 2024
Chris Noel 1967
Today's memory is from 1967 and a "Date With Chris". For 55 minutes, home was that much closer
Joe Ferguson 1983
Ferguson
Time for more of the "Joe Show" from 1983 and KUPL Portland (OR). Ah the memories...
Boston Pops 1970
Arthur Fiedler
AFRTS offered an extensive collection of classical music nationwide. In Boston, the Boston Pops' regular performances on WCRB became a cherished tradition.
This particular disk has a story of its own. Over the past decade, I've made several attempts to transfer it. Stored without a sleeve, it was in quite a deteriorated condition. Despite a few issues, I'm pleased to finally listen to it.
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Jim Ameche 1965
Among the finest orchestra libraries, they offer the best sounds around. Easy Listening music, once performed by large orchestras, is a genre we seldom hear today. AFRTS maintained a longstanding tradition of this music from its inception. Jim Ameche, brother of Don, pioneered the nationally syndicated DJ show in the 1950s, setting the stage for successors like John Doremus and Pete Smith. Come dinnertime, after a long and arduous day, it's time to unwind with some easy favorites.
Gene Price 1978
Whoever came up with the phrase Country Gentleman must have known Gene Price. It's classy. It's silly and it's wonderful radio.
