SSD transcription label for Suspense Episode No. 8



AFRS transcription label for At Ease Episode No. 444



Far East Network Logo
(Now AFN Tokyo)



Cold War American Forces
Network Logo



WKLH, KOKURA: Pfc. Terry O'Neill files some records in the basic music library of the Kyushu station.



Heavyweight Champ Joe Louis at the WVTG mike



WLKE, SENDAI: Pfc. Bill Munroe, sportscaster, describes the play in a basketball game in his position above the court.



WXLH, OKINAWA: Pfc. Doyle Goodman, technician, checks meter readings on the 250 KRCA transmitter



WTVG, GUAM quonset hut housing Guam's AFRS Radio station



















AFRS transcription label for This Is the Story episode No. 20, first broadcast on March 6th 1945



AFRS transcription label for This Is the Story episode No. 14 'The Barrier' from its 'Freedom Series'



AFRS transcription label for This Is the Story episode No. 16 'The Reluctant Fighter' from its 'Freedom Series'



AFRS transcription label for This Is the Story episode No. 49 'Arctic Miracle' from its 'Pride of Service' series



AFRS transcription label for This Is the Story episode No. 155 'Hans Christian Anderson'



The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) also produced a series of informational 10-minute 'bumpers'during the mid to late 1950s titled 'This Is The Story.' The NBC series was not related to the AFRS This Is the Story series.

AFRS' 7th Birthday
By VIRGINIA V. SAUL

TODAY seven birthday candles are being blown out all over the world at the 60 standard-Wave Armed Forces Radio broadcasting stations whose sole dedication and reason for existence is the soldier.  Birthday cake naturally is on the day's menu at the 11 stations familiarly tagged by radio announcers as "This is the Far East Network."  Six stations are located in Japan and one each at Seoul, Korea; Clark Field in the Philippines; Guam- Saipan and Okinaw.

     The troops and their morale were the basis for AFRS's beginning on May 29, 1942.  Today, seven years later the soldier still is king and the Troop Information and Education stations are purposefully operating to give him what he wants in the way of entertainment.  High priority also is given to information shows to help make our soldiers the best educated and informed in the world.  Trying to accomplish this mission are such topnotch programs as "You Are There," "This Is the Story," "The'Bookshelf of the World," "Science Magazine of the Air" and others.

     Contrary to popular belief, those shows are not produced locally.  Actors are not gathered about the "mike" and there is no studio orchestra supplying background music.  Instead these programs are Vinylite transcriptions (plastic, flexible disks that do not break when dropped) that are airmailed from Los Angeles.

     The Armed Forces Radio stations in the FEC broadcast approximately 120 hours a week.  Sixty hours are received from Armed Forces Radio, Los Angeles (both transcriptions and shortwave programs) and 60 are programmed locally.  The latter consist of local news and sports broadcasts, disk jockey shows, interviews with VIPs, quiz programs, an occasional dramatic program, etc.

     The men and women overseas are constantly kept up-to-date in entertainment, music, sports and current events in the national and international scene through the efforts of the Hollywood Co-ordinating Committee and the donation of time, talent and services of individuals, advertising agencies, sponsors and unions.

     Tuning into Armed Forces Radio stations in the Far East, the soldier hears the majority of his favorite radio programs such as ''Hit Parade," "Bob Hope," "Theater Guild," "Hollywood Bowl," etc.  Most noticable about the programs are the missing commercials.  The Army deletes the sales message so that no one will feel that the Armed Forces are endorsing any commercial products.

     Programs are heard approximately six weeks after they have been broadcast, recorded and airmailed overseas. "Hit Parade" receives the fastest treatment of any program and is heard three weeks after its airing in the States. To give, a further "touch of home away from home" the stations attempt to air their programs on the same day and at the same time soldiers have been accustomed to hearing them at home.

     "Service" plays a large part in the Armed Forces Radio stations!  They try to give the soldier what he wants when he wants it at his radio station.  Something is always done about such requests as "Give us more hill-billy music!"  that frequently come to the Sapporo station, WLKD.  Also meeting the demand for hill-billy music is the Osaka station, WVTQ, whose popular hill-billy program, "Cowboy Clem," pulls in the most fan mail of any broadcast.  Over a thousand letters pour in each month.  "Clem" sings all requests and plays the guitar like a real buckaroo.  In private life, "Clem" is Pvt. Ted Clements from Pennsylvania.

     "Yesterday's Best" is a well known program aired on most stations in the morning.  This is an hour's repeat performance of the tops found in entertainment the night before.  It's re-broadcast so that the men who were on guard duty can catch up with "Bob Hope" or "My Friend Irma" whom they missed while working.

