Affiliate Manager s Handbook - AFN...

AFN Europe

Affiliate Manager's Handbook Current as of 3/6/2017

Table of Contents

ROLES

Key Player Roster – Network contact information

Affiliate Manager’s role defined

Operations Manager’s role defined

Maintenance Manager’s role defined Specific Admin, Product and Affiliate Manager Requirements

AFNE SOPs

Affiliate Vision, Mission and Priorities

Live Radio SOP

Local Radio News SOP

Radio Spots SOP

Eagle Radio Peer Review Program SOP Blue Pages Program INITIAL SETUP SOP

Blue Pages Program Weekly Production SOP

Systems and Equipment Care, Handling and Routine Cleaning SOP

Station Configuration Management

Distinguished Visits and End of Day Reports SOP

Affiliate of the Quarter and Year Competition SOP Eagle DJ of the Month Award SOP

AFRTS SOPs

AFRTS SOP 80-01 Station Operations

AFRTS SOP 80-02 Broadcast Product Content Standards

AFRTS SOP Non-Standard Productions

AFRTS SOP 80-03 Requirements and Acquisitions

DoD Guidance

DoDM 5120.20 Management of American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS)

DoDI 5120.20 American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS)

AFN Europe Operations Sharepoint

https://portal.dma.pa.mil/oconus/atlantic/Operations/Pages/default.aspx

Ops Team: HQ Ops Staff, Superstations, Affiliates

AFNE Executive Officer &Chief, Regional OPS/Plans

MAJ Robin Ochoa

Command Sergeant MajorCSM Paul Schultz

RMC Team: MAJCOM support,Traffic, Graphics

TS Team: Regional/Superstation Sembach MX, IT Help Desk

Deputy Director (A)Mr. Chris Vadnais

RM Team: J1, Budget, Logistics, CivPers

Executive AssistantUlla Opp

Ops ChiefMr. Chris Vadnais

Tech Services ChiefMr. Craig McCarraher

RMC ChiefMs. Deb Decker

RM ChiefMr. Scott McNerney

Director (A)Mr. Doug Smith

HQ AFN Europe

Chief, Station OpsMr. Vadnais

Ops Standards MgrMr. Shields

Plans/Training MgrMr. Bautell

Superstation Bavaria

Mr. Hickman

Superstation NaplesMr. Martin

Superstation Sembach

MSgt Nelson

AFN BavariaSFC Burger

AFN StuttgartSFC Camejo

AFN WiesbadenSFC Latham

AFN VicenzaSFC Stone

AFN SigonellaMC1 Karsten

AFN Souda BayMC1 Henry

AFN AvianoTSgt Martin

AFN BENELUXSSG Fuller

AFN BahrainMCC Parker

AFN GTMOMCC Meeks

AFN NaplesMCC Bradley

AFN SpangdahlemTSgt Burgos-Ortiz

AFN HondurasSGT Thompson

AFN RotaMCC Neely

AFN IncirlikMSgt Crisostomo

AFN UKMSgt Leake

Superstation Bavaria Supt

MSG Williams

Superstation Naples Supt

MCC Blain

Superstation Sembach SuptMSgt Nelson

AFN KaiserslauternMSgt Nelson

NCIOC, AFNE OpsSSgt Pattarroyo

AFNE Ops Team

AFN-Europe Key Player Roster Current as of Feb 2017

AFNE Tech Support: 545-7222 (MX issues) 545-7111 (IT issues)

AFN Affiliate Managers Affiliate Name Email DSN Mobile (Other)

AVN TSgt Casey Martin [email protected] 632-8269 +39 335-102-8644

BAV SFC Carlos Burger [email protected] 476-3175 +49 (0) 151-4495-5672

BLX SSG Bernardo Fuller [email protected] 423-4399 +32 48-563-27-42

BRN MCC Sabrina Parker [email protected] 318-439-4138/3679 +973-3647-2334

GTB MCC Monique Meeks [email protected] 312-660-2351 (757)458-2351

HND SGT Tamara Thompson [email protected] 312-449-5071 011-504-9455-5897

ICK MSgt Renee Crisostomo [email protected] 676-7865 +90 (0) 563-836-5137

KTN MSgt Christina Nelson [email protected] 489-7216 +49 (0) 151-1269-6832

NAP MCC Matthew Bradley [email protected] 629-6903 +39 345-286-0214

RTA MCC Frank Neely [email protected] 727-2029 +34 639-127-016

SDB MCC Brian Finney [email protected] 266-1322 +30 694-043-1208

SIG PO1 Joshua Karsten [email protected] 624-4071 +39 347-396-1136

SPG TSgt Burgos-Ortiz [email protected] 452-9354 +49 (0) 175-591-6089

STG SFC Ian Camejo [email protected] 593-9020 +49 (0) 162-297-3708

UKD MSgt Jamie Leake [email protected] 226-7170 +44 07413-33-6616

VIC SFC Joe Stone [email protected] 634-7836 +39 335-178-9391

WBN SFC Brad Latham [email protected] 546-9202 +49 157 369 76236

Super Stations SSBAV Mr. Bill Hickman [email protected] 476-3173 +49 (0) 172 280-3364

SSBAV MSG J.R. Williams [email protected] 546-9202 +49 (0) 162 297-3696

SSNAP Mr. Jack Martin [email protected] 629-6900 +39 335-710-2419

SSNAP MCC Athena Blain [email protected] 629-6901 +39-346-500-1047

SSSEM MSgt Nelson [email protected] 489-7216 +49 (0) 151-1269-6832

SSSEM MSgt Nelson [email protected] 489-7216 +49 (0) 151-1269-6832

AFNE Ops Mr. Chris Vadnais [email protected] 545-7134 +49-0173-185-2301

Ops Mr. Jerry Shields [email protected] 545-7125 +49-162-297-3660

Ops SSgt Rocio Pattarroyo [email protected] 545-7401 NCOIC, Ops

Training Mr. Gary Bautell [email protected] 546-9200 +49 (0) 162-297-3555

1SG 1SG Michael Noggle [email protected] 545-7403 +49 (0) 162-295-5856

RMC Ms. Deb Decker [email protected] 545-7304 Chief, Regional Media Center

GFX Mr. Jim Briggs [email protected] 545-7802 Chief, Graphics

$$ Mr. Scott McNerney [email protected] 545-7129 Budget Officer

AFN-BC 24/7 Radio trouble line 312-348-1295 Comm 001-951-413-2295

AFN-BC 24/7 Technologist (TV) 312-348-1339 Comm 001-951-413-2339

mailto:[email protected]































Affiliate Managers

An AFN Affiliate Manager (AM) is ultimately responsible for all aspects of station

management and all content produced by the station. The AM works with the

Maintenance Manager and Operations Manager to ensure the Affiliate is taking

advantage of command information distribution opportunities and all products meet or

exceed the needs of key clients and network standards. The AM should spend the

majority of his or her time representing the AFN Affiliate to installation leadership and

other units and mentoring the Operations Manager and the Maintenance Manager. AMs

should delegate Ops and Maintenance tasks whenever appropriate and possible, but

cannot delegate the ultimate responsibility for those tasks.

AMs delegate operations and maintenance functions so they can focus on the big picture.

They work closely with senior local leaders, attend the installation commander’s weekly

meetings regularly and work with PAOs and clients to understand their strategic goals.

They come back to the Affiliate and translate that strategy into operational guidance for

Operations Managers, who will in turn translate that guidance into tactical instruction for

the production team.

AMs must be intimately familiar with all policy and governance documents pertaining to

the AFRTS enterprise, including DoDM 5120.20 Management of American Forces Radio

and Television Service (AFRTS), the Eagle Playbook, AFNE Standard Operating

Procedures, and all other AFNE, AFRTS and DMA guidance. AMs support military

training and readiness and ensure military personnel are trained and ready to go to war.

They play key roles in managing administrative tasks such as tracking staff evaluation

and decoration requirements and working to submit them in a timely manner, responding

to data calls and making sure ops and maintenance deadlines are met. If obstacles arise

(as they often will), the AM alerts the appropriate people before deadlines are missed to

ask for more time. AMs deliver weekly reports to detail top operational happenings,

projections and top challenges for situational awareness.

AMs ensure any "bad news" travels immediately through the chain of command to the

Chief of Operations and the Director, AFN-Europe. They ensure disciplinary and

personnel issues are worked through the local channels and/or the AFNE First Sergeant

through the chain of command to the Director, AFN-Europe.

The primary measure of an AFN Affiliate manager’s success is how closely the unit is

tied into the installation leadership, community, and workforce. AFN must be our client

commander’s indispensable communication method of choice and it’s the AM’s job to

make that so.

The Affiliate Manager fills a critical leadership role. Strong AMs make themselves freely

available to base leaders, develop good relationships with their team, and manage their

AFN Affiliate to success.

Operations Managers

While an AFN Affiliate Manager is ultimately responsible for all aspects of station

management, they must delegate some of these tasks. The Affiliate team includes an

Operations Manager, whose function is an important one for the Affiliate Manager to

understand. One way to look at it is that the Affiliate Manager should spend the majority

of his or her time representing the station to installation leadership and other units (think

working from the Affiliate’s front door out), and the Ops Manager should be managing

all content creation tasks (think from the Affiliate’s front door in). The Ops Manager’s

position is developmental as well, meaning the Ops Manager should fill in when the

Affiliate Manager is off-station.

Ops Managers lead from the front, occasionally creating products and accompanying

producers in the studio / at radio remotes and on shoots to provide guidance, mentoring

and feedback on individual strengths and weaknesses and suggestions on how the work

can be done better, faster and smarter. The Ops Manager needs to be technically

proficient and operationally adept to provide constructive coaching while scrutinizing

each product and calling on other Ops Managers in the network to support their efforts.

The Ops Manager should review, QC and approve all products before they leave the

building. He or she should also ensure all team members understand and follow

operations workflow procedures, including DoD 5120.20M, The Eagle Playbook, AFNE

Standard Operating Procedures and other AFNE, AFRTS and DMA guidance.

The Ops Manager supports training and readiness and works with the Affiliate Manager

to ensure military personnel are trained and ready to go to war. He or she meets ops

deadlines and works solutions or arranges for extensions before suspenses are missed.

Ops Managers ensure any "bad news" travels immediately to the Affiliate Manager

through the chain of command to the AFNE Chief of Operations and the AFNE Director.

They also ensure all VIP visits (general officers, cabinet secretaries, elected officials and

celebrities) are projected and summaries of such visits are immediately reported through

the station manager to the AFN-Europe Station Operations Manager.

