Editing American Forces Network (section)

===Post-War Europe===
A large number of AFN stations continued broadcasting from American bases in [[Europe]] (particularly [[Germany]]) after [[World War II]]. (Eight remain on the air today. See article on [[:de:American Forces Network#Frequenzen in Deutschland und Benelux AFN Europe Frequencies|German Wikipedia]].)

During the [[Berlin Blockade]] of 1948–1949, planes headed for [[Tempelhof]] in West [[Berlin]] tuned their radios to AFN-[[Berlin]] because the station's transmission tower was in the glide path to the airfield and was not jammed by the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]].

During the 1950s and 1960s, AFN had large civilian audiences in [[Europe]], as European radio stations rarely played American music. In [[Communism|Communist]] countries, all radio stations were state-operated, and never played American music. Despite the language barrier, the people in those countries saw AFN as an alternative connection to the West. Also, unlike stations such as [[Radio Free Europe]], which broadcast in Eastern European languages, AFN was not [[radio jamming|jammed]] by the [[Soviet Union|Soviets.]]

Especially popular was ''Music in the Air'', which aired on the full [[Europe]]an network at 19:00 CET. The host was [[AFN Frankfurt]] (civilian) manager John Vrotsos, who had an especially warm baritone voice. He began each program by saying (after an introductory piano phrase from the program's theme music) "Listen ... [pause for more piano] ... there's music in the air". The theme was "Music Everywhere" in an arrangement by [[Victor Young]]. Later in the 1950s, [[Leroy Anderson]]'s ''Belle of the ball'' was used. The program was popular throughout Northern [[Europe]], especially in the liberated countries such as the [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]], [[France]] (the northern part), [[Luxembourg]] and, to a lesser extent, [[Denmark]]. Many Dutch households switched to the program, also because of their positive experiences with the American liberators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.afvn.nl |title=Antifascistische oud-Verzetsstrijders Nederland – Bond van antifascisten |publisher=Afvn.nl |access-date=2022-04-22}}</ref>
Also featured were live performances of classical music and jazz by [[Samuel Adler (composer)|Samuel Hans Adler]]'s [[Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra]] in support of America's [[cultural diplomacy]] initiatives in the post war period.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=L3WyZ9A4_XEC&pg=PA198 ''The Directory of the Armed Forces Radio Service Series''] Harry MacKenzie, Greeenwood Press, CT. 1999, p. 198 {{ISBN|0313308128}} "Seventh Army Symphony on Armed Forces Radio in 1961 performing works by Vivaldi and Dvorak"</ref><ref>Kenner, James L. [https://books.google.com/books?id=RzxEAQAAIAAJ "Musical Ambassadors, Soldiers, Too"] ''Army'',  August 1958. p 60</ref>

In France, about a dozen AFN stations operated, with AFN Orléans as the studio control station. The network broadcast music, shows, and news relayed from AFN Frankfurt, locally produced shows, and other features aimed at the American soldiers and their families stationed in France. In particular, a whole team of reporters and technicians was sent to cover [[24 Hours of Le Mans|the 24-hour auto race at Le Mans]], at a time when Ford was doing its best to beat the Ferraris, and finally succeeded. AFN France broadcast with 50 watt [[frequency modulation|FM]] transmitters made by French manufacturer TRT, type OZ 305. The network employed a technical director, a program director, several military American broadcast professionals, and some French studio operators, record librarians, secretaries and maintenance technicians. The Frankfurt network programming was received, then re-fed from AFN Orléans studios to another studio-equipped affiliate, AFN Poitiers and its repeater transmitters via modulation lines rented from the French postal service. AFN Poitiers, based at Aboville Caserne, Poitiers, France, home of an Army logistical command and a major Communication Zone Signal Corps agency, served Army depots and installations in Southwestern France with locally originated programs and network feeds from AFN Orléans via Frankfurt, Germany. It was the only other studio station affiliate of AFN Orléans because of the large American military presence and its resident Department of Defense dorm school for children of American military and civilian families assigned to Poitiers, and the American installations located throughout Southwestern France. Children living in outlying American military installations and communities commuted to Poitiers once a week for daily classes and departed for home by bus and train. AFN France was dismantled in 1967, when U.S. forces left France due to the French government's decision of President (General) [[Charles de Gaulle]] to withdraw its forces from [[NATO]]'s military command. The French employees were dismissed but were granted a severance pay (in [[French franc]]s and taxable) of one month per year of service, paid by the U.S. Army to the French government, in dollars (all the French employees were managed by a specially created service: le Bureau d'Aide aux Armées Alliées or AAA).{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}