Monday, September 30, 2024

Roland Bynum 1976

 


1976 and the great memories continue. .  I'm ready for some Soulin' With Roland.



Jim Ameche 1964


 


I remember the "beautiful music" of orchestral arrangements, particularly those of pop songs from the 1930s to the 1960s. This music was once the backdrop of grocery stores. The AFRTS has a tradition of broadcasting such music, dating back to WWII. In the 1960s, Jim Ameche took up this legacy. A prominent radio star during the "Golden Days of Radio," Jim pioneered the national syndication of a DJ show.

In 1964, we heard "The Best Sounds Around"
 

 

 

Jim Pewter 1980

 


Before we can get rocking, we have to clean up...



Don Tracy 1986

  


Monday already?  Well it was in 1986 and Don Tracy takes the edge off.


Sunday, September 29, 2024

Chris Noel 1968

 


Chris Noel, a huge star.  I wonder what would have happened had she had done radio in the US.  She was a big part in that Voice of Home tradition.  This is a 1968 memory:





Saturday, September 28, 2024

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!




John Doremus 1967

 



 I found some complete 1967 John Doremus shows. John originated in-flight music on aircraft and did a nighttime show in Chicago that was eventually syndicated by the airlines to a lot of stations. John was one of the giants of broadcasting in general and to AFRTS in particular

 
 

 

Thursday, September 26, 2024

AFN Morning People 1978 Chris Hall

 

Midnight in Germany and time for "Morning People" with Chris Hall filling in. Here's a scoop of AOR.


Gene Price 1980

  

Gene Price with another show of magic. Gene was one of the first to say okay when I asked if we could share these memories.  
He was a great guy...


Gene Price 1980

More Gene Price

Ira Cook 1962

 


(L to R) Dick Whittinghill, Ira Cook, Johnny Grant, Stan Warwick and Roger Carroll

Ira is back, with another show recorded at KMPC.

Ira Cook 1962

More Ira Cook

Mary Helen Barro 1983

 


Much of the country is going to the dying heaves of winter.  A little salsa, some Latin jazz and the occasional ranchero.  I need that.


Charlie Tuna 1983

 


Charlie, thanks for all of the memories.  This would have been one of the shows I played, right after my morning show in Panama.  Always the best.




Monday, September 23, 2024

Johnny Bond 1961

 



We had a lot of cowboys, both Jimmy Wakely and Johnny Bonds did country shows for the network before Joe Allison and the Country Corner.  Jimmy was backup talent for Gene Autry and was a frequent guest at the Melody Ranch. Johnny had a long successful recording career.  His greatest hit was "Ten Little Bottles" Here's Johnny in a 1961 show.

Wolfman Jack 1978

 

In 1978 Guenther was recording a lot of AFN.  Here are a bunch of early 1978 memories.

Roger Carroll 1970

 


Roger Carroll has another hour of the Happy Hour, this time from 1970.  Roger shared all of the shows he saved with us and that was a great thing.  Thanks RC!


Mary Turner 1985

   



Mary Turner really rocked the house.  Normally when any of the jocks got a reaction, it'd be split.  The ones that were really liked would draw complaints.  I never remember fielding a complaint about Mary.  I remember the barracks rocking.  Thank you  Mary.  Continued success!


Sunday, September 22, 2024

AFN Latin Tempo 1980




 In Mexico there's a form of music called Norteno it's 3/4 time and sounds like a polka.  There's something full circle about Sunday morning, AFN and Latin Tempo.  Today Santiago Minchaga, I know I spelled that wrong, plays some wonderful music.  The program was popular with the Germans...



Herman Griffith 1966

    

Herman with Jim Pewter and Roger Carroll


It's easy to see Herman Griffith as the voice of a community in 1966. There's a lot to his presentation that others refined and copied. Herman talks about Savings Bonds, with an interest rate very similar to today... Let's take a listen.

Herman Griffith 1966

More Herman Griffith

Banners Of Faith 1971

 

Lai Khe, Vietnam. Chapel of the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division

Let's go to the chapel with this 1971 broadcast of Banners of Faith.

