Jose Fritz did a very nice writeup about the life of John Doremus.
Now some music for the dinner hour:
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Gene Price 1975
Welcome back Gene Price! In 1975 I was making my career choices and you helped me decide on the army. Many Thanks. Here are all four shows for Roger Carroll's company. 2/75
Mary Helen Barro 1983
Are you ready to salsa? meringue? Mary Helene Barro played the best in Latin music for decades on AFRTS.
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Charlie Williams 1972
After Joe Allison, KFOXs Charlie Williams hosted the Country Corner for a short while.
Roger Carroll 1970
In 1970 Roger visited the stations and troops in Germany and did a show from AFN. The network picked this up and ran it worldwide. Helping out out was future Baltimore personality Bob Moke. Bob later did shows for AFRTS. But on a day in 1970...
Monday, April 29, 2024
Mary Turner 1994
Mary Turner was rocking. In 1994 it had already been a ten year run. Take a listen..
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 and Latino!
Facebook hacked
The Russians hacked my Facebook. Ignore weird messages. While I try to get that back, feel free to friend "Thom Radios"
Saturday, April 27, 2024
The Old Woodsman 1974
I don't know what this is, but it ran on the Thailand network in 1974. It may have been a local production. After Chickenman a lot of stations and syndicators tried their hand at short comedy features. I get a kick out of it. Any idea who did it or where it originated?
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Monday, April 22, 2024
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.
Roland Bynum 1980
Let's see what's shaking in the Creators Workshop. It's Roland Bynum and time to enjoy!
Saturday, April 20, 2024
USAF Recruiting
Before you go home, I need you to knock out some recruiting spots...
Roger Carroll's company put these together with the assistance of Ralph Carmichael's wife Vangie and his daughter Carole who did the arrangements and vocals.
RC did recruiting projects for the Army, Air Force and Navy.
Chuck Cecil 1979
Chuck Cecil is back with the Big band Countdown. This time looking at 1939. Seems ancient now but when this aired in 1979 it was music of 40 years ago. Yikes. Chuck also did "The Swingin Years" Great radio, take a listen. After the show we check into the AFN newsroom.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Bill Stewart 1968
Bill loved his jazz. For a while he was a very successful rock jock but this was his music. He was having a "Musical Bill Affair" well into the 1970s.
Jim Pewter 1980
Welcome back Jim. Minnesotan Jim Pewter was an AFKN vet in the mid 60s and then took on Los Angeles radio and was a part of rock, writing, producing, performing and jocking. A quadruple threat? Jim made the memories happen again and introduced me to a lot of great music. Here's a 1980 visit.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Don Tracy 1993
So tell me you believe Don Tracy had been doing this show for 20 years and sounding this good.
Monday, April 15, 2024
Chris Noel 1969
Chris Noel is back with another hour of great radio. Date With Chris went from 1966-70 and was an important link to home for thousands of GIs.
Joe Ferguson 1983
The Joe Show returns. Joe Ferguson was at KUPL in Portland OR and the show went worldwide. Joe was kind enough to share his copies and these are good...
Friday, April 12, 2024
Adventure Theatre 1977
Well into the 1980s, we ran a lot of oldtime radio. We had access to huge libraries, restrictions on the television product made it another way to present a good story. When it was being presented as a 'story', it was done well. When it was 'nostalgia', it was a harder sell. By 1980 90% of the troops hadn't been there for network radio, making it quaint. They didn't understand where the joke even was with Fibber McGee joking about 'ration points'. But drama, mystery and some comedy could be very entertaining.
Here's a 1977 repackaging of a 1940s broadcast.
John Doremus 1967
Great music, wonderful stories, and... that voice. John Doremus was one amazing talent.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Welcome!
I hope that you enjoy our AFRTS history. There's this site, where you can pull up the shows "on demand".
There's also streaming memories.
"My Best Sounds" is like the stations were with a mix of the best radio talent in LA being heard worldwide.. again!
I've been tinkering with a 50s-80s station. Great music and memories from Tom Campbell, Jim Pewter and Chris Noel
Both streaming stations are on the Online Radio Box app, for every cellphone and tablet. Take us along!
Thank you for your support!!!
Charlie Tuna 1980
The Breakfast Serial continues. Thanks Charlie for letting me make this available. It's time for another visit with the biggest Tuna of all. 1980, the music pretty darn good. Recording has a large piece of an AFN newscast at the end.
Gene Price 1990
Our visit to Soesterberg continues with Gene Pierce, er Price make another hour of magic. Listen to the PSA at the beginning. Talk about a non-denial denial...
Monday, April 8, 2024
Wolfman Jack AFN 1975
Roger Caroll 1979
Roger Carroll with Johnny Magnus
Roger was with us over four decades. 1979 became RC.
