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Armed Forces Network PSAs You Have to See to Believe
Creative programming so terrible it’s awesome
What happens when low-ranking service members need to create TV content to please the base commander and fill airtime usually taken up by commercials? If you are lucky, pure comedy gold.
If you served in the US Military overseas or were a military brat, you know all about the joys and horrors of AFN, the Armed Forces Network. As stated on their Facebook page:
AFN reflects the best of American television in a unique mix of programs seen stateside on all the major broadcast and cable networks.
If it’s popular stateside, we want our troops and their families to be able to watch, is the unofficial AFN motto. But what to do about the commercial breaks? AFN fills that airtime with its own mix of locally produced spots, and professionally produced PSAs designed to educate and indoctrinate the military community.
Thanks to AFN, while living abroad as the 2000 oughts turned into the 2000 teens, my children stayed current on Hannah Montana, American Idol, and the important difference between general and special powers of attorney.
