Hosted by Capt. Karl Zimmerman, this episode of “The Big Picture” focuses on efforts to educate American soldiers overseas including in Korea, Japan and Europe, and keep them informed about world events. This includes an Armed Forces Network Radio station in Frankfurt, the Stars and Stripes newspaper, the Troop Information and Education Train, the radio networks — Far East Network and the American Forces Network, the Troop Information and Education Programs, and classrooms in various parts of the world.

The American Forces Network (AFN) is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide. The AFN worldwide radio and television broadcast network serves American servicemen and women, Department of Defense and other U.S. government civilians and their families stationed at bases overseas, as well as U.S. Navy ships at sea. AFN broadcasts popular American radio and television programs from the major U.S. networks. It is sometimes referred to as the Armed Forces Network. AFRTS, American Forces Network and AFN are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Defense. It is based at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland.

The Far East Network (FEN) was a network of American military radio and television stations, primarily serving U.S Forces in Japan, Okinawa, the Philippines, and U.S. Territory of Guam.

Now known as the American Forces Network-Japan (AFN-Japan), with the disestablishment in 1997 of the Far East Network, this network provides military members, Department of Defense civilian employees, and State Department diplomatic personnel and their families with news, information and entertainment by over-the-air radio and TV, and by base cable television.

In addition to its primary military and authorized U.S. civilian audience, AFN-Japan also has a “shadow audience” of an estimated 1.2 million non-military listeners; mostly Japanese studying English, and other English-speaking foreign nationals residing in Japan.

AFN-Japan is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, a major U.S. Air Force installation on the outskirts of Tokyo, and is also known as “AFN-Tokyo”.

The network has affiliates located at Misawa Air Base (AFN-Misawa), Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni (AFN-Iwakuni), and Fleet Activities Sasebo (AFN-Sasebo). While not operationally part of what was once FEN – US Air Force personnel assigned to the Army Network in Korea (AFKN) were under partial administrative control of the FEN Network Headquarters.

Also part of AFN-Japan is AFN-Okinawa, located in the Rycom Plaza Housing Area adjacent to Marine Corps Base Camp S.D. Butler.

AFN-Tokyo is also a Regional News Center, collecting news stories from all Pacific military public affairs offices and AFN affiliates, and packages them into the regional newscast, Pacific Report.

The Pacific Report can be seen every weekday throughout the Pacific and around the world on the AFN-Pacific digital satellite feed and on the Pentagon Channel.

In the Philippines, FEN Philippines was broadcast on UHF Channel 17 in Pampanga and Zambales (as in Subic and Clark bases), and UHF Channel 34 in San Miguel, Bulacan (this frequency is now occupied by ABS-CBN Corporation) and also in Metro Manila. Its radio stations DWFE-AM in Olongapo and DWFA-AM in Balanga, Bataan, and Far East 95.1 on FM are as a part of their network’s operations from 1946 to 1991 but the TV channel was forcibly shut down due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo.

Ten days after the formal surrender ceremonies aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, the first AFRS station in Japan went on the air, signing-on with the phrase, “This is Armed Forces Radio Service, Station W-V-T-R in Tokyo.” The date was September 12, 1945.

The Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) building in Tokyo was the home to station JOAK, and shared its facilities with WVTR from 1945 to 1952. With the consolidation of all the AFRS outlets under the newly established Supreme Commander Allied Powers (SCAP), the fledgling Far East Network had eighteen stations in Japan broadcasting daily to troops ashore and afloat

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