AFN
German kids in the 1960s were raised on American Forces Radio (AFN). The broadcaster left its mark on postwar youth like no other radio station. Elvis “Jailhouse Rock”-ed his way into the hearts of teenagers here long before his records were available in German music stores. Oxford-English-preaching teachers despaired when confronted with the colorful, new language being brought into their classrooms. Pat Boone and The Platters crooned during the station’s “Pettycoat Generation” program and, for early birds, stars of the Grand Ole Opry provided the day’s first twang on “Hillbilly”—AFN’s country and western hour from 6 to 7 am. AFN was certainly the rebel of radio stations. In contrast to the ultra-conservative German radio broadcasters of the 1950s, AFN was hip—in spite of the fact that it belonged to the military! Above all, teens embraced the station because it was completely “un-German” and, therefore, innocent of having any Nazi roots. For older listeners, AFN was detestable. For the young, it was the sound of freedom and transmitted the feeling of a new and better world. AFN no longer exists, and its trademark radio tower, located at the former MacGraw base, was removed this summer to make room for a family-friendly apartment complex. In its place now stands a mini reminder of Munich’s postwar radio giant: artist Karl-Heinz Kappl’s 1.4-meter AFN Memorial