Ops Managers maintain good relationships with clients and understand the importance of

“getting to yes" on support or publicity requests. They know they may not be able to

accommodate every specific request that comes in, but they are charged with properly

using station resources to get the best possible results for each client.

Each Ops Manager’s success can be measured a number of ways, including letters of

effectiveness from clients, the quality of products, community engagement, success of

missions, supporting other stations with staff and training and generation of innovative

and creative ideas.

The Operations Manager is a key developmental role and should not be over-managed.

Affiliate Managers should set standards and define intent, then step back and let the Ops

Manager do their important job for the Affiliate.

Maintenance Managers

While an AFN Affiliate Manager is ultimately responsible for all aspects of Affiliate

management, they must delegate some of these tasks. The Affiliate leadership team includes an

Operations Manager, responsible for broadcast functions and a Maintenance Manager (MM),

responsible for all technical functions and maintenance of broadcast systems and equipment. As

integral to Affiliate operations as the Operations Manager is, the Maintenance Manager is

equally important and must ensure the overall success of the Affiliate from a technical

standpoint.

Maintenance Managers make certain all equipment in the Affiliate is reasonably sustained

throughout established life-cycle guidelines set forth by the AFRTS project management

processes. Because of the multi-service nature of AFNE operations, there is a need to standardize

engineering and maintenance actions as much as possible. The goal is to standardize the

procedures across AFNE (and throughout the Pacific) to ensure all equipment is installed,

maintained, and replaced at the same high-level standard. Each MM should maintain those

standards, document PMI’s, equipment failures and discrepancies, and report them according to

local SOP and AFNE, AFRTS and DMA guidance. The Maintenance Manager up-channels

issues which are beyond the Affiliate’s level of expertise to the AFNE Technical Services team

for assistance. Enforcement of standards is key to the Affiliate’s operational success.

The MM also supports the training and readiness of the maintenance staff through military

training channels, distance learning technologies and commercial equipment manuals. The MM

strives to meet technical and operational deadlines while working toward solutions and if

necessary communicating the need for extensions before deadlines are missed.

MMs ensure any "bad news" travels immediately to the Affiliate Manager through the chain of

command to the AFNE Chief of Operations and AFNE Director. In the case of Sembach

Superstation Affiliates, the MM also acts as the additional duty First Sergeant and liaises with

the host base First Sergeants Council to help remedy situations that may arise and gather needed

information.

Maintenance Managers should establish relationships with installation entities such as

Departments of Public Works, Civil Engineers, Contracting, Communications units and any

other organizations that can have a direct impact on the AFN mission. These relationships are

essential due to the diversity of issues that can arise at an Affiliate.

It is important that Maintenance Managers support their Affiliate Managers in gaining awareness

and appreciation of the importance of their maintenance team.

Maintenance Managers are key players because without quality preventative and corrective

action, broadcast systems are susceptible to damage or disrepair.

AFNE Affiliate admin requirements:• Deliver detailed weekly Ops report to Superstation by the prescribed deadline• Manage Affiliate-level taskers, Superstation, AFNE, AFRTS/DMA data calls, etc.• Own Affiliate Peer Review Program; manage per SOP and ensure 100% Affiliate compliance• Participate in Superstation conference calls when required• Complete monthly 10% equipment inventories on time• Submit Affiliate of the Quarter/Year nomination packages per AFNE SOP (mandatory)

AFNE Affiliate product requirements:• Ensure there is a measurable goal for each product; focus on IMPACT of efforts, not number of products created• Deliver 12 hours of live local radio to your audience each regular weekday (Superstation midday shows count)• At minimum, produce a live local morning radio show at the normal time each down day and federal holiday• Engage with your community regularly via social media (Facebook at minimum, others encouraged)• Deliver 5 Blue Pages to AFN-E weekly (via Superstation QC gate)• Produce video stories when possible; send to AFNE’s RMC for their consideration

• Focus on promoting rather than covering for maximum IMPACT.

AFNE Affiliate Manager responsibilities:• Meet at least weekly with installation PAs and other leaders to understand their problems and requirements;

devise plans and campaigns to solve those problems (refer to the AFNE Vision, Mission and Priorities SOP)• Manage admin requirements for all members of the Affiliate team

• Counseling/feedback/ACA; evaluations; awards and decorations• Develop your team – skills training, military training, individual mentorship

• Delegate and track tasks to develop your Ops Managers and MX Managers • Implement and enforce strict product quality checks using the AFRTS product standards• Own the Affiliate’s Peer Review Program (http://afnops.com/radio), deliver monthly report to Mr. Bautell• Enforce the guidance for live local radio shows outlined in the Eagle Playbook• Maintain accountability of station equipment• Understand and monitor installation service support agreement (ISSA)

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DEFENSE MEDIA ACTIVITY

AMERICAN FORCES NETWORK EUROPE

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AFN-Europe Operations

AFNE Affiliate Vision, Mission and Priorities

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to explain the value of live radio and to define the vision,

mission and priorities of work for AFNE Affiliates.

2. BACKGROUND

The military Services don’t own live radio capabilities. Therefore, they don’t invest in much

radio training for their people (if any). One result of this seems to be that young people don’t

come to us understanding the value of live radio. If AFN did not exist at your base and we

were going to set up an Affiliate there, what would you suggest we do? Should we create

video products? Other people on base already do that. Think about it like this: There's

already a dental clinic on base. Setting up another one would be a terrible business decision,

right? What about LIVE RADIO? No one else on base has a radio station. But we do. So we

need to make sure we focus on this one capability only we have.

3. AFNE AFFILIATE VISION AND MISSION

AFNE Ops has developed vision and mission statements for Affiliates to provide clarity of

purpose, establish priorities to guide decision making, and ensure Affiliate teams

understand exactly what they should be doing. A vision is a broad goal, and a mission

statement is a statement of purpose, a road map to guide us toward the vision.

4. AFNE AFFILIATE VISION

Be our key clients’ indispensable communication resource.

5. AFNE AFFILIATE MISSION

Solve problems for clients by engaging with local audiences through radio broadcasts, social

media, and video, in that order of priority.

6. CLIENTS AND KEY CLIENTS

A client is anyone for whom we communicate to an AFNE audience. Key clients are the

most important of our clients. The installation commander is the primary key client for an

AFNE Affiliate. We work closely with the public affairs team to help solve their biggest

problems. Other military and community leaders may also be considered key clients.

AFN-Europe Affiliate Vision, Mission and Priorities SOP, January 1, 2017

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7. SOLVING PROBLEMS

We’ve established that radio is the most unique, most powerful weapon an AFNE Affiliate

has in its arsenal. However, we must use it properly. We cannot add much value to the

mission simply by playing music; we must use the power of our radio station as a primary

tool to solve problems for our clients. Affiliate teams must engage with their local

audiences in new and creative ways, primarily using live radio and complementary social

media, to generate measurable results for local clients. They must solve problems – and even

that's not enough – they must track the mission impact of their efforts to prove they’ve solved

problems. Executives who make decisions, including our key clients, understand and respond

to analytics. We must master that language to provide this proof. One way to gather

analytics is to sit down with clients and ask what specific problem they need solved or what

measurable result they want to achieve. Once we have that, we can execute creative

campaigns aimed at solving the problem or achieving the result. Finally, we must follow up

with the client to ask for a specific measurement of impact our efforts created for them. Once

you have all this information, you also have everything you need to create a solid statement

in an Affiliate of the quarter or individual of the quarter nomination, an evaluation, and for

inclusion in a recommendation for decoration. Many of us struggle with writing these things.

In that regard, focusing on being problem solvers actually solves one of our own big

problems.

8. PRIORITIES

Our key clients’ needs determine the priority of our work. We must put the most focus on

what our most important clients want or need us to do. In a continuous survey of our host

installations, we find the most important capability AFNE Affiliates bring to the table is live

radio. Commanders rely on Affiliates to get critical information to their communities via

radio airwaves in crisis response situations, cases of inclement weather, and other urgent

circumstances. To effectively deliver that service, we must stay ready by practicing our craft

and engaging with audiences, so they’re listening to us when it counts most.

Based on key client input, AFNE Affiliate operations priorities are defined as such:

1) Radio

2) Social Media

3) Blue Pages

Let’s unpack each of these.

1. Radio: This is the core function of an AFNE Affiliate. Our monopoly on the radio

waves is our “unfair advantage,” and we need to use that to solve problems for our key

clients. This priority is built on several elements, including live shows; consistently

updated TFN and quick kill radio spots; radio news stories and newscasts; active, focused

participation in the Eagle Peer Review Program; and maintaining fully operational,

properly-used studios and live-assist / automation systems (Axia / AudioVault). AFNE

Ops has published SOPs covering each of these critical elements of radio operations.

AFN-Europe Affiliate Vision, Mission and Priorities SOP, January 1, 2017

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2. Social media: We can use social media in a variety of ways, but the most valuable

way we can use it on a daily basis is to complement our live radio programs. Live show

hosts must use social media to engage audiences -- to extend their radio show into

cyberspace, where our audiences spend a lot of time throughout the day. Contests, polls,

memes, discussions and live video broadcasts from the studio are just some of the ways

we can leverage social media to enhance radio shows and engage audiences.

3. Blue Pages: With the loss of TV automation systems in the region, nearly every AFNE

Affiliate is unable to insert local spots into commercial breaks on AFN television. Thus,

television spot production is a poor investment of AFNE Affiliate resources. However,

commanders and clients do see value in getting local information into the AFN television

programming stream. The Blue Page program offers a quick, simple way for each AFNE

Affiliate to get regional television air time. Quick kill TV spots are generated each week

and aired for seven days, per the Blue Page SOP. Generally these are promotions for

local morale, welfare and recreation events and programs, but AFNE Affiliates can use

Blue Pages to promote anything they think will benefit their community and/or solve

problems for their clients.

It’s important to note that major command public affairs offices report the exact inverse

of the Affiliate priorities. Thus, at the Regional Media Center level, the priorities are

video first (coverage of exercises and other stories supporting key major command leader

priorities), then social media, then live radio.

9. BALANCE

While working toward our vision of being our key clients’ indispensable communication

resource, Affiliate Managers may face more requirements than their resources can handle.

When this happens, they must make tough decisions. Superstation Managers and

Superintendents are always available to guide these decisions. Affiliate Managers must find

the balance between satisfying clients, serving the audience, and protecting the team.

