Posts
The Golden Days of Radio ran almost as long as AFRTS itself. It was the last program recorded for the network under the 'old system'. Mr Bresse was a storehouse of information about radio in the 1940s and 50s. It was always fun to hear.
Friday, April 1, 2022
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Bob Kingsley 1973
For those of us "a certain age" Bob Kingsley WAS the American Country Countdown. That's why listening to his AFRTS rock show is so fascinating. It's a style that really bridges the gap. Take a listen:
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Roger Carroll 1981
Young Roger at WMFD
There's always time for a Happy Hour. When I was working civilian, one time I had a PD wondering how I could do so many "universals". To him that meant being able to do a break without necessarily doing a station promo or talking about the record. I learned it from the Roger and the AFRTS-LA talent. Many thanks.
Monday, March 28, 2022
Jim Pewter 1968
Time for Brother Jim. A couple of years before this show, Jim was up in the division area in Korea on AFKN. The "songs you forgot to remember" has never been more appropriate.
Chris Noel 1970
Chris's book "Vietnam and Me". It's highly recommended.
But right now, it's 1970 and time for a Date With Chris
s
Friday, March 25, 2022
Charlie Tuna 1982
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
FEN Automation and Tokyo Calling 1965
Henry Yaskell was way ahead of his time from the automation system to tropo scatter to distribute the net up the line to Misawa and other places; Kuma Station and Wakkanai in the far north of Japan. In addition to the voice network to our outlying stations, we also had a teletype network and a fulltime employee to type and send printed newscasts to all the stations. Yes, they could have had all news prerecorded on tape and I believe Henry wanted that but it pushed immediacy back by at least an hour and the programmers would not allow it.
Automation basic brain may have been a Harris-made unit, but not sure. Henry had at least four turntables connected along with a bank of ampex tape recorders and several cart machines. It used a room about 20x20 and had one fulltime GI and a Japanese engineer plus probably a GI engineer. Time hacks were automated and the unit could switch between functions and the news booth and production studios. A lot of local production done on tape like “Tokyo Calling.”
It took a lot of tending and no one but Henry thought it saved any manpower. Still, it was ingenious and way ahead of most broadcast stations. I worked at a station in Sacramento after I retired that was automated with a Harris-90 with just a bank of tape playback units and two production studios. Very simple by comparison.
FEN even had on loan from Sony an early portable tape unit that rode around on a cart much like a current day audio visual cart with a few shelves. Not very portable and weighed a couple of hundred pounds. This never worked properly and wasn’t used in the field that I know about. Our audio equipment was the best you could buy, and programming concentration was totally audio. I think we had a least six Nagra tape recorders. We were just a radio station, (no TV at all), and the network feed, but we were very good. Great talent in house. Unfortunately many of them are now deceased. I am certain we would have made money in any market in the United States.
I was just a buck sergeant and staff sergeant as I left, but had worked radio in Denver, San Diego, and small Iowa stations before arriving there. I wasn’t bad, but others there made me look like an amateur.
From January 1965, here's Burr Hoyle:
FEN FM automation c 1983 (Photo: Jon Yim)
Monday, March 21, 2022
Jerry Bishop 1977
There were very few places where we aired the network shows on FM. Parts of AFN in Germany and Spain and Torrejon Spain. That;s what makes Vicente's recordings of the station all the more welcome.
It's a Monday and almost Christmas 1977 and time for the Bishop.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Whistler 1962
Halloween's coming up and time for a mystery with the Whistler. By the 60s, of course these were repeats. With some breaks, the Whistler was on in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. The shows hold up surprisingly well.
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Charlie Tuna 1985
Charlie Tuna is Los Angeles radio KHJ, 1967-72; KROQ, 1972-73; KKDJ, 1973-75; KIIS, 1975-77; KHJ, 1977; KTNQ, 1978-80; KHTZ, 1980-85; KBZT, 1985-86; KRLA, 1986-90; KODJ/KCBS, 1990-93; KMPC/KABC, 1993-94; KIKF, 1994-98; KLAC, 1998-2000; KBIG, 2000-07; KRTH, 2008-13. He then did weekends and fill-in at K-EARTH.
We lost Charlie in 2016.
Incredible. From 1971 til the 1990s we were lucky enough to have the Charlie Tuna Show
Rebel Randall 1952
Ladies on the radio, from GI Jill, Chris Noel, Mary Turner, LaRita Shelby, Laurie Allen. Voices from home. During the Korean War that voice was Rebel Randall.
Huge audience, doing a civilian show in the states where families could call their troop overseas. Eventually picked up by AFRTS to do a show. "Jukebox USA". It only ran for a couple of years. Rumor at the time was she was talking too sexy for the brass...