Sunday, April 7, 2024
AFVN Jim Lull 1966
It wasn't quite AFVN in 1966, the Armed Forces Radio Service, Vietnam was rocking out with Jim Lull. This is part two of some great tape Dennis sent along. Many many thanks.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Mary Turner 1991
Mary Turner really rocked. Hard to believe how much that rattled the brass and talked to the troops. An amazing talent. Hard to conceive the amount of talent at Fort McCadden..
Tom Campbell 1973
Welcome back Tom Campbell, after Tom Campbell dominated San Francisco Radio he came to Los Angeles, jocked, found a bunch of voiceover work and was doing his show for AFRTS..
Tom Campbell - 1973
Monday, April 1, 2024
Roland Bynum 1983
Roland was rocking in the 60s and still makes it happen. In 1983 we were proud to have the Creators Workshop and Roland Bynum
Andy Mansfield 1964
Andy Mansfield continues his 1964 tribute to Major Glenn Miller. Here's part 11:
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Laurie Allen 1990
Photo: Original Minnesotans Laurie with Jim Pewter in Crete, courtesy Laurie Allen
Here's a double batch of memories, Laurie Allen with the best in classic rock.
Friday, March 29, 2024
This Is The Story - We Take Our Stand Korea 1951
In 1951, the big question about Korea was "Why are we here"?". AFRTS stepped up to the plate and produced a lot of documentary product. In this docudrama, we learn the story of communist aggression. William Woodson, who did tons of voiceover work over the years (Remember the imposing narrator on the 1960s TV show "The Invaders"?) was the announcer, making every word the most important thing that ever happened. AFKN/AFN-K has been delivering the truth for over 70 years now.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Chris Noel 1967
Chris Noel is having a lot of pictures scanned. This one is previously unseen, recording the show. Here's a 1967 Date With Chris. Visit Vetsville, click here
Monday, March 25, 2024
Don Dornberg AFVN Pleiku 1968
Don Dornberg was born 21 February 1944, the son of Mr. and Mrs. David C. Dornberg of suburban Minneapolis/St. Paul. A 1962 graduate of Mahtomedi High School, he enlisted in the Army and was sent as a SP5 to Vietnam in 1967-68. At AFVN's Detachment 3 at Pleiku, Don filled a radio deejay slot with occasional fill-in jobs on the TV news desk.
Back in civilian life, Don worked in Minnesota for a time before leaving for the warmer climes of the South. 1978, Don transferred to Atlanta's WGST, an all-news station which was soon to broadcast on 50,000 daytime watts. As Assistant News Director, Don stayed with the station 19 years until a format change in 1997 prompted him to move to WSB. During his two-decade Atlanta radio career, Don's team won two Excellence in Journalism awards -- one for Deadline Reporting and one for Sports Reporting.
At about the turn of the century, Don signed on as a correspondent with Metro Source News, a private news service company which provides text and audio nationwide to some 800 affiliates. As of this writing in 2012, Don is currently general manager of the organization and lives happily in an Atlanta suburb.
Biography from www.macoi.net
Monday, March 18, 2024
John Doremus 1969
Talk about a voice. John Doremus was an Easy listening giant. In the states he was probably the first voice of music in flight. Had nightly radio shows on the biggest AM stations for the airlines, and did his show for AFRTS. Music for the dinner hour...
Gene Price 1980
Gene Price, Charlie Tuna and Jim Pewter
So is it inspired silliness, wonderful radio or country music at it's best? All three, it's the Gene Price show from 1980 on AFRTS...
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Charlie Tuna 1992
What a great way to tart themornin. Here, have some Breakfast Serial. Stay Tuna'd...
Monday, March 11, 2024
Joe Allison 1969
Joe Allison, songwriter, promoter and DJ. Joe was one of the first to de-hillbilly Country music DJs. It's a fun listen. Joe Allison, The Country Corner, 1969
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Wolfman Jack 1982
KRE, Berkeley was the station in American Graffiti. A low powered struggling AM, still using historical studio gear.
Roger Carroll 1969
It's another visit with RC on a Friday get together. It swings and Frank Sinatra has more of "A Man And His Music".
Thursday, March 7, 2024
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.
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!
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
We've Got Your Music- jingles
"We've got your Music" was the 1985 jingle package but very short. Normally we'd get half an hour (or more) of cuts. This time about 10 minutes and most of that production music. Here are the jingle parts.
Bill Stewart 1968
Time for a musical Bill affair (Listen to the jingle). Bill was still with us in the late 70s with a neat brew of swing. Bill was the one on "Quarter Century of Swing" for AFRTS. We lost Bill in 1993 to heart failure. Bill graced KMPC, 1951-59; KGIL, 1965-66; KRHM, 1966 and 1969; KGIL, 1973-75.
Monday, March 4, 2024
Jim Pewter 1970
Jim was a rocker before the radio. In the 60s to AFKN then Los Angeles radio.
But, let's start with a question "Do you wanna dance?"