In cases of severe staffing issues or other challenges, it may be necessary to request a

reduction in service waiver. Requests should outline specific challenges, define a projected

get-well date, and propose at least two possible courses of action to sustain as much of the

mission as possible until the expected get-well date. Requests should be submitted to AFNE

Ops through the Superstation Manager. The specific situation and all available options

should be discussed thoroughly with the host installation public affairs office before any

changes are made. Services will be temporarily suspended in reverse order of value added to

the community. This means the live local morning show will be the last thing to be

suspended.

Gone are the days when each AFNE Affiliate was staffed with enough people to provide

everything a client might possibly want. We cannot do “more with less.” We must prioritize

our work, and our priorities must be based on our clients’ needs. Radio is our unique

capability; it is the one communication weapon only we have. Our vision, mission, and ops

priorities revolve around using it creatively to solve problems for our clients while Serving

America’s Best.




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AFN-Europe Live Radio SOP

1. PURPOSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides guidance for producing live local radio

shows at an AFNE Affiliate.

2. APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE

This SOP applies to all AFNE Affiliates with a live radio mission unless otherwise noted.

The local radio mission belongs to the Affiliate Manager and is the responsibility of the

Affiliate Operations Manager. Affiliate Managers should be heavily involved in the

training and execution of this policy.

3. PROCEDURES

Each AFNE Affiliate will at a minimum produce a live local morning radio program each

weekday.

A. EAGLE PLAYBOOK: Producers must read and follow the guidance published in the

Eagle Radio Playbook. This is the standardized tactical guidance for producing live AFN

radio shows and is used at all AFN Affiliates around the world.

B. BEING PRESENT: No matter what time of the day it is, a live local Eagle radio

show requires the host’s full attention and presence. Producers should remember that

assigning them to the live studio for hours at a time comes at a staffing cost. Thus, they

are there to provide a live, local presence rather than to simply push buttons to keep the

music playing. We have an Eagle service that plays songs from the Eagle playlist around

the clock. What sets a live show apart from that is the human being at the helm. Live

show hosts should:

Add live, local information and commentary as frequently as possible, avoiding

prolonged periods which are devoid of a live local voice. More than ten minutes

without a live local voice is too long, no matter what time of day it is. Time hacks,

quick announcements and forward promotions are all things that can be done over

ramps or otherwise quickly without impeding the flow of a radio show.

Aim to solve problems for clients through live announcements and interviews.

Engage with clients to define problems or goals and design work to solve problems or

achieve goals.

AFNE Live Radio SOP, January 1, 2017

2

Engage with the local audience through creative pre-recorded efforts whenever

possible. This includes phone calls, bits, interviews, man-on-the-street segments, etc.

C. CONSISTENCY: Good radio is about routine. Especially in the morning, radio show

hosts consistently provide time hacks. They air benchmark segments around the same

time each day. They provide valuable information like weather forecasts, traffic updates

and details about events happening around the community on a regular basis. When they

do this well, they become part of their listening audience’s routine. To provide this value

on a consistent basis, AFNE Affiliates are responsible for producing live, local morning

shows every weekday, to include federal holidays as well as installation and major

command down days (training holidays, DONSAs, goal days, etc.). Per AFNE policy, the

only exceptions are Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Affiliates should be proud to

provide this service, counting themselves among the handful of critical utilities serving

the community regardless of what the rest of the installation is doing.

D. CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS: AFNE Affiliates are strongly encouraged to

adjust the hours of their live radio shows to adapt to host installation real-world and

exercise operations. In cases of 24/7 operations, Affiliates should consider implementing

a temporary “readiness radio” type show to target shift workers. This has proven to

bolster community morale and improve esprit de corps. As a note, it is often deemed

appropriate to adjust programming during late-night shows targeted at shift workers

during contingency operations. In these situations, deviation from the Eagle Playlist may

be authorized via written permission from AFNE Ops. Requests must be routed through

Superstation leadership.

4. CREATIVITY

The Eagle Playbook outlines our vision and mission statement for radio operations. It also

details specifically how we must operate. However, outside the parameters defined in that

guide and the music prescribed by the Eagle format, the sky is the limit on where hosts can

take their radio program. For ten to fifteen minutes of every live hour – the entire time the

mics are hot – AFN producers’ only creative limitations are self-imposed. In the past, some

have suggested they cannot be creative because they don’t select the songs they play. The

truth is selecting songs requires very little creativity. Coming up with fresh, new approaches

to compel people to do or not do things, solving problems for clients, and consistently

building on our relationships with key audiences – these tasks require creativity. They require

dealing directly with clients to get a solid understanding of the goal or desired result,

execution of a creative, targeted effort, and follow-up to measure the impact of their efforts.

They also require the full presence of the host to make a show worth listening to. Producers

must focus on the parts of the show to which they can add the most value for clients and

audiences. That means they must focus on engaging with the audience to deliver relevant and

valuable information as well as creative and compelling command information.




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AFN-Europe Local Radio News SOP

1. PURPOSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides guidance for constructing and delivering

local radio news on Eagle Radio shows at an AFNE Affiliate.



The local radio news mission belongs to the affiliate manager and is the responsibility of

the Operations Manager. Affiliate Managers should be heavily involved in the

training and execution of this policy and fully invested in this program.

3. PROCEDURES

Each AFNE Affiliate will at a minimum produce a two-minute radio newscast each

weekday. Creating a two-minute product allows the newscast to be scheduled into the

two-minute bottom of the hour news block avail so it can air in automation around the

clock. Affiliates should consider creating two newscasts each day, to provide updated

weather forecasts, but one a day is the minimum.

A. NEWSCAST FORMAT: What specific elements go in a radio newscast is up to each

Affiliate; you know better what your audience wants and needs than anyone else. Some

examples of elements you should consider including are local installation headlines, local

weather forecasts, local sports reports, local dining facility menus, and information on

upcoming local events.

B. GENERAL TIPS: It does not matter if you are reporting on international news,

national news or local news, the same rules apply:

The information must be relevant

The listener should hear something they did not know

The newscast must be focused and clearly worded

C. DON’T WAIT FOR NEWS TO COME TO YOU: A good newscast requires good

research. There are subject matter experts and public affairs personnel on your

installation who want to get information to your audience. Communicate with them; track

their websites and Facebook pages for stories. In addition to reader copy you can get

phone interview soundbites from these sources. You should be doing live or recorded

AFNE Local Radio News SOP, January 1, 2017

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interviews on your radio shows. Mine these interviews for news soundbites. Get

advance copies of the local newspaper and do a couple rewrites of the stories, giving

attribution to the paper. If you have a local national or volunteer who can translate host

nation stories of interest to your audience, use them with attribution to the source. If not,

local PAOs often provide translations of local media stories.

D. WHAT MAKES A STORY NEWSWORTHY: When writing stories for your

newscasts there are five factors to consider:

Timing – Getting the news on quickly is what makes it “news”, however, since

we record our local news we need to avoid dated references (Sunday, yesterday,

etc). Try to get at least one story in the cast where you can say it happened

“today”.

Significance – The number of people affected by the story is important (a gate

closing delaying hundreds of people from getting to work on time, for example).

Proximity – Stories which happen near us are more important to us. That is the

whole reason we need local news. However, as a military broadcasting service

we should also be following military news stories that happen elsewhere but are

relevant to the local “military” audience.

Prominence – Important people get coverage because they are who they are.

When reporting on a distinguished visitor, give some background on the reasons

for the visit and maybe a quote from the PAO about the visit.

Human Interest – Human interest stories are the exception to the rules. These

are people stories, lifestyle reports, stories aimed at provoking an emotional

response and should be used at the end of the cast, as a “kicker”.

E. USE THE FIVE “W”s AND THE “H”:

As you know, these are the building blocks of all news stories:

Who? What? Where? When?* Why? How?

(*again, “today is the best “when” in a newscast! Other than that, avoid dated references

in recorded products.)

F. USE THE INVERTED PYRAMID: The most important information belongs at the

top of the story. Don’t bury the lead. The first few sentences should give the listener all

the information they need to understand the story. The rest expands and explains with

additional information.


3

G. MORE TIPS:

It’s About People – People relate to people. Stories about people are the most

compelling. Military achievers, family members doing something special, people with

artistic talent, etc.

Focus – Determine what the main point of the story is and focus on that. If you think

something else in the story needs reporting, you have a story idea for another

newscast.

Be Objective – The reporter or anchor is NOT the story. Just the facts. If reports are

conflicting, give both versions and attribute the sources. Do not editorialize.

Quote People – If you don’t have an audio clip for your story but you know the name

of the source, drop in a short quote. It adds to the credibility of the story.

No Purple Prose – Keep your sentences short. Avoid flowery text. When finished

writing, revise to remove extraneous words.

H. RULE OF THUMB:

DON’T use audio ripped directly from a video story! This is a terrible crime of a

shortcut. Instead, you must edit it for radio (cut it down for time, strip references to

visuals, etc.) or (preferred) create separate radio version(s) of your video story.

DON’T use CI spots as fillers in newscasts.

DON’T use the first words of the report in your anchor lead.

DON’T give away the farm in the intro by explaining what you are about to hear in the

report. Intros should stimulate listeners’ curiosity. For example: “A long-awaited

improvement in the quality of life here on Clay Kaserne is about to become reality. SGT

John Smith has details…”

DO make it as professional as possible. The credibility of your station depends on this.

DO lead with your strongest story, the one that affects the most people.

DO use a mix of readers, soundbites and reports to keep it interesting.

DO use natural sound for effect with readers and in your reports.

DO follow the rules on local news production in DoD Manual 5120.20:

. I. LOCAL NEWS PRODUCTION:

a. FACTUAL, ACCURATE AND UNBIASED NEWS REPORTING: The

content, format and presentation of local news products will be factual, fair and

unbiased. AFN affiliates will not conduct investigating reporting. AFN affiliates


4

will not function as news gathering or news support bureaus for commercial news

organizations.

b. COORDINATION WITH LOCAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS OR LOCAL

NEWS PRODUCT: AFN regions and affiliates will produce news products on

subjects of interest and/or concern within the communities and commands served.

Local news reports will be fully attributed as to source. News products will be

coordinated, when appropriate, with public affairs offices.”

J. WHEN IN DOUBT – LEAVE IT OUT:

Sometimes we wonder about the appropriateness of certain words or stories. Seek the

advice of your supervisor. If it seems wrong, it probably is and should be excluded from

the cast. You can get away with a little bit more in other parts of your DJ shows than you

can in the news segments. Make your news products as professional as possible.

Remember: Your affiliate’s credibility depends on it!




UNIT 29405

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AFN-Europe Radio Spots SOP

1. PURPOSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides guidance and requirements for

creating and maintaining a library of local TFN and quick kill spots at an AFNE Affiliate.



