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That'll keep us busy...
Arrived. It's a good day when the postman is cursing me. Bunch of One Night Stands, Grand Old Opry, Rocketing Rhythms, Continental Varieties, Swingin' Years, Broadway is My Beat and many more...
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Many thanks!
The following contributors are some of the people that have made this a better place. With your help we get more material and better tech for better transfers. Thank you very much, it goes a long way!
Linda Lord
Erkan Acar
Ken Hissong
William James
Dale Nulik
John Miller
Chris Andrews
Glen May
Burt Schneider
Steven Kuhn
Jeff McKnight
Gary Schneider
Robert Baucik
Joseph Webb
AFRTS Torrejon - Keith Anderson 1981
Aerial view of Torrejon AFB
May of 1981 and Air Force SGT Keith Anderson has your favorites.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
AFN to a local citizen
I'm Julius, living in Munich, Germany.
I was born in Mannheim in 1950 and lived there till 1975. My absolute favorite Station was AFN FRANKFURT. I heard them all: Wolfman, Roger Carroll, Charlie Tuna, Caseys' Count Down, Old Gold Retold, Hawaii Calls etc.
I recorded a lot of their music, but not the complete shows. Sometimes only the trailers with the voice of the DJs.
For decades I tried to find out the name of the title music from WEEKEND WORLD. Last Year, the SHAZAM-Program on my Mobile answered the question: "Super Chief" by Bob Thompson. I was happy like a child!
My "AFN-YEARS" in Mannheim were an important part of my life, and when I now listen to the clips on your web-site, I always feel the spirit of that time.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Breakfast Club - 1967
Don McNeill had the longest running network show in history. The Breakfast Club began in 1937 and continued until 1968. It started on NBC and went to ABC when NBC was split up. Much of that time we ran it on AFRTS. From the Clouds Room of The Hotel Allerton, Chicago it's 1967 and time for a low keyed entertainment.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
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Wednesday, April 16, 2014
AFRTS Torrejon (Madrid) Spain 1976
Torrejon studios
We've just received some wonderful tape of the Torrejon station. Vicente lived in Madrid and saved his cassettes and is making them available to us. Here's the first. There will be more. Gracias!
Friday, April 11, 2014
Goodbye Mickey Rooney
Sunday April 6th was sad. We lost Mickey Rooney. Besides his many decades of stardom, Tech Sergeant Rooney was a WWII AFN vet.
In 1944 he enlisted and spent 21 months in the army. He was awarded the Bronze Star for entertaining troops in combat areas.
Mickey Rooney with Tom Poston
In 1944 he enlisted and spent 21 months in the army. He was awarded the Bronze Star for entertaining troops in combat areas.
Goodbye Mickey and thank you.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Melody Roundup - Spade Cooley 1946
His band sure swung. This is from a 1946 live remote rebroadcast from Riverside Rancho as a Melody Roundup.
Friday, April 4, 2014
KHJ Real Don Steele 1969
Years ago I had heard about a series of albums that were distributed to the troops overseas. Top 40 radio broadcasts, off-line with commercials. Great idea! I finally located the Don Steele one.
The album gives no idea who was responsible.
From the label:"A fifty minute transcription of an actual broadcast on KHJ radio in Los Angeles, especially produced and distributed free as a public service for the men and women of the United States Armed Forces."
If the government was involved, there'd be a credit. If this was a KHJ project, I can't believe they wouldn't say something about listening to the station when you got home.
Somewhere I had heard Cola Cola was somehow involved, but again no credit. Do you remember these?
Weird, but some great radio.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
AFN Eurospin 1995
So do you remember Sign-on? Here's the AFN sign-on (No German national anthem?) and Eurospin with PFC Jennifer Lopez (not that one...). She's really good...
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Serenade In Blue - 1967
The military used commercial radio stations for recruiting in a big way starting with WWII. Most of the programs were good entertainment. Sometimes these shows would end up broadcast by AFRTS. That puzzled me. Although there were places like Germany and the Canal Zone with many dependents, most of our stations were on ships or in non-command sponsored areas. Was there a purpose in playing an Air Force recruiting show on a Navy ship?
Serenade in Blue was quality music from Air Force bands. Here's a 1967 visit:
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
A Chat With Mark Moss
Mark Moss had quite a career, Army, Air National Guard, tours at SEB Italy, AFKN Korea, Desert Storm and was a DINFOS instructor...
Country Music Time
Country Music Time had a long run for USAF recruiting. Today Perry Bullard features Leroy Van Dyke.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Is it spring yet?
I did want to thank Steven for making a contribution to the blog. They help a lot. There will be some acquisitions that I think we can all enjoy. If you'd like to help, just click the "Donate" button on the left to start. I won't be naggy. Have a wonderful day!
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Off the Wing Tip - 1967
We ran filler shows. Prior to 1971 many of the DJ shows were 45 minutes. With five minutes of news it left a ten minute hole. "Off The Wing Tip" was a ten minute show. I had assumed it was a recruiting program but I don't think so. On this one from New York they spend some time with the pilots of the NYPD.
AFTN - Captain Madrac 1973
Before they made him use his real name, Ralph Gebes was Captain Madrack on AFTN Odapau, Thailand.
There's a really great website with AFTN memories click here.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
We now join our affiliate station...
I thought you may have some fun with this. Airchecks from the field
AFN Europe
AFVN Vietnam
AFKN Korea
FEN
AFTN Thailand
AFRS Alaska
AFRS Iceland
AFN France
SCN Panama
Mosquito Network
Did you save any airchecks?
AFN Europe
AFVN Vietnam
AFKN Korea
FEN
AFTN Thailand
AFRS Alaska
AFRS Iceland
AFN France
SCN Panama
Mosquito Network
Did you save any airchecks?
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Yank Bandstand - 1946
In WWII many of the top US bands were in uniform for the war effort. Yank Bandstand would present these bands.
Monday, March 10, 2014
GI Jive 1944
Armed Forces Radio's first heartthrob was Martha Wilkerson. During WWII she started doing GI Jive and kept doing the show into the 1950s.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Link to us
Do you have a website? Is it related to radio, military or were you an AFRTS vet? I would like to link to it on the link page Just let me know afrts@live.com
Monday, March 3, 2014
Music From Around the World - 1967
We did "World Music" when? Irwin Frankel made a career of promoting music from around the world. From 1959-1972 he promoted it on a radio program on WABC-FM New York. In 1967 the network ran a lot of Local New York programming, probably having something to do with our relationships with the networks.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Banners of Faith - 1971
Every Sunday, the Armed Forces Chaplains Board presented "Banners of Faith", a potpouri of faith based programs.
Billy Pearl - 1975
Billy was one of the jocks hired by Roger Carroll enterprises to do Army recruiting shows. Very Talented.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Music From Your Hometown - 1947
One of the nicer things about being the Voice of Home were things like this. Stations would send acetates of broadcasts to the network. These would be made into new shows.
Leo Reisman - 1919
From roughly 1947 this is a "Music From Your Hometown" with Leo Reisman. Reisman had been around since the early 20s. By then he had a hotel band playing sweet music. So from 1030 WBZ Boston, here's Leo Reisman:
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