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***image1***American Forces Network Kaiserslautern is back to full service with the return of daily television newscasts and “live” radio news, Monday through Friday.
It’s almost been a year that AFN Kaiserslautern, based on Vogelweh, hasn’t been able to produce television newscasts five days a week and eight months since live radio news went taped due to personnel shortages, according to the station’s Detachment Commander Master Sgt. Dan R. Robinson.
“We were in hurting status,” said Sergeant Robinson. “But, now we have enough bodies to return as a full-service affiliate, providing even more command information to the KMC.”
Live radio news returned March 28, with Staff Sgt. Demarrio L. Spence as its producer. It airs 6:40 a.m., 7:40 a.m. and 8:40 a.m., Monday through Friday, during “The Mike in the Morning Show” on Z100.2FM.
“The live radio news just sounds so awesome,” said Staff Sgt. Natasha Schleper, AFN Kaiserslautern NCOIC of radio and television news. “I’m just so proud of it when I hear it while I’m driving to work in the morning.”
Sergeant Robinson said the decision to change from live to taped radio news happened in August 2004 because it was easier to maintain with the shortage of personnel.
“Now, we have the personnel to do a live radio newscast, which means we can update it immediately when we have new traffic or force protection information,” he said.
The first casualty of the AFN Kaiserslautern personnel shortage was its television newscast, KMC Update, which changed to a weekly newscast instead of airing Monday through Friday, in June 2004. It takes five broadcasters to anchor and shoot the cast, and interview, shoot footage, write and edit television news stories, said Sergeant Schleper.
That’s just about how many broadcasters the station had left during this past year’s continued personnel shortage said Sergeant Robinson. He added that the station now has nine broadcasters, which made it possible to return KMC Update March 21 to the local television lineup five days a week and still maintain their other duties such as radio shows, radio and television production and publicity requests.
The four-minute KMC Update airs 1:26 p.m., 6:55 p.m. and during the first commercial break of the 8 p.m. hour, Monday through Friday, on local AFN. On-base residents receive the local channel through base cable, and some off-base residents can receive it with an antenna.
“It’s really all about the people,” said Sergeant Schleper. “It’s important to tell someone’s story and to let our community know what different units are doing to make the mission move here.”
Sergeant Robinson said even though AFN Kaiserslautern reduced the number of television newscasts it remained as the top contributing affiliate producing television and radio news stories for AFN Headquarters in Mannheim. In addition, AFN Kaiserslautern was notified April 1 that KMC Update earned second place for local television newscast in the 2004 Air Force Media Contest, an annual competition that recognizes broadcast excellence.
“We have an outstanding crew who just held everything together,” said Sergeant Robinson. “They kept us going and now we are real happy to be back in full service.”
