Originally posted by: Lemon law
And now blackaigst1 comes back with---And tell us what choice did people have? I dont recall "free press", "free speech", or "free radio" being part of the Third Reich...
So its OK to have Rush Limbaugh as the only views on AFR and be a message the troops must listen to? And only by looking very hard in their limited free time can they find alternative and more truthful views. In both cases, we are dealing with a captive audience.
Last time I looked (5 minutes ago) AFN has a TON of content. Nice try.
Here's your diversity
[edit] Radio
AFN also offers a variety of radio programming over its various frequencies throughout the world. Not only is there local programming (with airmen and soldiers as disc jockeys), but there is satellite programming, as well. Music programming spans Rock, Oldies, R&B and country music. Ryan Seacrest AT 40 and the American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks are broadcast weekly over AFN Radio. In addition to music, AFN broadcasts syndicated talk radio programs such as Car Talk, Kim Komando, Rush Limbaugh, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, The Motley Fool Radio Show, A Prairie Home Companion, Dr. Laura, Sports Overnight America, and other programs from National Public Radio and other sources. Letters From War by Mark Schultz was the #1 song on AFN in 2004.
On December 5 2005, liberal/progressive talkers Al Franken from Air America Radio and Ed Schultz from Jones Radio Network, along with Sean Hannity, were added to the radio programs provided by the AFN Broadcast Center to its affiliate stations. [1]
On April 24 2006, AFN Europe launched AFN The Eagle, a virtually 24-hour-a-day radio service format initially modeled after "Jack FM" but most recently a "Hot AC" format. This replaced ZFM, which had more of a CHR flavor.
Altogether, AFN produces 10 general-use streams for AFN stations to use. Of these, seven are music-based, two are sports-based, and one is a general channel (which is also the one heard on shortwave, if the shortwave radio has Single sideband (also known as SSB) installed). How these stations use these formats is up to them. These formats are:
Oldies Radio (50's, 60's, and 70's)
Television
Like its radio counterpart, AFN TV tries to air programming from a variety of sources to replicate programming on a typical U.S. TV channel; sourcing from U.S. commercial networks (including PBS), and program syndicators at little to no-cost. AFN uses the NTSC (North American) television systems standard to broadcast its programming. But unlike stateside commercial broadcasters, AFN does not air commercials during breaks in programming. In their place, AFN inserts public service announcements (PSAs) on various subjects; these can be civilian "agency spots" created by The Ad Council, nationally-recognized religious and public health charities, AFN's own Radio-Television Production Office (RTPO), or announcements by a regional/local AFN affiliate. The most common PSAs shown deal with sexual harassment, public health and safety, force protection/anti-terrorism, pride in service, and messages to the troops.
There are 8 TV streams that are produced by AFN. All of them can be picked up via satellite by military audiences. These streams are:
AFN Prime. Formerly AFN Atlantic and AFN Pacific. The standard AFN feed airs current sitcoms, dramas, syndicated "judge" shows, talk shows, game shows, and reality shows popular in the United States, with a time delay from 24 hours to a week behind the United States airdates. In addition, popular US soap operas such as Guiding Light, General Hospital and Passions are aired by AFN on a one-week tape delay. This stream is divided into three feeds (AFN Prime Atlantic, AFN Prime Freedom (Middle East), and AFN Prime Pacific); the difference between the three is that they are time-shifted so that programs air later on AFN Prime Pacific then they are on AFN Prime Atlantic, with AFN Freedom in between. Many regional feeds (such as AFN-Europe, AFN-Iraq, and AFN-Korea) are based off of AFN Prime and add local programming to it; thus, in a way, AFN Prime mimics the regular network TV concept.
AFN Spectrum. AFN Spectrum is more of a culture-oriented channel and also airs a lot of public television programming in addition to programming from cable networks and classic TV series. In a way, it mimics the "superstation" concept from cablecasters Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and WGN-Chicago. However their lineup has begun to add more conventional programming to the schedule, like American Idol, Everybody Hates Chris, Men In Trees, The Simple Life and Ugly Betty, as some of the public television and classic fare that made up Spectrum is being reduced but remain the primary constant on the channel.
AFN Xtra. A youth-oriented channel, with shows from Comedy Central, MTV, and more.
AFN News. AFN News is a rolling-news channel providing news from all major news outlets, including military ones. Newscasts, such as the NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, and CBS Evening News, were all scheduled to air in the mornings so viewers could watch the headlines live, but now they air on a tape delay in the regular early evening slot, back to back. In addition, AFN News also airs current affairs programming.
AFN Family. AFN Family is a general entertainment channel providing programming for families.
AFN Movie. AFN Movie is a channel showcasing movies as well as film-oriented programming.
AFN Sports. AFN Sports is a rolling-sports channel, providing sports news and programming, including ESPN's SportsCenter.
Pentagon Channel. This is the only AFN channel that is available in the USA to the general public. It airs military news and information programming 24 hours a day.
Now tell us again what choices the Third Reich gave its citizens. Im waiting.