AFN Berlin was a US military broadcast station located at Podbielskiallee 28 in Berlin-Dahlem. It started broadcasting at noon on August 4, 1945, with the Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. The TV studio was located on Saargemünder Strasse, across from the Berlin Brigade Headquarters compound. During the Berlin Blockade AFN Berlin started broadcasting around the clock. After the building of the Berlin Wall AFN Berlin radio then stayed on the air 24 hours until July 1994. TV programming was normally from 15:00 to 01:00 weekdays and 12:00 to 01:00 on weekends during the mid 1970s. AFN Berlin had three stations: Until November 23, 1978, the AM frequency was 935 kHz. Due to the agreements in the Geneva Frequency Plan the frequency was changed to 1107 kHz. On July 15, 1994, AFN Berlin broadcast a 3-hour special broadcast on both radio frequencies, which was transmitted live into 54 countries. Afterwards, seconds before 14:00, AFN Berlin ceased transmitting after playing a rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" performed by William Rivelli.

History

On July 17, 1945, several GIs reached Berlin with their jeep and the order to set up a radio station within 17 days. They were followed by two trucks with a mobile transmitter, which were stationed not far from the future location of the transmitter. A 250-watt transmitter served listeners within a radius of just two miles. Stationary broadcasting began on August 4, 1945 at 12 p.m. with George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue from a confiscated villa at Podbielskiallee 28. The Rhapsody was immediately followed by a song mocking Adolf Hitler (Right in the Fuehrer’s Face). The first announcer and program director at the new station was Sergeant Mel Gelliart, who brought radio experience from the station WLS in Chicago. One of the events of the beginning of the year was that AFN's jeep was stolen on October 13, 1945 from the door of the studios on Podbielskiallee. On April 17, 1967, AFN Berlin started television broadcasts in black and white. The station's first manager was 1st Lt. Rallin J. Aars., who attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at 11am that day; broadcasts started at 5pm. The station was carried from Dahlem-Zehlendorf on UHF channel 25 with an additional relay at Tempelhof Airport on channel 12. Due to differences in standards used, German receivers had to be modified in order to receive the sound from these broadcasts. The first color broadcasts were held in February 1977 in the NTSC standard.

Productions

Radio (88FM)

Musical programs:

Television

People of AFN Berlin

Radio

TV