The local radio spots mission belongs to the Affiliate Manager and is the responsibility of

the Affiliate Operations Manager. Affiliate Managers should be heavily involved in the

training and execution of this policy and fully invested in this program.

3. PROCEDURES

A radio spot, also known as a public service announcement or PSA and sometimes

misidentified as a commercial (AFN is a non-commercial entity and must not air

commercials), is a command information product created to publicize an event, program or

service and/or support a client’s key theme or strategic message.

Each AFNE Affiliate will maintain a library of at least 100 TFN spots and 20 Quick Kill

spots at all times. These minimums are set to prevent excessive repetitive airing (“burn”) of

our spots, helping to keep us from annoying or offending our audiences. It is important to

note these are the minimums, and that anything above and beyond these requirements will

further reduce the burn rate of our spots, in turn making the radio station sound better,

fresher, and more professional. To that end, AFNE Affiliate teams should create as robust a

spot inventory as possible. This could mean making multiple versions of spots aimed at

achieving similar results for clients.

4. TYPES OF RADIO SPOTS

A. QUICK KILL: A Quick Kill spot is a command information product created to promote

a specific upcoming event or service. Because the product is generally only relevant for a

maximum of two weeks from the date it starts airing, a minimal amount of time goes into its

development. Quick Kill spots are generally simple, consisting of narration over a music bed,

and can be created in groups on a set schedule to ensure there is a solid mix of several

current, relevant community event promotions on the station.

AFNE Local News SOP, January 1, 2017

2

B. TFN: A TFN spot is a command information product created to inform audiences of

enduring services, programs, and command information themes and messages applicable to

the local audience. TFNs are spots which you expect to air ’Til Further Notice. Because there

is real potential for this type of spot to air in rotation for many months if not years, AFNE

Affiliate teams must to invest an appropriate amount of time in scripting, voicing, producing

and quality checking TFN spots.

5. UNIVERSAL REQUIREMENTS

Radio spots created at an AFNE Affiliate will:

Support a specific command information objective for a local client (or a regional

client, by exception).

Be localized. Scripts should be written to ensure audience members know they are

tuned in to their local AFN Affiliate and that this message is specifically for them.

Aim to create measurable impact whenever possible (some spots are meant to

increase overall awareness of ideas or reinforce brands, and this is allowable).

Target a specific local listening audience (by gender, age, common interest, etc.).

Address only one specific theme, idea, issue, or event.

Have a runtime that allows regular rotation in scheduling and automation systems

(generally exactly 15 seconds or exactly 30 seconds).

Comply with all local quality controls and meet the minimum production standards

outlined in the AFRTS Broadcast Product Content Standards SOP.

6. SOLVING PROBLEMS

Affiliate teams must use AFNE radio stations to engage with their local audiences in new and

creative ways to generate measurable results for local clients. AFN teams must solve

problems and track the specific operational impact of their efforts to prove they’ve solved

problems. This means producers must not create spots in a vacuum, assuming they know

what clients want or need without working directly with them. Every spot production must

start with a discussion with the client to discover what specific problem they need solved or

what measurable result they want to achieve. Only once that is understood can a producer

come up with a creative way to solve the specific problem or achieve a measurable result.

Most important (and perhaps most often overlooked), the producer or a manager must follow

up with the client to ask for a specific measurement of impact our efforts created for them.

This measurement should be discussed and agreed upon in the initial meeting, so the client

knows how we’ll be measuring the impact of our efforts and that we’ll be coming back for

this information.

Spots contribute to a radio station’s overall sound. In that regard they’re just as important as

live show elements. When properly maintained, an AFNE Affiliate’s radio spot library can

AFNE Local News SOP, January 1, 2017

3

be a powerful arsenal of weapons, capable of helping solve problems and achieve measurable

results for clients. A well-stocked inventory of high-quality spots will also ensure your

station sounds great during live time and automation hours, which will preclude audience

members from turning away from your station.




UNIT 29405

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1

AFN-Europe Eagle Radio Peer Review Program SOP

1. PURPOSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides guidance for complying with the Eagle

Radio Peer Review Program requirement at an AFNE Affiliate.


This SOP applies to all AFNE stations with a live radio mission unless otherwise noted.

The AFNE Eagle Radio Peer Review Program belongs to and is the responsibility of the

Affiliate Manager. Affiliate Managers must be heavily involved and fully invested in this

program.

3. PROCEDURES

With a focus on continuous product improvement, the AFNE Eagle Radio Peer Review

Program was created to serve as the Affiliate Manager’s comprehensive tool for sharing

and critiquing live radio shows, for helping producers grow through the accomplishment

of valuable and helpful peer reviews on a routine basis, and for holding producers and

their supervisors accountable for participating in the program.

All AFNE Affiliates will ensure each of their radio show hosts do the following:

A. EVERY DAY: Listen to an hour of your work. Select your best hour. Do it as soon

after the show as possible so you remember what you were thinking and what was

happening that affected the sound of your show. Learn from the bad stuff you hear (too

much talk, mispronounced words, interrupted guests, etc.) and revel in the good stuff

(perfectly walked a ramp, guided a guest through a smooth, quick interview like a boss,

nailed a bit, etc.). There is no deliverable for this task. Just listen and reflect.

B. ONCE A WEEK: Scope one hour of your show for critique. Select your best hour.

Cut out spots and music and leave only your interaction with the listeners. This should be

a 10-15 minute clip for an average hour of live radio. Share that scoped clip on the Peer

Review Site as outlined below, per instructions in the video linked below. Set particularly

good shows aside for potential award submissions. Affiliate Managers are responsible to

ensure two* products are uploaded each week, two* peer review assessments are done for

their team members by their partner Affiliate, and that two* peer reviews are done from

their Affiliate for their partner Affiliate each week.

AFNE Eagle Radio Peer Review Program SOP, January 1, 2017

2

(* Most will have two products per week, since most stations produce two live shows per

day.)

C. ONCE A WEEK: Using the attached Peer Review Program schedule (also available

on the Peer Review Site) and the product standard as a guide, perform a review of at least

one of your peers' scoped shows.

D. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

a. Radio section supervisors or Operations Managers will conduct a minimum of one

formal written review with each DJ each month, using our product standard.

b. Affiliate Managers will conduct a minimum of one formal written critique with

each DJ each quarter, using our product standard.

Sharing of products and posting of critiques is done via a web portal at

http://afnops.com/radio. This portal gives radio show hosts across the network a place

to easily post links to their airchecks and give and receive valuable and constructive

feedback. Detailed instructions on how to use the site are at

https://youtu.be/am_q2PpbAl4 (watch the video!) but in simple terms, producers select

their best hour from the week (any hour will do but producers generally get the most

valuable feedback on products they think are really good), telescope it, upload the clip to

SoundCloud, and post the link to the Peer Review site. Note: Do not post mp3s directly

to the site. Users need to set up and manage a free SoundCloud account.

A telescoped radio show is an hour of a show with most of the content removed for the

purpose of evaluating the DJ's mechanics and flow. A “scoped” show should be edited to

remove songs and spots, but the resulting clip should include all transitions between

elements. The reason is that unless we hear the end of a liner and the beginning of the

song, we can't determine whether or not the DJ is running a tight board. Unless we can

hear the song ramps and how they were used, we can't determine whether the DJ is doing

everything possible to keep the show tight. Once the spot sets and most of the music is

cut out, the DJ's mic breaks, interviews and audience interaction remain. Each entire

unedited mic break -- from the first word to the last -- every fade and ramp, and every

transition from one element to the next should be included. Any pre-produced show

opens, bits, or phone calls should also be included in their entirety.

The peer review partner schedule is attached to this SOP and posted to the online portal.

This assigns each Affiliate a partner Affiliate to work with for one month at a time.

Affiliate Managers must have a voice conversation with their new partner Affiliate

Manager at the beginning of each month to establish a rapport and discuss each other’s

radio personnel issues, challenges, strengths and goals. This should be done during the

http://afnops.com/radio

https://youtu.be/am_q2PpbAl4


3

first week of each month, when Affiliates are newly partnered. This conversation allows

Affiliate Managers to outline the things they hope to get out of that month’s peer reviews

and to help hold one another accountable for the uploading of clips and completion of the

required critiques.

Every show host in the network is required to upload at least one telescoped hour by

Wednesday of each week. In addition, each show host is required to review at least one

show from the partner Affiliate and provide substantive feedback using the attached

AFRTS Radio Standard by Friday of each week. This is meant to be an informal

feedback (but not so brief that it’s of no value), and therefore doesn’t require the use of

the checklist, but if producers choose to use it, that can be uploaded to the site as well.

When possible, producers should critique their counterpart’s show (morning show DJ

critiques partner station’s morning show DJ, for example) to maintain a common frame

of reference. Uploaded clips are organized by show type (morning, midday, afternoon) to

make this easier. Please keep in mind that while the minimum requirement is to provide

one review per week, producers are encouraged to do as many additional reviews as

practical, and they can select those from any other Affiliate.

Affiliate Managers are responsible to ensure their team’s products are uploaded each

week, and that peer reviews are done for their partner Affiliate each week. If for some

reason an Affiliate does fewer than two daily live radio shows, the requirement for

uploading should be adjusted as needed. Of course this will be discussed by the Affiliate

Managers during their meeting early in the month. However, Affiliate Managers should

still ensure their teams are conducting the minimum required reviews per week for their

partner Affiliate.

Please note that the Peer Review Site requires participants to have a registered account to

upload and review shows. When a new account is needed, simply send an email to the

regional POC found at the lower left of the Peer Review Site. In the email, state the rank,

full name, and mail.mil email address of the individual needing the account.

At the end of each month, each Affiliate Manager will complete an AFN Eagle Radio

Peer Review Program assessment. This report will include goals (captured in the partner

meeting), as well as metrics and a brief narrative about progress made, successes /

complications during the month and suggestions for process improvement. Remember:

This is an Affiliate Manager’s program meant to foster continuous improvement in our

top priority product.

Attachments:

Attachment 1: 2017 Affiliate Pair Assignments

Attachment 2: Monthly Report Template

Attachment 3: AFRTS Standard for Live Shows


5

Attachment 2: Monthly Report Template

This report should go to Eagle Radio Mentor and QC Authority Mr. Gary Bautell at

[email protected] with a CC to the AFN Ops box at [email protected]

AFN Amsterdam | November 2017

Eagle Radio Peer Review Program assessment

Month; Partner station/manager: Nov 2017; AFN Dublin / SFC Jones

Time and date of initial partner station manager meeting: 11am on 2 Nov

Agreed upon areas of focus: SFC Jones wanted our team to focus on her morning show

host’s contests and her afternoon show host’s team’s bit construction. Her midday show host is

new so we will provide encouragement and critiques focused on fundamental board ops.