Banners Of Faith 1971

More from the Chapel



Saturday, September 21, 2024

Danny Kramer 1983




 In 1983 the network got DJs from all over the country to do shows for the network.  We've heard from Joe Ferguson and Bob Moke.  From the Torrejon tapes (thanks Vicente!!) today we have Danny Kramer.  Danny's day job was at KSL in Salt Lake City.  He was one of us at the Adak Alaska station in the late 60s.


Andy Mansfield 1962

 



Andy and Virginia

Andy Mansfield must have had quite a record collection.  He played the oldies starting in the 1950s well into the 1960s, first with wife Virginia on Turn Back the Clock.  The later show was Americas Popular music.  Lots of big band music but visits back to acoustic records of the 1910s..






Tom Campbell 1971

 

\

Tom's back, with  program 2 of "Tom Campbell Stateside" He's retired and leading the good life in California.  Recently the crazy weather hit his town, but he wasn't on that side of town.





Friday, September 20, 2024

Roland Bynum 1977

 



Time for another visit to the Creators Workshop with Roland Bynum.



Bill Stewart 1969

  


Bill Stewart swung and swung hard.  Record producer, DJ.  A great talent. AFRTS had Bill in the 1960s and 70s.



Jim Pewter 1968

 




Minnesotan Jim Pewter was one of us, was at AFKN in the mid 60s, from there it was off to Ft. McCadden.

Come get your oldies!

Jim Pewter 1967

More Jim Pewter




Don Tracy 1988

  



DON TRACY - Don Tracy was another with a great career at AFRTS-LA and in Los Angeles radio: KGFJ, 1969-74; KDAY, 1976-90; KGFJ, 1993-94; KMBY, 1995; KABC, 1995-97. Following a stint in sales at KABC, Don had an ad agency in the San Fernando Valley, Malloy and Associates. This aircheck was recorded in Iceland.


Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Chris Noel 1970

 


The Memorial Day weekend is here.  Let's go back to a Friday in 1970 and celebrate with Chris Noel and A "Date With Chris"



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:





John Doremus 1967

  




John Doremus tells stories and creates moods in a 1967 broadcast.



Tuesday, September 17, 2024

AFKN Ken Hissong 1968

 


Back to Yongsan, 1968 with "Vagabond on the Go".  I was there in 1976.  Every picture looked exactly the same.

AFKN - Ken Hissong - 1968

 By way of background.... the Air Force made me a cop after I enlisted in Jan '66. After humping  around the SAC "Looking Glass" aircraft I applied to DINFOS in November '66 (hated Nebraska winters at Offutt AFB) and was accepted.  Went to DINFOS in Apr. '67 and got orders for Korea and AFKN in Dec. '67.  Between DINFOS graduation and transfer, I was neither fish nor fowl nor good red meat to my squadron.  I was still a cop but not a cop, Weird.



After AFKN I was assigned to a PIO office at Vandenberg AFB, CA. and was discharged in May '69 due to the Nixon drawdown.  I went back to the job I had before enlistment at WWJ-AM, FM-TV in Detroit.

Became a writer producer and retired in 1999 after working for all three network afils, plus Fox in Detroit as a news producer (in spite of what Capt. Joe Malloy thought at AFKN).



I could not have bought the experience I gained at AFKN for a million dollars.  Besides being on the air, I operated camera, "starred" in a daily kids TV show we produced and was FM program director for Radio Vagabond. 



To be honest, I envied my buddies who had gone on to college, but after I got out I was so far up on the employment chain I never looked back.  As for the total experience...  it was the most fun you could have without taking your clothes off.



Ken


 

Gene Price 1980

 


Time for some of the best in Country Music, it's a Thursday with Gene Price.




Sunday, September 15, 2024

Ira Cook 1967

 


Time for some 1967 fun with KMPC vet Ira Cook.

Ira Cook 1967

More Ira Cook

Mary Helen Barro 1983

 


Mary Helen Barro is back with the best en musica latina!



