Jim Pewter 1968

 

Dean Torrence, Jim Pewter, Jan Berry and Roger Christian
Photo copyright Playground Productions. thank you Jim!

Straight ahead, don't bunch up!

Jim Pewter 1968

More Jim Pewter

Melody Roundup 1943

 

George Hayes?  I felt pretty silly when I found out.  More good radio'

Melody Roundup 1943

More Melody Roundup

AFN 50th anniversary 1993

Memories of AFN

AFN Pam Windsor 1984

 

This came in on one of Chris's great tapes that he'd been saving for years.  When I asked Pam:

I left AFN in 1986, came back to the states, got a radio job in Roanoke, Virginia, then moved into TV and worked my way up to becoming News Director at the ABC Affiliate in Lynchburg, VA. Afterwards, I took a job at CNN International but my kids weren't happy in Atlanta so I ended up moving to Louisville, Kentucky to take an Executive Producer job at the NBC Affiliate. I'm currently not working in TV and am instead doing Public Relations but now that my youngest is in college, I'm thinking of trying to get back into something more fun. I'm still trying to figure out on exactly what that might be. :)

AFN Newswatch June 1984

More from AFN

AFN and AFRTS jingles

 

 

Some days the jingles rock.  This is from several jingle packages. Some are voiced AFN, some voiced AFRTS.  Ed Tooma is on the voice drops.

 

Punch up a jingle

AFN and AFRTS jingles

Chris Noel 1968

 

During Vietnam, actress Chris Noel did the “Date With Chris” show, one of the most popular programs in the history of the network. There are some examples in the blog. Since the war she’s run a shelter for veterans, still fighting the good fight. Take 10 seconds and help a great person.  Now she needs your help.  Please do what you can. Vetsville

Date With Chris - 1968

s

More Chris Noel

Love with Tony Pigg 1971

 

In 1971 no one was even sure what AOR was but Tony Pigg was doing it in New York at WPLJ. AFRTS was rockin..




"Love" with Tony Pigg

Love With Tony Pigg - 1971 More Tony Pigg

Bob KIngsley 1975

 

For someone who went on to host American Country Countdown, Bob Kingsley could sure rock up a storm.  Bob was an Air Force AFRS Iceland vet.  Take a listen:

Bob Kingsley 566 part 2

More Bob Kingsley

Charlie Tuna 1973

 

Charlie and Michael Jackson

I used to do the morning show in Panama then run the Charlie Tuna show...and listen.  Charlie had an awful lot of what we wanted to grow up to be" Years later I was working at a station in Manchester and the PD was asked me how I could do content that wasn't cliché "topical" or "music related" but was 'one on one'.  It was something I think we learned from all of the AFRTS guys, but Charlie in particular.

Thanks for the memories!

Charlie Tuna - 1973

More Charlie Tuna

Johnny Bond 1961

 

Johnny Bond did a lot of songs, movies and had a long term radio gig with AFRTS.  Archive.org has much of his music click here  He brought the back home music

Johnny Bond - 1961

More Johnny Bond

JIngles from the 70s

 

This is from one of the TM packages.  Stereo and  nice.

 

AFRTS jingles

More Jingles

Silly spots

 

>

So somehow almost 50 years later, I'm still making silly spots.  Here's how they did it at AFN:

Finding sweet spot between informative and zany at AFN

Chris Noel 1969

 

Vetsville Cease Fire House

291 NE 19th Avenue

Boynton Beach, FL 33435

Phone: (561) 736-4325

I’m Chris Noel. In Hollywood, I did films with Elvis and Steve McQueen. In Vietnam, I performed live, and my radio show was broadcast to our troops, both in Vietnam and worldwide.

Then, in 1993, I founded Vetsville Cease Fire House, a non-profit charity based in Florida that is dedicated to providing food, shelter and care for indigent military veterans.

Vets make great employees. They’re dependable team players who work with pride, but finding full-time employment is often extremely difficult. And that's where Vetsville Cease Fire House comes in. Among the great organizations sponsoring us are the Nam Knights MC, a group of police officers and Vietnam veterans.

We’re also sponsored by groups like Rolling Thunder, Paul Revere and the Raiders, “Good Morning Vietnam’s” Adrian Cronauer, and various community organizations. We also hold popular yearly fund-raisers such as Veterans Day celebrations and Rock ‘n’ Roll Sunday!

Our mission is to provide homeless American military veterans --regardless of race, creed, color, sex or age -- with food, shelter, and a secure environment as we aid them in returning to society. That’s our goal -- and Vetsville Cease Fire House is making it happen ... with the help of your generous contribution!

Thank You For Your Time!
Chris Noel

Date With Chris 1969

More Chris Noel

Jim Pewter

 

Jim Pewter and Mamie Van Doren

Jim Pewter just sent up a bunch of 1995 shows.  Didn't we go to different high schools together?  Thank you Jim.  Thank you Timmy (Radio's best friend)

Jim Pewter 1995

More Jim Pewter

AFRS Alaska - Steve Phillips 1967

 

Here's our first visit with AFRS Alaska.  It's 1967 and Steve Phillips brings the music.

AFRS Adak - Steve Phillips 1967

More AFRS Alaska

Battle of Guadalcanal 1942

 

I was at the record store and saw a used album by the USMC Band.  The thing was too thick.  With the record were 2 12" 78s that sound like they were done for the troops as a command information thing.  This one has a short clip recorded in the studio at Guadalcanal.  There's just not much audio from the Mosquito Network.  It's a good listen.