I asked SFC Jones to focus her team on our new morning show contest. How can we increase

participation? In the midday, we could use ideas on Facebook integration. I also asked her see if

her team could provide new ideas for our afternoon show host, who feels like he has plateaued.

Producer # of products

posted

# of reviews

posted

# of feedback

posts rec’d

Notes

Example

Producer 1

4 7 4 Conducted three extra feedbacks

by request from station X

Example

Producer 2

4 6 4 Conducted two extra feedbacks on

her own; one for station Y and one

for station Z

Example

producer 3

4 4 3 Counterpart went on leave;

discussed with partner station

manager ahead of time – Producer

4 will post feedback when he

returns next week

What were you bringing forward from last month’s peer review experience?

Last month the AFN Paris team had some really interesting ideas for us about spicing up our

news elements. We worked to include a lot of their ideas. As an example, we started recording

phone interviews and including those segments in our news products like AFN Paris does. We

also wanted to get some feedback on the way we’re doing the weather, which we stole from AFN

Paris.




6

Narrative: How did this month go? Was your partner station cooperative and responsive?

Were you able to make progress in some particular area? Any successes to report? Any

complications in the program or with your team? Any goals accomplished?

This month went well for us. My partner station manager, SFC Jones, asked me to focus my

team on bit construction. I think we did a good job of providing thoughtful and valuable

comments explaining how they their bits could have been stronger.

I asked SFC Jones to focus his team on the new contests we’ve been doing. The team provided

some really supportive comments as well as some good thoughts on how we can improve,

specifically with regard to audience interaction via phone and social media during contests.

Future improvement plans – What can you extract from this month’s feedback and

continue working on, or use in the next month with your new partner station?

Bit construction – Our team got a lot of good feedback on bit construction and they were able to

create stronger and stronger bits over the course of the month. We’re still not there yet, and this

is something we will ask our next partner station to listen to for us.

AFRTS Standard for Radio Live Shows (May 2015)

Producer: Reviewer: Title: Date:

Overall Tone N/A 1 2 3

1. Show prep 0 1 2 3

2. Structure 0 1 2 3

3. Topicality 0 1 2 3

4. Humor/entertainment 0 1 2 3

5. Bit construction 0 1 2 3

6. Audience interaction 0 1 2 3

7. Spontaneity 0 1 2 3

8. Compelling 0 1 2 3

9. Creativity 0 1 2 3

10. Consistency 0 1 2 3

Overall Sound

11. Pace/momentum 0 1 2 3

12. Production values 0 1 2 3

13. Communication skills 0 1 2 3

14. Vocal dynamics/quality 0 1 2 3

15. Time clock orientation 0 1 2 3

16. Information, key elements:

Call sign 0 1 2 3

Time 0 1 2 3

Weather 0 1 2 3

Traffic/driving conditions 0 1 2 3

Exchange rate 0 1 2 3

17. Forward promotion 0 1 2 3

18. Cross promotion 0 1 2 3

19. Information-to-music ratio 0 1 2 3

Interviews

20. Prep 0 1 2 3

21. Control 0 1 2 3

22. Levels 0 1 2 3

23. Tempo/flow 0 1 2 3

Mechanics

24. Sound source 0 1 2 3

25. Source chop 0 1 2 3

26. Bleed through 0 1 2 3

27. Tightness 0 1 2 3

28. Levels 0 1 2 3

1 = Unsatisfactory 2 = Satisfactory 3 = Excellent

Notes:

mfrank

Typewritten Text

Addendum #5

Overall Tone 1. Show prep: Show host prepared all materials, bits and command information in advance, using the “Road Map” from the AFRTS Radio Playbook. 2. Structure: Show flows well from one element to the next. 3. Topicality: Show host talks about things that interest the audience, touches on the big stories, knows what’s on their mind. Used the “In-Touch Checklist” from the AFRTS Radio Playbook to be tuned to audiences’ needs or tied to local events. 4. Humor/entertainment: Show has a sense of humor, listeners should be able to smile and feel good. WARNING: A humorous approach is not for everyone. Hosts are better off staying away from attempts at humor unless they have a lot of experience at the mike. 5. Bit construction: Show is well thought-out. Getting into and out of bits is well-planned. Bits are well-executed. Show host employed a hook, setup and payoff with each bit.

6. Audience interaction: On-air phone calls are entertaining with an economy of words, kept concise. 7. Spontaneity: Listener gets some surprises, planned or unplanned, during the show. Show sounds natural, fun and freewheeling, vs. stiff, planned and scripted. 8. Compelling: Creative hooks and teases are so good, listeners can’t turn the radio off because they’re afraid they’ll miss something. Show host finds ways to make people talk about the show. 9. Creativity: Show sounds fresh, progressive and original. Host puts fresh spins on old ideas. 10. Consistency: Each portion of the show is a snapshot of the entire show. Show elements are delivered regularly. Listeners know what to expect. Overall Sound

11. Pace/momentum: Show moves forward, host is brief and constantly resets the stage so listeners joining are brought into what is going on. 12. Production values: Proper sound effects, music beds, drop-ins, etc. are used. Phone call and snippets are used properly. Show does not sound over-produced. 13. Communication skills: Show host relates and communicates with the audience naturally, conversationally, rather than “announcing.” Putting thoughts into words your audience uses and understands. 14. Vocal dynamics/quality: Host projects properly, sounds confident, gets the most out of his/her voice. No excessive laughter or giggling; laughter only when appropriate. 15. Time clock orientation: Mood of the show matches the daypart (morning, midday, afternoon, other). How well does host relate to what listeners are thinking, feeling and doing? 16. Information: Service elements and key information items are delivered appropriately, creatively and the minimum required number of times per hour. 17. Forward promotion: Host promotes what is coming up later in the show or the show that follows. 18. Cross promotion: Show host gives listeners compelling reasons to listen to other local live shows, and local and/or regional radio and television newscasts. Promotes AFN web sites, AFN 360 and social media sites.

19. Information-to-music ratio: Morning show is based on information with music, other shows are based on music with information. Interviews 20. Prep: Host prepared for the interview, understands the topic, asks specific questions rather than catch-all questions like, “What is your group doing?” or “Tell me about your project…” 21. Control: Host controls and guides the interview. Interview stays on topic. Guest does not “hijack” the interview by going off-topic or on tangents to a new subject. Host keeps the interview to a reasonable time limit. 22. Levels: Host and guest have constant, matching levels. 23. Tempo/flow: Interview continuously moves forward, does not stall on run-on answers. Mechanics 24. Sound source: Proper source element is selected, show host goes to the right element at the correct moment. 25. Source chop: Elements start without being upcut, finish without being chopped off. Transitions are smooth and timely. 26. Bleed through: The only elements on air are those that are supposed to be on, no bleed through of other show elements or satellite feeds due to a channel inadvertently left open on the console. 27. Loose between elements: Elements do not have gaps of silence between them, nor is there any unintentional overlap. Host makes good use of song ramps and fades. 28. Levels: Elements are playing at full volume (80-100% on VU meter), avoiding “muddy” sound of low levels or distortion from high levels.




UNIT 29405

APO AE 09136

1

AFN-Europe Blue Pages Program INITIAL SETUP SOP

1. PURPOSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides the procedures for initial setup of the

template used to create AFN-Europe’s weekly Blue Page (BP) spots for air on AFN

television. This SOP is only intended to be used once. After this initial setup is done, you

will only use the Weekly SOP.


This SOP applies to all AFN-Europe affiliates unless otherwise noted.

3. PROCEDURES

3.1 TEMPLATE: The Blue Page template and files can be found on the AFN-E file server

at this location: \\afne-file\Departments\Affiliate Products\TV Spots\

Download the folder “BluePagesTemplate2” to your local media drive. This folder contains

all the files you need.

3.1.1. The Adobe Premiere preset for exporting media is in a subfolder “Adobe Premiere

Presets”. You should already have the AFN/DMA Production preset installed. If

you do not, please add it now. To do this, open Adobe Media Encoder.

3.1.2. On the top right panel you will see a tab for Preset Browser.

3.1.3. You will see icons at the top. You want to select the icon of the folder with the

arrow. This is for importing presets. Navigate to the Adobe Premiere Presets folder that

you just downloaded to your media drive.

AFN-Europe Blue Pages INITIAL SETUP SOP, January 1, 2017

2

3.1.4 Select the preset “AFN-DMA Production.epr” and then click on “Open”. This adds

the preset and you can now close Adobe Media Encoder.

3.2. PREPARING TO EDIT THE BLUE PAGES

3.2.1. Open the Blue Pages Template premiere project.

3.2.2. You will see 3 bins in the project: Sequences, z_Graphics and z_Station

Bkgnds

Open the “Sequences” bin and select the BP sequence for your station. These are

your originals. The background color in your original should reflect the color AFN

has assigned to the military branch your affiliate represents.

Army – Green: STG, VIC, HND, WBN, BLX, (Camp Bondsteel)

Air Force – Light Blue: AVN , ICK, KTN, SPG, UKD

Navy – Dark Blue: BAH, SIG, GTB, RTA, SDB, GTB

Mixed Audiences – Purple: KTN, BLX


3

3.2.3. Make a copy of this original for editing purposes. Select the BP sequence for

your station in the Sequences bin. Right-click, then select copy.

3.2.4. Move to the Project Panel in the lower left of Premiere and right click, then

select paste. You will now see your BP in the Panel with the 3 bins.


4

3.3 DUPLICATE THE SEQUENCE:

3.3.1. Highlight the BP sequence in the Project panel.

3.3.2. You will see the title of the BP appear in a white box. Change the name of the BP

using the following standard: YYMMDD-STN-BP01. The date will change each week,

but the station letters and the blue page number will remain the same.

3.3.3. You will need to make 5 separate copies of your BP sequence. Right-click on the

BP sequence and select “Duplicate.” This will make a copy. Then change the name of the

copy to YYMMDD-STN-BP02. Repeat this process until you have a total of 5 BPs.

For example 150909-BAV-BP01, 150909-BAV-BP02, 150909-BAV-BP03… The

date will change each week for the new weekly BPs.

3.4. DUPLICATE SEQUENCE MEDIA

3.4.1. Now you have 5 copies of the original BP. At this point, all five sequences are

using the same slate and text. Edits you make to any one of the five at this stage will

affect all five. This is because they are all working off the same text template files. The

next steps will guide you in creating unique text layers for each sequence.


