AFN Munich
AFN Munich was an American soldier broadcaster in Germany based in Munich and part of the American Forces Network .
history
AFN Munich was the first soldier broadcaster in Germany after the Second World War. It started operating with a mobile transmitter on June 10, 1945. The Kaulbach Villa in Munich served as the seat, which was undamaged after the war and, among other things, had a radio studio with a direct connection to the Ismaning station .
The station began its broadcast with the words "Good morning! This is AFN Munich, the voice of the 7th Army!" (Good morning! This is AFN Munich, the voice of the 7th Army!) The night before, however, the 3rd US Army took control of Munich. George S. Patton is said to have been so angry about this mistake that he demanded the immediate conviction of the soldier responsible before a court-martial .
Among other things, AFN Munich was responsible for recording and broadcasting the Nuremberg trials . The nearly 2,000 tapes that were created in the process are now in the National Archives of the United States .
In November 1984, AFN Munich vacated the Kaulbach villa and moved into a building at Kaulbachstrasse 45 that was previously used by the Bundeswehr . After the end of the Cold War, the Americans cleared their garrisons in Munich and AFN Munich stopped broadcasting on February 14, 1992. Augsburg was supplied from Würzburg until 1998.
German audience
The AFN was very popular with German audiences in the 1950s, especially the music programs such as "Luncheon in Munchen", "Hillbilly Guesthouse", "Stickbuddy Jamboree" or "Bouncing in Bavaria". This was due to the selection of American music titles that were banned during the Nazi era and that could not or hardly be heard on German radio at the time, as well as the relaxed nature of the announcement without a manuscript (there was no editor).
Equipment of the studios
The broadcasting studios of AFN Munich were equipped with two turntables (40 cm turntables) on both sides of the DJ, a large microphone and a mixer with rotary controls (not sliders as is common today). The DJ did everything himself, he selected the records, put them on and spoke the connecting texts, sometimes quoting from the listeners' letters. There was also a heavy AEG Telefunken magnetophone . This enabled a program to be recorded the day before, giving the DJ a day off or a long weekend. At the time it was broadcast, the tape was played by another DJ or the (German) technician on duty.
reception
AFN Munich could be received in the southern Bavarian region on the frequency 100.0 MHz from the station Welden near Augsburg. Munich never had its own FM frequency. It was planned to put the 107.2 MHz frequency with an output of 10 kW from the Ismaning transmitter into operation, but this did not happen due to the withdrawal of American troops.
On the medium wave, the program could be received on the frequency 1107 kHz from the Ismaning station. In Augsburg the medium wave transmitter Augsburg broadcast the program on the frequency 1485 kHz.
literature
- Patrick Morley: This is the American Forces Network. Praeger Publishers, 2001, ISBN 0-275-96901-0 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Link with Home - and the Germans listened , p. 19, accessed on August 5, 2019 (PDF).
- ^ AFN Europe. 60 Years and Counting , accessed August 5, 2019 (PDF).
- ↑ afnmunich-history.de/ , accessed on August 5, 2019.
- ↑ Deutschlandfunk Kultur: US broadcaster AFN went on air 75 years ago , accessed on August 5, 2019.
- ↑ The Link with Home - and the Germans listened , p. 44, accessed on August 5, 2019 (PDF).
- ^ Documentation archive Funk , accessed on August 5, 2019.
- ↑ Chronicle at afnmunich-history.de/ , accessed on August 5, 2019.