Monday, January 3, 2022
Roger Carroll 1977
RC, that's he! Roger Carroll was with us for a long long time and it's always wonderful. Here's Roger for the US Air Force.
Thursday, December 23, 2021
Merry Christmas 1947
Three G. I.'s in Germany, away from home at Christmas time for the first time, try to share the holiday spirit. Edmund Penny, Frank Gerstle, Howard Culver, Irvin Lee, James W. Talbot (producer), Jerry Farber, Richard Crenna, Rye Billsbury, Steve Allen (writer).
I know that MacGregor produced similar material to this (under a contract for AFRS)
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Adventures in Good Music 1972
Karl Haas was perfect for AFRTS. He made classical music accessible for young troops that had never heard such a thing and gave a gift. He did the same thing on Detroit radio for decades. His show was syndicated all over the country and is probably still being aired somewhere.
Monday, November 8, 2021
Army Hour - 1967 Computers!
The Army had computers in 1967, just not very sure what they were. This from a 1967 "Army Hour" broadcast. The Army Hour had PAO shops from around the world filing reports on what their commands were doing. These usually ended up broadcast on Sunday mornings in the states. Sgt Raymond Banks reports:
Johnny Bond 1961
To the strains of Les Paul's "Cimarron" and a bushel basket full of gramophone records. It's old school country from 1961.
Happy listening!
Chris Noel 1970
Chris Noel did so much for so many Vietnam era troops. "A Date With Chris" brought the girl next door to far flung outposts all over the world.
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Charlie Tuna 1988
It's been five years since we lost Charlie. I remember that day.
Charlie was with us a quarter century, right up to the end. I think we all stole something from him. Thanks Charlie!
Rocketing Rhythms 1961
Jack Brown is back with Rocketing Rhythms. our 1961 show with tunes for the kids. Today Jack has the top hits and visit with Kay Starr...
Friday, October 22, 2021
Halloween's Coming.... Mystery Playhouse 1944
The Mystery Playhouse was one of the first series on AFRS. The networks were sending over more good material than could be readily used. A lot of it was used in anthology programs, sort of the best of radio back home. "SGT X" (Howard Duff) was the host of the Mystery Playhouse..
Ida Lupino and Louis Hayward in Graham Greene's novel, "Brighton Rock." was originally aired on the CBS show "This Is My Best", in 1944
Johnnie Darrin 1978
Johnnie Darrin's resume included: KIIS; KRLA, 1968-71; KDAY, 1971; KROQ, 1972-73; KNAC, 1975; KGOE, 1975; KNX, 1976; KGIL, 1976-83; KJOI, 1978; KBLA, 1989-92; KGIL, 1993; KFWB, 1998-2008.
Friday, October 8, 2021
Friday, September 17, 2021
Redd Harper 1948
Redd was a part of a concert band that became more and more successful until they were invited to join an Oklahoma City radio station in 1924. From there, his career took off and his music was in greater demand. In 1931 he joined a larger radio station in Des Moines, found more success, and then decided to head to Hollywood, California. However, he arrived at the end of the Western Jazz era and the beginning of the Great Depression, thus finding it hard to find work and was not as successful as he had been. He struggled to find work in the city. When World War II started, he joined the Coast Guard for three years. After the war, Redd was doing shows for AFRS.
After the war he found success again in Hollywood as he began working with other big name artists of the time from both radio and movies. During this time he also found success in the movie industry and starred in several films, including The Strawberry Roan.
Thursday, September 9, 2021
Operation Little Vittles 1949
In the late 40s AFRS did a lot of stories about the people side of war. Operation Little Vittles was a part of the Berlin Airlift. America got candy to kids.
The story is dramatized in this broadcast:
Thursday, September 2, 2021
AFVN Your Brother 1969
LINK FIXED
Bob Mayben sent in a neat AFVN memory: "I was company clerk for the 43rd APU (Post Office). I have a 30 minute air check of “Your Brother” on AFVN DaNang that I recorded at the 80th Logistical Command in the Arts and Crafts shop."
Friday, August 27, 2021
Roger Carroll 1981
I'm grateful that Roger made so many great shows and made them available to us.
Today it's memories of 1981. If you have any of Roger's Christmas shows please contact me!
Rocketing Rhythms 1961
Jack Brown interviews Bogart and Becall
Monday, August 23, 2021
1970s jingles
Charlie Tuna 1991
So where were you in 1991?
The first Gulf War, Soviet Union crumbles, Princess Diana and Prince Charles split up. Topicality was a big piece of the Charlie Tuna show:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)