5

3.4.2. Double click on the first copy of your BP and it will appear in the timeline field in

the lower right panel of Premiere.

You will now create unique copies of the Slate and the BluePageText sections for

each BP.

3.4.3. With the selection tool, click on Slate to highlight it. Now hold down the Alt key,

then click and drag Slate up from V1 layer to V2 layer. This will make a copy of Slate on

the V2 layer.

3.4.4. Now replace the original Slate with the new copy from V2 layer. Using the

selection tool, drag the copy back down to V1 layer, covering the original slate.

Note: enable the "Snap" function, located in the upper left hand corner of the Timeline

panel (magnet icon). With Snap on, when one moves a clip, it automatically aligns with

the edge of another clip. When one drags a portion of a clip vertically into another track,

it snaps to its original time location in the new track. This helps to reduce errors when

overwriting the original Slate and BluePageText. Ideally, the Snap function should be

enabled in the original BluePagesTemplate.


6

This copy is now unique and any edits to this text will only affect this BP and no others.

3.4.5. Repeat the same Alt-drag process with BluePageText. With the selection tool click

on BluePageText and highlight it. Now hold down the Alt key, then click and drag

BluePageText from V2 layer to V3 layer. This will make a copy of BluePageText on the

V3 layer.

3.4.6. Using the selection tool, drag the new BluePageText Copy 01 back down to the V2

row covering up the original. Now any changes to the text of this BP will not change the

text of the others.

3.4.7. Repeat 3.4 for all 5 BPs. Now you have 5 unique BPs that can be edited each week.


7

4. CONTACT INFORMATION

Yracheta, Danny LN DMA AFN (GM) [email protected]

DSN: 312-545-7323

Kreider, Larry CIV DMA AFN (US) [email protected]

DSN: 312-545-7605

Note: The step-by-step procedures are also available as a training video here. It is recommended

that you watch the tutorial and then use this guideline for reference.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjKb4lUKnYY




UNIT 29405

APO AE 09136

1

AFN-Europe Blue Pages Program Weekly Production SOP

1. PURPOSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides the requirements, standards and

procedures for the production of AFN-Europe’s weekly Blue Page (BP) spots for air on

AFN television.


This SOP applies to all AFN-Europe affiliates unless otherwise noted.

3. STANDARDS

Blue Pages (BP) are time sensitive and perishable public service announcements that deliver

information on services and events happening in the local communities.

OPSEC Note: Blue Pages about trips/tours/events outside the safety of the installation

should not reveal specific dates, times and other information that might prove valuable to

the wrong people.

3.1. SHELF LIFE

Each BP airs for a seven (7) day period ending at 23:59 on the kill date. It is essential that

affiliates manage the production schedules to maximize the air window for each BP. Topics

for BPs should be selected in such a way that the entire seven (7) day run is valid. If you

would like to advertise an event for longer than 7 days, it is best to create a regular 15

second spot. Blue Pages are meant for quick kill information. Requests for exception should

be routed through the Superstation Manager for approval.

BP due dates are staggered to reduce turnaround time. If you submit a BP to AFNE by noon

CET on Monday, it will begin airing at 00:01 on Wednesday and run through 23:59 on the

following Tuesday. The kill date must be at least one day prior to the event because we

don’t want BP’s to continue to air for hours after an event takes place.

AFN-Europe Blue Pages Weekly Production SOP, January 1, 2017

2

3.2. PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

4. REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Each station is required to provide five (5) Blue Page spots uploaded the AFNE network

drive or via FTP site by NOON CET on their assigned day (see matrix in 3.2).

4.2 Producers are required to use the provided template for the production of BPs. We have

created this template to simplify the process and prevent the use of non-standard fonts,

graphics or music.

4.2.1 Producers will use the fonts, sizing and spacing provided in the template.

Deviations are NOT authorized. Producers must also ensure that the text entered

on each of the four lines stays within the horizontal 20% (inner line) safe title

limits.

4.2.2 Narration should complement the text rather than reading it verbatim.

4.2.3 The BP should be produced ready-to-air, meaning it will be rendered in stereo

(narration & music will be mixed, not split). The templates provided are already

set up as stereo audio tracks and the music provided is also in stereo. You must

ensure that your recorded narration and music, once combined, is in stereo with

averages reaching at least -12 dB. Audio peaks should not exceed -6dB.

Due Noon CET on Station Start Kill

Monday KTN

BAV

Bondsteel

STG

Wednesday Next Tuesday at 23:59

Tuesday WBN

BLX

BHN

Thursday Next Wednesday at 23:59

Wednesday SPG

UK

SIG

DG

Friday Next Thursday at 23:59

Thursday AVN

ICK

NAP

Monday Next Sunday at 23:59

Friday VIC

SDB

RTA

HND

Tuesday Next Monday at 23:59


3

Note: You may want to apply normalization to your audio clips. See this resource

for more information:

http://www.adobepress.com/articles/article.asp?p=2171314&seqNum=2

4.3 Once BPs have been uploaded, the appropriate Superstation representative will be

notified by email that the BPs are ready for review.

Super Station Sembach: AVN, BLX, ICK, KTN, SPG, UK

Super Station Naples: BAH, GTB, NAP, RTA, SDB, SIG

Super Station Bavaria: BAV, STG, VIC, WBN, Bondsteel

5. PROCEDURES

If this is the first time your station has created blue pages or you are using a freshly

downloaded template, please follow the steps in our “One Time” SOP before proceeding

to 5.1.

5.1 CREATE A BLUE PAGE:

5.1.1. These procedures will guide you through the following steps:

Edit the Slate

Edit the Blue PageText

Add voice over

Update BP sequence name

Export video using AFN-DMA Production preset

Check for Quality Control

Copy the new BPs to the shared drive

Let your Superstation designee know the BP is ready for review

5.1.2. To start the process, open your Blue Pages Template premiere file. In the Projects

panel, double click the first BP sequence you wish to edit to open it.

5.2 EDIT THE SLATE:

5.2.1. Use the selection tool to highlight Slate by clicking on it in the V1 layer.


4

5.2.2. Once Slate is highlighted, click on the Effect Controls tab located in the upper left

panel of the Premiere interface.

5.2.3. Inside this panel you will see 2 tabs. Click on “Master*SlateInfo”

5.2.4 On the Master tab you will see 9 lines with information from “Station” down to

“Kill Date”. Next to each description is a text box where you can change the

information. Replace the text that is there with the information for your BP, using AP

style (https://www.apstylebook.com/) wherever possible. The information in the

parentheses should be deleted before sending up to the Superstation; they are only meant

as a reminder/guideline for the producers.

5.2.5. Once you have changed the information here you will see that it has changed the


5

slate.

5.3 EDIT THE BLUE PAGE TEXT:

5.3.1. Now you will edit the BP information using the same process. In the Timeline, use

the selection tool and click on the main section of your BP that is a located on the V2 line

and is titled “BluePageText.” The image below shows this section highlighted in white.

Avoid using military time format. Rather than “1800” or “1000” use a number, a space

and then lower case “am” or “pm” (example: “6 pm” or “10 am”)

5.3.2. Click on the Effect Controls tab on the upper left of Premiere.

5.3.3. Click on the Master tab.

5.3.4. There will be 3 lines that you can use to edit the information for the BP. Just fill in

the text.

Note: You do not have to add all of the POC Info / date / website info the contact line.

Whenever possible, write a call to action on this final line. Tell your audience what you

want them to do. Example: “Call 555-0172 to sign up!”

5.4 ADD VOICEOVER:

5.4.1. Once you have created your voiceover, import it into the project and it will appear

in the Project Panel.


6

5.4.2. Add the audio voiceover for the BP on the A1 track. In the Timeline Panel, select

the A1 Tab so that when you import the audio it will go on the correct track. The audio

for the voiceover needs to be in stereo (both the left and right channels and centered). The

audio level averages should reach at least -12 dB but not exceed -6 dB.

NOTE: the Audio Meter in the BluePagesTemplate is set to 72 dB Range by default,

however when set to 24 dB Range, one can more accurately maintain the audio levels

between -12 dB and -6 dB. To change the setting, right-click the audio meter and choose

"24 dB Range".

5.4.3. Bring the audio file over to the timeline and place it in the A1 lines.


7

5.4.4. You may need to make adjustments to the keyframes to increase or decrease the dB

level of your narration audio.

5.5 UPDATE BP SEQUENCE NAME:

5.5.1. Highlight the BP in the Project panel.

5.5.2. Change the name of the BP sequence using the following standard: YYMMDD-

STN-BP## (01-05). The date should be changed each week, but the station letters and

the BP## (01-05) will remain the same.


8

5.6. EXPORT VIDEO:

5.8.1. Highlight the video you want to export and select Ctrl-M or you can highlight the

video and select “File”, “Export” “Media”. This will open up the “Export Setting” panel.

5.8.2. In the top right “Export Settings” panel select the:

5.8.2.1. Format: H.264

5.8.2.2. Preset is AFN/DMA Production (If you do not have it, you can find it in

the subfolder “Adobe Premiere Presets” – go to Whatever we’re calling initial

setup.)

5.8.2.3. To add, select the icon of the folder with the arrow, navigate to the

subfolder and select the AFN-DMA Production.epr and click “Open”


9

5.8.3. Change the Output destination. Click on the BP title that is in blue, navigate to the

media drive where you downloaded the template folder. Open the folder and select the

Desktop subfolder.

5.8.4. Once that is selected you can either click on the “Queue” button (Good for doing

multiple exports) or select the “Export” button to export this one BP.

5.9. CHECK THE BPs FOR QUALITY CONTROL:

5.9.1. The affiliate manager is responsible for quality control of their BPs. Superstations

are responsible for an additional critical review of their affiliates’ BPs to ensure accuracy

of information, proper spelling, spacing, and audio levels. Once reviewed, the

Superstation submits the products to the AFNE RMC for processing.

Once the BP gets to RMC, it should be ready for air. RMC requests for adjustments or

corrections to meet the intent of this SOP will go to Superstation managers with a CC to

the AFNE Chief of Operations. All involved should scrutinize products to minimize the

need to request revisions.

Many, many Blue Pages are returned due to typos. To avoid this, producers must make it

a habit to write their Blue Page text in a Microsoft Word document to spell check, then

copy & paste into the template. Policy mandating this procedure brings the typo

kickbacks to a grinding halt. The attached checklist and list of common errors are

designed to help products meet the standards defined in this SOP and get on the air as

quickly and efficiently as possible.

