Armed Forces Radio

I sent Cal Thomas a link to this site and we exchanged several emails over the weekend. He mentioned several names I haven't heard in about 40 years -- staffers who served with us including Les Blatt who went on to be a network news producer and Paul Kerivan whose car Cal used to borrow for his monthly PX and commissary run . Also CG Wells who Cal says died some time ago. If I remember correctly, CG was the news director of the Armed Forces Press, Radio and TV Service in New York, and a real professional. When I told Cal that I am currently hosting the local segments of "All Things Considered" on Tucson's NPR station, he suggested tongue-in-cheek that I have him on the show. "We could choke the audience with nostalgia," he wrote.

When Col Hornsby and I went to Screen Gems TV in 1965 to see the pilot of "The Monkees," I ran into a problem when I introduced myself to the receptionist. It seems the producer of the show was also Bert Schneider . We eventually ran the show, although the colonel thought it was a bit racy for the troops. Coincidentally, my aunt, June Whitley Taylor , had a small role in the pilot. She died earlier this summer.

Just found this link selling AFRTS logo gear .

I worked at the Armed Forces Press, Radio and TV Service in New York City in 1965 and 1966. My main job was to secure permissions from the networks and program producers to air programs on AFRTS. From time to time, I anchored the evening shortwave radio news which was broadcast to Europe. I also interviewed celebrities including Tom Jones and the Supremes. Most interviews were conducted on sets of television shows such as "Shindig," "Hullabaloo," and "The Bell Telephone Hour." We had members of all the service branches plus Department of Defense civilians. We shared offices and studios with the Voice of America at the Fisk Building, 250 W. 57th St. It was a great place to be, accessible to the commercial broadcast studios and Broadway theaters. I also moonlighted in master control at WOR-TV located on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. Some notable members of the crew were Col Joseph Hornsby, USAF, Officer-in-Charge; Navy Journalist Jim Brumm , w...