     News is a vital operation of Armed Forces Radio.  News and special events are broadcast as they occur from a battery of shortwave transmitters near San Francisco.  The west coast transmits about 1777 transmitter hours per month over 7 transmitters.  Newcasts are aired on the hour, compiled from United Press and Associated Press wires, State Department releases and other recognized news agencies.  Sportscasts are another regular feature, and AFRS also shortwaves all the big baseball, football and ring contests.

     WVTR in Tokyo, the only 50,000-watt station in the FEC, further keeps its soldier listeners up with the news by sending daily newscasts to the AFR stations in Korea, Okinawa and to all stations in Japan.

     Armed Forces Radio Service, "The Voice of Information and Education," is a completely merged Army-Navy-Air Force operation.  Big boss is Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson. "

     Co-ordinator of the 11 FEC stations is Maj. Jean J. Wood, who is in GHQ offices in the Mitsubishi Building, Tokyo.  With considerable background in geo-politics, psychological warfare and radio, Major Wood ably over-sees the activities of all 11 stations.  He makes periodic visits to them and works with personnel on all problems of broadcasting, speech, writing and equipment.  He, as well as the officers in charge of the stations, try to handle tactfully complaints and suggestions about the stations such as, "Why is there so much symphony music on Sunday afternoon?"  "I'd like an hour of mystery programs each night!"  "Why is there so much corn on the air?"

     The people behind the ether waves and those who bring you daily radio programs are a small group of 14 officers.  Eleven of that number are QIC's.  Maj. Dean L. Condon, 8th Army radio officer, Lt. Warren G. Van Brunt, executive officer for WVTR, and Major Wood comprise the rest of the group.

     Since the stations are for the enlisted men, the stations are by the EM.  A total of 115 EM work at the stations as announcers, writers, engineers and clerks.  Only in the rarest instance will an officer be permitted to announce or to take part in a studio production.

     AFRS has started many a soldier on his way towards a civilian career in radio.  One of the best known examples is Sgt. Hyman J. Averback who was a staff member of Tokyo's WVTR.  He starred in the popular program "Tokyo Mose," a parody on Tokyo Rose.  Now a civilian, Hy Averback has gone big-time in Hollywood.  You've heard him on all the Jack Carson shows and with Jack Healey on the "Village Store."  Hy now is working with Bob Hope and is
heard often on "Command Performance."

     Another local boy from WVTR who made good is Sgt. Hans Conried who now stars in many Hollywood AFRS dramatic productions that are sent overseas, Hans recently was in the movie, "The Senator Was Indiscreet."

     A total of 20 civilian specialists serving as program directors, engineers and writers work at the-stations.  Two additional civilian specialists work in GHQ for the Far East Network.  Miss Frances Cassard is well known in theatrical circles for her starring roles in the Broadway productions "Song of Norway" and "On the Town."  She now is an instructor of music and fine arts and is writing a forthcoming show for USAFI for all the stations.  Mrs. Virginia Saul, formerly a writer for commercial stations and an account executive for advertising agencies, writes scripts for the Far East Network.

     Each station in Japan has Japanese workers doing clerical and typing jobs and technical jobs such as repairing equipment.  A total of 58 Japanese are employed.  The Okinawa station WXLH has five Okinawans on their payroll.

     Tokyo recently was the scene of a six-day Radio Conference from April 25 to 30 of the 11 officers in charge from the FEN stations.  They met in Studio No. 2 of WVTR (Radio Tokyo) in the modern, state-side looking, Radio Tokyo Building where Tokyo Rose used to broadcast.

     In the informal atmosphere of a round-table group, Major Wood led the discussion of the 40-hour conference. Locally produced shows were the subject of numerous discussions and plans were made by each station to air more local shows and to improve the educational-informational quality of their programs.

     For the first time in the FEC, all conference proceedings were recorded on a tape recorder.  This material is being studied and analyzed to help further the long range plans of AFRS to give better radio.

     The 11 OICs attending the conference were:  Capt. Richard E. Boles, WVTR, Tokyo; 1st Lt. Maurice P. Girard, Jr., WVTQ, Osaka; 2nd Lt. Albert O. Jones, WLKE,. Sendai; 1st Lt. Robert M. Johnson, WLKD, Sapporo; 2nd Lt. William A. Turkish, WLKH, Kokura; 1st Lt. Paul R. Robertson, WLKI, Fukuoka, 1st Lt. Pat M. Kee, WVTP, Seoul, Korea; Capt. William C. Burns, WVTM, Clark Field in the Philippines; 1st Lt. Crane P. Fitzwilson, WXLH, Okinawa; 1st Lt. Elmer B. Hersh, WVTG, Guam and 1st Lt. Joseph L. Shaughnessy, WVTF, Saipan.

     At anniversary time, it's pleasant for the stations to reminisce and think of things past and of the milestones to their present success.  WXLH, Okinawa, claims the distinction of being the first American Forces radio station to be established on Japanese-held territory.  Three days after the invasion of the island began on April 1, 1945, equipment for the station was landed.  In May the formal opening dedication was made by Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner, leader of the Tenth Army, which made the assault landing.  WXLH broadcast by short wave the formal surrender ceremonies of the Ryukyus by the Japanese on September 7, 1945.  This broke the power of the war lords of the Pacific and ended all organized resistance in this part of the world.

     Always interested in worthwhile causes, the Sendai station, WLKE, likes to recall their recent fund raising campaign over the air for the March of Dimes. OIC, Lt. A. O. Jones, proudly tells that they netted over $5,000.

     WVTM, located at Clark Field near Manila, gives their listeners lots of "on-the-spot" coverage.  S/Sgt. Adolph G. Bryson, WVTM's roving reporter, described the aerial maneuvers given in honor of President Manuel A. Roxas last year.  The entire broadcast was shortwaved to AFRS stations in Okinawa, Japan and AFRS Hqs., in Los Angeles, Calif.  That night, the president of the Philippines died in the home of the commanding general of the Thirteenth Air Force—- one-half-mile from Bryson's news desk.

     A little on the humorous side is the new character, that could very well be one of Little Abner's imaginary friends, recently introduced on WLKH, Kokura, "Gugaliamo," a horse, appears on the half-hour "Songs of the West" program with Cpl. Tom De Temple doing the announcing.  "Gugaliamo'' quietly gallops into the studio at 1400 but never answers the questions and remarks directed at him.

     OIC of WLKH, 2nd Lt. William A. Turkish, and the entire staff are amazed at the number of requests and the ways they are sent in for "Requestfully Yours."  Sgt. Dick Knowles, disk jockey of "Requestfully Yours," recently remarked on his program by the same name that he would accept requests on cigar box tops, old laundry slips, etc.  The audience took him literally and now are flooding the station with requests via courier, messenger, messages typed backwards in soft drink bottles, etc., etc.

     Human sidelights and incidents often relieve the tension at the stations and many a humorous anecdote lives on among the men to tell over and over again.  There was a time recently at WVTQ, Osaka, when a regularly sheduled announcer was unable to appear for a late news broadcast.  The relief anouncer was raised from a deep slumber about three minutes prior to air-time.   He was rushed to the studio in his half-awake condition and virtualy "thrown on the air."  Midway through the yawning newcast, 1st Lt. Maurice P. Girard, the OIC, casually dropped in with some VIPs to watch the newscast.  Seeing the announcer before the mike wearing headphones and loud state-side pajamas, one VIP asked, "Does he always read newscasts that way?"

     Particularly interested in the stations are the Japanese who like the popular tunes and write fan letters.  They write to the stations, to praise "Hit Parade" and to request copies of the songs' words.  They explain that they like to sing along with the broadcast!

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The AFRS introduces This Is the Story

As with many of the AFRS' canons, This Is the Story was a compilation derived from several of the more popular historical and inspirational Radio 'docudramas' of the era. The AFRS often 'mixed and matched' several of the network Radio recordings contributed to it, to assemble a canon with specific characteristics. In the case of This Is the Story, AFRS aimed to create a canon celebrating notable American or World History vignettes or documentaries which might remind, reinforce, motivate, educate or inspire American and Allied fighting forces and their overarching mission.

The AFRS compiled This Is the Story from the following commercially-broadcast network canons, among others:

• American School of the Air
• Cavalcade of America
• Columbia Workshop
• Decision Now!
• Eternal Light
• Hallmark Playhouse
• Hollywood Theater
• The 'Living' Series' of 1947 through 1952

Drawing from the same pool of network-broadcast recordings, the AFRS also produced several other compilations from the above programs such as: For Your Information, its Russia Series, File for Future Reference, Leave It to the People, Medal of Honor, Liberty Theatre, and its Brotherhood series, among several others.

The contributing commercial network programs were 'denatured' by the AFRS so as to remove any commericial sponsors' messages and network announcements in order to record and broadcast 'neutral' features for its audience of service men and women. In most cases, the networks and sponsors who initially contributed the recordings to the AFRS re-recorded or re-cut their own transcriptions for the AFRS. Indeed, in many cases the contributing networks or sponsors utilized the talents of their original stars, hosts or announcers to re-record their transcriptions sans commercial and network messages.

This Is the Story began airing over Armed Forces Radio around 1945, comprised of recordings originally broadcast over commercial network Radio as early as 1944.