5.10. UPLOAD THE NEW BP TO YOUR FOLDER:

\\afne-file\Departments\Affiliate Products\TV Spots\**YourAffiliate**\Blue Pages


10

5.11. NOTIFY YOUR SUPERSTATION THAT COMPLETED BP’s ARE READY FOR

REVIEW:

5.11.1 If everything is good to go, the Superstation will forward your submission to

[email protected]. This email will go to everyone at Sembach who

deals with Blue Pages. Let them know where the ready-to-air BPs are located.

6. CONTACT INFORMATION

Yracheta, Danny LN DMA AFN (GM) [email protected]

DSN: 312-545-7323

Kreider, Larry CIV DMA AFN (US) [email protected]

DSN: 312-545-7605

6.1 Upon receipt of the BP, AFNE-RMC will review the product for quality. You will get a

notification if there are errors that need to be corrected or a confirmation that the BP’s are error-

free and ready for airing.




11

AFN-Europe Blue Page QC Checklist

The answer to each of these questions should be “YES”!

Slate/subject/kill dates:

1. Rendered media duration: 17 seconds exactly?

2. Is the blue page new?

3. Is it time sensitive and perishable?

4. Kill dates? Does the blue page kill at least one day before the event?

Event date/sign up at least 1 day AFTER kill date?

Audio:

1. Is audio stereo (mixed)?

2. Do audio averages reach at least -12 dB and peak below -6 dB?

3. Does narration start after text has finished moving in and end before the fade begins?

4. Does narration complement text – rather than read verbatim?

5. Does “swoosh” SFX match animation?

Text:

6. Do slate and blue page headlines match?

7. Are fonts within 20% safe title limits (this is the INNER MOST of the two safe margins

in Premiere)?

8. Is the HEADLINE all caps, no punctuation?

9. Are subject lines in sentence case and properly punctuated?

10. Are all words properly spelled, and is proper English grammar used?


12

Common Errors

Typos (check spelling and review critically - #fundamentals)

Slate information:

Kill date is on same day / exceeds date of event

DSN number on slate should be # of the producer, not the client

Start and kill date were wrong/switched/outdated

Slate had other information than actual BP information

Audio:

Levels too hot/low

Sound FX didn’t match animation/movement of text moving into center

Information of different event pops up for 1 frame (flash frame)

Text:

Text exceeds 2nd

safe title line

Text fades in but doesn’t fade out

Fade out of text and background are different

Common narration issues:

Is about different event than event information in Blue Page

Noise in background

Starts/ends too early/late

Mentions other date than in BP information

Had day of event wrong vs. what is on screen

Hard to understand due to background music being louder




UNIT 29405

APO AE 09136

1

AFN-Europe Operations Systems and Equipment Care, Handling and Routine

Cleaning SOP

1. PURPOSE

Radio broadcasting and video production relies on properly maintained and well-

functioning equipment—without it, mission failure is likely. This Standard Operating

Procedure (SOP) establishes minimum requirements to protect the equipment at an AFNE

Affiliate through proper use, care, and accountability.


This SOP applies to all AFNE Affiliates unless otherwise noted. The responsibility for

reporting equipment malfunction or damage, need to move accountable property, or loss of

service at an Affiliate belongs to the Affiliate Manager. The entire Affiliate team should read

and understand the requirements outlined in this SOP to ensure timely execution of this

policy, no matter who is on site when reportable events occur.

3. PROCEDURES

A. APPROPRIATE USE: Broadcast equipment will be used in accordance with the

Concepts of Operations (CONOPs) defined in the AFRTS Broadcast Levels of Service &

Systems Guide. Other use, inside or outside of the broadcast facility, must have prior written

approval from AFNE Superstation Manager or the AFNE Operations Chief. In addition to

published standards, operating instructions and other guidelines, AFNE Affiliate technicians

must have access to and be familiar with commercial operations manuals for all broadcast

equipment in the Affiliate. This helps prevent damage due to misuse and increases

productivity by ensuring users are familiar with equipment capabilities. All personnel

assigned or attached to an AFNE Affiliate are responsible for equipment accountability.

B. USE OF BROADCAST EQUIPMENT: Equipment must be used for its intended

purposes as outlined in the station standard operating procedure and/or CONOP.

Personal production equipment and software will not be used for any official productions.

Broadcast equipment will not be shipped "on loan" to another AFNE Affiliate or any other

DoD agency or activity without written direction from AFNE Operations, who will first

ensure there are no excess assets (spares) available, and will evaluate the impact on

operational capabilities of the loaning location. Further, any movement of accountable

equipment will be coordinated with AFNE Technical Services (TS) and reported to the

AFNE System and Equipment Care and Handling, January 1, 2017

2

regional Property Book Officer (PBO).

C. EQUIPMENT SIGN-OUT SYSTEM: The Affiliate Manager will establish procedures

to ensure proper positive control of highly-mobile broadcast equipment items. At a

minimum, a sign-out system will be maintained:

Each time Affiliate equipment is used outside the broadcast facility, an equipment checkout

log or status board must be filled out by the user. The log will indicate:

Name and rank of person checking out equipment

What equipment or kits were taken (items will be tracked by serial or ID number)

Date and time taken and returned

Location equipment was taken and used

Any resulting malfunctions, possible damage, or known damage

Operators will visually inspect and inventory equipment before it is taken. Signing the

checkout log or status board acknowledges receipt of all equipment on the inventory list and

that there is no undocumented visual damage.

D. EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS AND DAMAGE: All broadcast equipment

malfunctions will be immediately reported to the Affiliate Maintenance Manager and

maintenance personnel. Local procedures must be established to ensure malfunctions are

properly and promptly reported. Maintenance teams will troubleshoot and correct problems

or notify the necessary vendor maintenance support activity. AFNE Ops and AFNE TS must

be included on email traffic regarding equipment malfunctions that impact on-air operations.

Any loss or damage to equipment outside of normal wear and tear must be reported to AFNE

Ops and TS within one duty day of discovery. Additionally, lost or damaged property shall

be reported by the hand receipt-holder to the regional PBO to initiate a Financial Liability

Investigation of Property Loss (FLIPL) survey. The PBO will prepare a DD from 200,

“Financial Liability Investigation of Property Loss” to determine possible culpability.

E. LIQUIDS AND FOOD: Liquids will not be placed on any broadcast equipment or on

equipment cases. Food and drink must be kept at least 3 feet away from ENG or radio remote

equipment in storage, during transport, and during use.

No food or drink will be allowed in control rooms, radio studios, or on desks where journalist

laptops are in use. Where broadcast systems occupy standard office space or pathways, food

and drink must be kept at least 3 feet from equipment.

Equipment areas will have signs posted as “no food or drink” areas.

F. ROUTINE SYSTEM RESTARTS: Broadcast systems typically have small allotments

for downtime and must be readily available. Such systems require to be rebooted in a routine

AFNE System and Equipment Care and Handling, January 1, 2017

3

manner. Why Reboot? There are two main reasons to reboot servers on a regular basis:

1) To apply patches that cannot be applied without rebooting

2) To verify the ability of the server to function properly

Applying patches is an important aspect of rebooting. Almost all operating systems receive

regular updates that require rebooting in order to take effect. As most patches are released for

security and stability purposes, especially those requiring a reboot, the importance of

applying them is rather high. System reboots should be accomplished at regular two-week

intervals. System reboots are to be considered “full” power-down and power-up reboots.

System reboots should typically be accomplished by Affiliate maintenance teams unless

special circumstances arise, such as server lock-ups or other disruptions. Depending on the

level and type of patches applied, the reboots may have dependencies, meaning that multiple

reboots may need to be accomplished to complete the patching cycle.

At a minimum- system/server reboots should be accomplished once a month during non-live

times.

G. EQUIPMENT CLEANING: Equipment areas must be kept clear of dust and debris at

all times to prevent damage to broadcast equipment.

External cleaning of broadcast equipment (to include editing workstations, radio studios and

radio remote gear) is an operations responsibility. Systems cleaning will be accomplished by

technical services. Clean, dry lint free cloths will be used on monitors. Do not use paper

towels and standard spray cleaners on LCD monitors as it will damage the monitor face; mild

detergent and water (sprayed on a rag, not directly on equipment) will be used on consoles

and other equipment items. Equipment cleaning should be accomplished weekly or as

necessary.




UNIT 29405

APO AE 09136

1

AFN-Europe Station Configuration Management

1. PURPOSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides guidance for modifying facility

configurations at AFNE Superstations and Affiliates. It includes procedures to make

permanent and temporary changes to broadcast equipment, broadcast systems, software,

firmware and configuration files.


These procedures apply to all AFNE Superstations and Affiliates.

3. BACKGROUND

Engineering Practices within the AFNE network are required to be correct and consistent

with the intent of targeting future operational and engineering needs. Standardization through

configuration management is the practice of processing system changes systematically with

the primary intent of updating the systems while maintaining system integrity. The end goal

is to maintain a station that sounds and looks better. It also facilitates motivated staff by

knowing the standards and understanding that change is accomplished in a controlled and

conscious manner.

Ideally, equipment and systems will be installed with no deviation from the project drawings

or installation plan. However, since facility layouts are not identical and since system designs

may not always predict actual operating conditions and actual requirements, a method to

permit alteration of a design is needed.

4. SITUATIONS

A. ENGINEERING CHANGE PROPOSAL (ECP): The Engineering Change Proposal

(ECP) process is a means for AFNE HQ and station managers to enforce engineering

configuration control. The ECP process allows for the requesting and approval of

engineering changes required of the original installation – a Standard Facility Configuration.

If approved for implementation, the Standard Facility Configuration drawings will be revised

to reflect the change and the ECP will be retained in permanent records. In cases where

project design is in error or another design or configuration is found that will better meet

operational requirements, personnel should use the ECP process.

AFNE Station Configuration Management SOP, January 1, 2017

2

The ECP is intended for changes to SFELs that should be adopted throughout all AFNE and

for permanent changes to non-standard facility models such as varying configurations of

radio remote kits. If this occurs during the installation of an SFEL, the Affiliate lead

technician will initiate the ECP process through AFNE Station Ops.

Superstations and Affiliates will establish internal review procedures for ECP to ensure in-

house coordination between station/Affiliate operations and maintenance personnel. ECP

passing local review will be coordinated through AFNE Superstation Managers, AFNE

Superstation Chief Engineers and then to AFNE Operations for review and coordination.

