American Forces Vietnam Network
⋆ In August 1962, Armed Forces Radio Service, Saigon went on the air. AFRS broadcast from the Rex Hotel, a downtown⋆ In February 1966, the U.S. military introduced television to South Vietnam, broadcasting from specially equipped planes. AFRS was rebranded Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, Vietnam.⋆ AFRTS expanded coverage for the surging audience of American service personnel and added ground stations. The first remote TV facility opened at Qui Nhon in September 1966, followed by a Da Nang facility a month later and then a new network headquarters in Saigon.⋆ In July 1967, the organization was renamed American Forces Vietnam Network, which eventually broadcast from studios in eight major cities, fulfilling AFVN’s on-air catchphrase, “From the Delta to the DMZ.”⋆ AFVN wound down as American troops withdrew. In March 1973, the network turned over its last facility, an FM radio station in Saigon, to an American civilian venture, which provided English-language programming until Saigon fell in April 1975.⋆ Throughout the war, more than 1,000 Americans worked for the military network. The multiple casualties included seven killed. Five men were prisoners of war.⋆ AFVN veterans back home became news anchors, sportscasters and DJs. Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak is a former AFVN radio jock.⋆ In 1987, the movie Good Morning, Vietnam premiered, starring comedian Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer, a broadcaster at AFRS in 1965.