Battle of Guadalcanal

More from the Mosquito Network

Bob Kingsley 1975

 

Bob Kingsley visits SCN in the Panama Canal Zone 1972 (photo: Gerry Fry)

Somehow it still amazes me.  Bob Kingsley was a really good rock jock.  He was one of us.  He'd done a tour at our Iceland station.  Bob later went on to be the voice of country music on American Country Countdown.    In 1975, it was time to rock.

Charles Goyette remembers that picture " I was also more than a little surprised to see myself on the page in a photo with Bob Kingsley at SCN.  That was in summer of ’72.  Also in the shot are LtC. Dan Maguire (our CO and a very fine man), Tom Colvin, John Fisher, Bob Rupp, Paul Warhanik, and Phil Lane.  I’m surprised the talented Lee McGowan wasn’t in that shot.

We were good hosts to Kingsley during his visit to Panama.  And some time later Bob was an equally good host when Lee, Gerry Fry, and I visited him in L.A.  As I recall, Robert Fuller, the actor in TV westerns like Wagon Train, was Bob’s brother-in-law.  Among other things, Bob took us on the lot for a shooting of the series Emergency that Fuller was starring in. 

Great seeing that picture again!"

Bob Kingsley 1975

More Bob Kingsley

Roger Carroll 1981

 

RC thanks for the memories and some great radio!!

Roger Carroll - 1981

A while back I had a chat with Roger.

Roger Carroll call

More Roger Carroll

John Halbert Book

 John Halbert has a new book:

Amazon has just released my biography which includes being deputy chief of the radio & television branch, in there Office of Information at HQ Strategic Air Command, co-manager of the joint AFRTS/Canadian Broadcasting arrangement at Harmon AFB in Stephenville, Newfoundland (VOHF radio & CFSN-TV), US Air Forces Europe manager of radio & television at HQ USAFE, Ramstein AB, Germany; Assistant Director of Public Affairs in the Pentagon involving being on the DoD AFRTS policy board and later as EUCOM executive manager of AFRTS for Europe.

Synopsis and chapter previews are available at no cost for review

An American Gypsy: Around the World in 32,620 Days: Halbert, John Thomas: 9798449027726: Books: Amazon.com

Sound Off 1943

 

Bill Goodwin

I guess there could be quite a project in who was the first network DJ with AFRS.  Bill Goodwin was one of the first with "Sound Off".  "Sound Off" was a request show, with dedications for the troops.

Mr Goodwin was most notable as the announcer/foil for George Burns on his television show in the 50s.  We lost Mr. Goodwin in 1958.

AFRS Sound Off - 1943

More Old Time Radio

Chris Noel 1971

 

Some rock, some ballads and a voice from home.  Chris Noel.  You have a Date With Chris.

Date With Chris - 1971

More Chris Noel

Charlie Tuna 1983

 

Charlie had almost 50 years in Los Angeles radio.  That's hard for me to even conceive.  Talent..

Charlie was with us from 1971-96.  His day jobs were some of the greatest LA top 40s ever.

Charlie Tuna - 1983

More Charlie Tuna

AFTN Thailand May 10, 1970

 

Today is the anniversary of a very sad day.

On April 10th 1970 an unarmed photo recon plane was returning from a mission in Vietnam.  It missed the runway, crashed and destroyed the building for AFTN Udorn.

We lost nine airmen that day. 

IN MEMORIAM

TSgt Jack A. Hawley  (37),  Wakeman, OH

SSgt James T. Howard  (27),  Denver, CO

A1C Andrew C. McCartney (20),  Lakewood, OH

SSgt Alfred N. Potter  (27),  Forest Grove, OR

Sgt John Charles Rose ( 25),  Bloomfield, NJ

TSgt Frank D. Ryan, Jr. (41),  Mercer Island, WA

SSgt Edward Wm. Strain (24),  Myrtle Beach, SC

TSgt Roy Walker  (40),  Albuquerque, NM

A1C Thomas L. Waterman  (25),  Roanoke, VA

Golden Days Of Radio 1970

 

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. 

The Golden Days of Radio - 1970

More Golden Days of Radio

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:

Bob Kingsley Show - 1973

More Bob Kingsley

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.

Roger Carroll - 1981

More Roger Carroll

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.  

Jim Pewter - 1968

More Jim Pewter

Chris Noel 1970

 

Chris's book "Vietnam and Me".  It's highly recommended.

Get it from Amazon

But right now, it's 1970 and time for a Date With Chris

Date With Chris - 1970

More Chris Noel

s

Charlie Tuna 1982

 

Charlie with Stan Freberg.

When you ask about AFRTS radio, Charlie Tuna is one of the names remembered most. Charlie was with us from 1972-96 and was doing the most consistent show I've ever heard. Legendary for a reason

Charlie Tuna - 1982

More Charlie Tuna

FEN Automation and Tokyo Calling 1965

 

Awhile back Monte Jones had some informaton about the automation system at FEN in the late 60s.  I thought something capable of segueing the ETs and putting the news on the air was very high tech for the times.  Norm Medland was there before Monte and he had some information:

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 Tokyo Calling 01-10-65

FEN FM automation c 1983 (Photo: Jon Yim)