AFNE Operations will be the ECP approval/disapproval authority for all Broadcast System

change requests, Equipment Modifications and Firmware/Software/Configuration file change

requests for AFNE. If approved, ECP’s will be forwarded to AFNE TS Engineering for

coordination and implementation guidance. In addition, any ECP or waiver requiring

addition or removal of equipment or software from an approved SFEL, must also be

coordinated through AFNE Logistics.

If approved and implemented, copies of all supporting documents supporting the ECP will

be forwarded to each affected unit to maintain in the unit’s permanent records. If

disapproved, a reply will be forwarded to the requesting unit advising reason for disapproval.

Upon final approval, ROUTINE ECPs will be coordinated for implementation. Once

received, suspense for modification completion will be 60-days unless otherwise noted.

Identified units will complete required ECP modifications by suspense date or request an

extension, via e-mail or phone call to AFNE Ops, with justification for extension. Units will

notify AFNE Ops when the ECP modification has been satisfactorily completed. Include the

ECP number and title with all e-mail communication.

There may at times be a need to accomplish an urgent change to a current SFEL. Request for

such changes will be considered as an URGENT ECP. Upon approval, urgent ECP’s will be

accomplished, based on necessity for safety, continuation of broadcast mission or emergency

requirements. Urgent ECP require immediate attention and must be completed by the

provided suspense.

B. TESTING CHANGES TO STANDARD CONFIGURATIONS: Units may conduct a

30-day test of a proposed ECP after receiving approval from AFNE Ops. When planning a

configuration test, Affiliates will contact AFNE Ops who may be able to provide additional

insight and assistance. Email requests for tests are required to AFNE Ops. This will allow

AFNE Ops to track progress for possible implementation worldwide. All tests requests will

have a tracking number assigned. An approval date, start date and brief description of the test

to include proposed outcome must be provided. Affiliates must verify the documentation

related to the original configuration before test begins. An ECP must be submitted within the

30-day test period or original standard configuration must be restored. The system may


3

remain under test pending approval of ECP when submitted within the required timelines. If

disapproved, units must restore system to original approved configuration. Do not make any

modifications that cannot be reversed. Copies of completed ECP become part of the

Superstation/Affiliate permanent documentation.

C. EMERGENCY SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS:

Do not perform any system modifications without approval from AFNE Ops. Exception: If

temporary equipment modifications are necessary to keep services on-air, modifications may

be made. Notify AFNE Ops at the earliest opportunity, and return system to original

configuration as soon as possible.

D. ENGINEERING WAIVERS:

Deviations from project drawings and/or installation instructions may be required due to

unique site conditions. Engineering waivers must be submitted through AFNE Ops. Upon

approval, the Affiliate lead technician will annotate and sign the affected project drawings

and/or installation instructions. A final review of all waivers will be conducted by AFNE Ops

and coordinated through AFNE/TS Engineering.

E. EQUIPMENT MODIFICATION, FIRMWARE CHANGES:

Affiliates must maintain only approved firmware and software versions on their broadcast

equipment. The following procedures will ensure configuration management is maintained

throughout AFNE.

If a software or firmware upgrade is found or new software is requested, AFNE Ops will

coordinate review of the software or firmware features with AFNE/TS Chief Engineer to

determine if the change or upgrade is needed to meet operational or maintenance

requirements or address equipment reliability or performance issues.

If AFNE staff review determines the new or upgraded software or firmware is required,

AFNE/IT will submit change request to DMA/TS. The change request, once approved, will

detail the nature of the upgrade and will provide specific implementation instructions and the

suspense for completing all actions associated with the upgrade. Any required materials will

be identified in the change request. AFNE/IT will document completion of the change

request. As a minimum, documentation will include system hardware configuration and a

listing of all software and firmware installed on each system. Deviations from the

documented configuration may be made only through the ECP approval process.

If a Superstation or an Affiliate independently discovers a new technical bulletin or

modification, the unit will notify AFNE Ops of availability of the technical bulletin and wait

for authorization to implement modification if deemed necessary.


4

5. POINT OF CONTACT

If you have questions or concerns regarding this SOP please contact Mr. Jerry Shields at

DSN: 545-7125 or [email protected].




UNIT 29405

APO AE 09136

1

AFN-Europe Distinguished Visits and End of Day Reports SOP

1. PURPOSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides guidance for notifying AFNE Ops of

distinguished visitors (DVs) and for sending subsequent End of Day reports (EODs).


This SOP applies to all AFNE Affiliates unless otherwise noted. The responsibility for

EOD reporting belongs to the Affiliate Manager. Every member of the Affiliate team should

read and understand the requirements outlined in this SOP to ensure full investment in this

program and timely execution of this policy, no matter who is on site when reportable events

occur.

3. PROCEDURES

As budgets shrink, it becomes more important to prove the value of what we do. The people

responsible for making decisions about our funding at and above the DMA level often have

little visibility on our operations. It is incumbent upon us to provide them with details about

what we do and why it’s important.

An EOD is required when a DV visits an AFNE Affiliate; when something of high visibility

or high value to key clients occurs and an AFNE Affiliate is involved; or when an

opportunity arises to show how an AFNE Affiliate solved a specific problem or provided a

unique value to a client. When one of these conditions is met, someone at that location will

capture the key points about the engagement, generate a concise report and send it to AFNE

Operations via email. These reports will be forwarded to AFRTS, DMA and beyond as

appropriate. This gives AFNE Affiliates the opportunity to share their successes up the chain,

potentially all the way to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

A. DV DEFINITION: For the purpose of this SOP, a DV can be the installation

commander or any high visibility person who isn’t a routine guest. As a rule, DVs

include all general/flag officers and their equivalents, Service Secretaries, members

of the U.S. Congress, Cabinet members, POTUS, FLOTUS, etc.

B. EOD emails will be sent to Superstation Managers, Superstation Superintendents,

Affiliate Managers, and the DMA Sembach AFN Mailbox Ops organizational mailbox at

[email protected]. EOD reports will include the following

information:

AFNE Local News SOP, 1 January, 2017

2

A brief synopsis of the event in paragraph form

Bullets describing the specific who, what, when, where, and why this is important

A list of the expected deliverable products

C. Same day delivery is expected (hence “End of Day” report). When in doubt, send it

out! There is no penalty for reporting information that AFNE Ops decides not to forward

up the chain.

D. EXAMPLE EOD EMAIL:

---

BLUF: Vice Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff led a USO

tour with UFC fighters, 2016 Miss America Betty Cantrell

and country singer Craig Morgan. The group conducted a

meet-and-greet at the Incirlik Community Center. AFN

Incirlik provided promotion and multimedia support. This is

important because it shows the AFN Incirlik team was a key

player in providing comprehensive promotion and support for

this event. 39 ABW leaders expected about 200 people at the

event, and they credit our creative on-air and social media

promotions for attracting more than 370 people to the

event. USO officials said this was the best attended event

thus far in the tour (Incirlik is the sixth location).

Who: VCJCS Gen Paul Selva, various celebrities

What: USO tour with meet-and-greet with community members

When: 14 Mar

Where: Incirlik AB, Turkey

Product deliverables:

1. Radio news story and social media video produced for

local use

2. Radio/video products uploaded to DVIDS and Facebook on

14 Mar

3. Radio story and raw interviews sent to Superstation

midday teams

---

E. WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: As in the above example, the synopsis should end

with, “This is important because…” and state why we’re reporting this. This provides

Affiliates the opportunity to explain how this event reflects something critical about what

AFNE Local News SOP, 1 January, 2017

3

we do. Operationalize it whenever possible; link it to the mission or one of your client’s

priorities. Remember, the ultimate audience is in the Beltway; they may not fully

understand what we do and certainly don’t live in your community. Don’t be afraid to

make your Affiliate shine, but also know your Superstation and AFNE Ops will take a

good look at this and strengthen it as necessary.

F. FORECASTING DVs: Whenever possible, upcoming DV visits must be reported

through Superstation management to AFNE Ops. Do not hold this information for your

weekly report. As soon as you get word of a pending visit or event, send a quick email

with as much detail as you can share. There will be no expectation that anything is set in

stone and no penalty for the numerous changes in plans that almost always come with

these visits.




UNIT 29405

APO AE 09136

1

AFN-Europe Affiliate of the Quarter and Year Competition SOP

1. PURPOSE

Establish the policies and procedures for administration of the AFNE Affiliate of the Quarter

(AoQ) and Affiliate of the Year (AoY) competition. This program encourages capturing

specific examples of measurable impact of AFNE Affiliate operations to improve client,

audience and stakeholder satisfaction. It also recognizes Affiliates that achieve the best

results and generates quantifiable data for evaluation reports and other purposes.


All Affiliates and personnel within AFNE Operations must follow the procedures detailed in

this document for the administration of this regional recognition program.

3. PROCEDURES

A. All AFNE Affiliates must submit a nomination on the “AFN-E.15.Affiliates” form

(AFNE Form 15) each quarter as directed. Nominations will be written in single-spaced, 12-

point Times New Roman text and restricted to the front side of the AFNE Form 15. Use

complete sentences to list exactly ten items (do not use the single-line bullet format) under

the four headings as prescribed on the form: Communication Operations (five items),

Community Involvement (two items), Innovation (two items), and Other

Accomplishments (one item).

B. Nominations should focus on the specific quantifiable impact your Affiliate’s operations

delivered in support of client goals. Explain how you leveraged your resources and

capabilities to engage with audiences and deliver key client messages. Make sure to explain

what you did (ACT), what the result of that was (FACT), and what quantifiable outcome was

created (IMPACT). NOTE: We are not looking for quantity of efforts here; we are looking

for quantifiable proof of meaningful engagement. Raw numbers don’t explain impact.

Example: Produced 200 hours of live radio; 36 radio spots, 14 video products – this tells us

nothing about what the efforts led to. Measurements against a goal explain impact. Example:

36 live on-air promotion segments brought 125 people to the event, exceeding the client’s

goal of 75 attendees – this gives us a good picture of the impact we created for the client, and

how it measured up to their expectations.

C. Each Affiliate’s AFNE Form 15 will be evaluated and scored. Each item on the form will

be graded on a 0-3 scale:

AFN-Europe Affiliate of the Quarter and Year Competition SOP, January 1, 2017

2

0: Unsatisfactory – No clear action or expression of impact

1: Marginal – Unclear action and/or no expression of impact

2: Good – Clear expression of action and measured impact

3: Great – Outstanding expression of action and exceptional measured impact

(Judges may add a .5 modifier. Ex: 1.5 - not quite good, but better than marginal.

D. All AFNE Affiliates will also submit a nomination for Affiliate of the Year. