AFN broadcasts from Baghdad

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  • By Tech. Sgt. J.C. Woodring
  • Air Force Print News
SAN ANTONIO --  U.S. military broadcasters hit the airwaves in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 10 with the first manned American Forces Radio and Television Service broadcast from the country.

American Forces Network-Iraq, features live shows, news, sports, weather and commentary 24 hours a day in Baghdad. By the end of December, officials said they plan on expanding coverage to the entire country through the service's satellite network.

"AFN has had a presence in the country since the first days of combat," said Master Sgt. Erik Brazones, a broadcaster deployed from the Air Force News Agency here. "(We are) providing troops a touch of home."

Radio and television service is at all major troop concentrations in the country; however, areas outside of Baghdad receive their programming from the AFRTS satellites, he said.

"Major garrison locations receive the program, but one small unit with a satellite dish, decoder and a TV can get the signal as well," he said. "We have a lot of these types of setups around the country."

More than 2,200 decoders are being used in Iraq to get AFN broadcast signals, Brazones said.

Stateside programming is something the average person takes for granted until he or she can no longer see or hear it, Brazones said. By broadcasting American programs in combat zones, servicemembers get a chance to unwind.

"Having a place to relax and watch (or listen to) a ball game gives the troops a brief break from their demanding duty schedules," he said.

“The establishment of AFN-Iraq continues the 61-year tradition of AFRTS serving U.S. forces wherever they are deployed,” said Lt. Col. Perry Nouis, AFN-Iraq’s commander. “Troops consistently rate AFRTS among the top morale-boosting service they receive. We’re very proud and very much looking forward to serving coalition military forces in Iraq with current news and the command information that they need to know.”

Brazones and the other seven people on his team said they were anxious to start airing information specifically aimed at servicemembers serving in Iraq.

“We have celebrity greetings, force-protection messages and other information for troops, and now we have a way to keep them informed,” Brazones said.