Charlie Tuna 1992

 

Andrea Bowen, who plays Teri Hatcher's daughter "Julie" on the "Desperate Housewives" TV series, joins Charlie with the latest scoop from Wisteria Lane (photo from charlietuna.com)

Time for another visit with Charlie.  He worked at every great station in Los Angeles during the week, but weekly we had our "Breakfast Serial"



Joe Allison 1965

 




Joe Allison had a lot to do with modern Country music.  He was a talent, writer, producer and record company executive.  In this broadcast he talks a bit about that.



Saturday, September 14, 2024

Wolfman Jack 1980

 


So can you help but remember the station you first heard these on?  I would have just arrived in Panama, and the Wolf howled supreme around the world...



Roger Carroll 1979

 



RC with Robert Wagner

I really wish I had the chance to see McCadden place in it's glory.  In 1979 Cherie McQueen was there:

 I was on two days worth of his program from October 1979, and maybe into November 1979. My visit home to the L.A. area took me to the McCadden Place AFRTS studios, where I was asked to appear on the shows with Roger. I was stationed at SEN/SEB Vicenza, Italy at the time

It would have been incredible to be there while these were being done.

I will go through what I have, must have been special.  Here is Roger from 1979. 

Mary Turner 1985

   

Mary Turner today

Mary Turner really rocked the house.  Normally when any of the jocks got a reaction, it'd be split.  The ones that were really liked would draw complaints.  I never remember fielding a complaint about Mary.  I remember the barracks rocking.  Thank you  Mary.  Continued success!


Friday, September 13, 2024

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Vance Graham 1973

   





KMPCs Vance Graham sees Amelia Earhart off.


Latino! A special program, presented five times a week. With Victor, at your service.

"Victor" was Vance Graham.  An announcer who's career went back to WWII when he was doing news at KMPC.  Later he worked at KFI.  Prior to Latino, Vance did the "Bolero Time" program for AFRTS.  "Vance Graham Bolero Show"  was a daily feature at KTYM Los Angeles in the 1950s.


We ran TWO Latin shows at the same time? I didn't know this. The other show was Viva!


Herman Griffith 1967

   



Herman with Jim Pewter and Roger Carroll

 Feeling brave? If you're young  or old Herman Griffith is here with the Records Caravan. Bold?  If you

Herman was at KGFJ in Los Angeles in the early 60s, was with us into the 1970s and not much else is known.



Andy Mansfield 1964

 


Andy Mansfield's tribute to MAJ Glenn Miller continues.  We're up to part 17



Tom Campbell AFRTS demo 1971

  




Tom Campbell is one of the AFRTS-LA friends that's been great in keeping this whole thing running.

After serving in the United States Air Force, Campbell was hired for his first radio job, at KEEL in Shreveport, La., by Al Hart, who would later become a newscaster and radio personality in San Francisco. Campbell subsequently worked in Minneapolis, Minnesota and at WONE in Dayton, Ohio before his move to KYA San Francisco in 1967.

In 1971 was one of the periodic restructurings of AFRTS.  They were concerned we'd be rocking too hard..   AFRTS sent a demo...


Tom Campbell 1971 AFRTS demo

More Tom Campbell



Command Perfomance 1945

 



 Donna Dae sings, "On The Sunny Side Of The Street." Herb Shriner is introduced as "Sgt. Shriner." Orson Welles (m. c.), Donna Dae, Larry Stevens, Herb Shriner, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Theodora Lynch



Roland Bynum 1973

 

Roland Bynum at KJLH


Roland Bynum has had a lengthy and successful tenure with us. His talent is undeniable, and he continues the magic in Los Angeles. Back in 1973, he hosted a show for us while also working on a show for Air Force Recruiting through Roger Carroll's company. It was all good stuff, featuring great music. That was The Roland Bynum Show.



Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Jim Pewter 1973

 




Welcome back Jim Pewter, we did go to different high schools together (I live about 5 miles from where Jim grew up).  Jim was in the Army, was at AFKN and then the magic began.



Don Tracy 1993

  

Don earned his due 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.

Chris Noel 1971

 


It's Friday and you have a Date With Chris.  As the years went by, Chris being responsive to the troops played more and more rocking music.  Such a talent.



Joe Ferguson 1983

 


Joe Ferguson from KUPL Portland, OR did a series of shows for us in 1983.  For a while the network had jocks from all over the country doing shows for us.  It was some great radio.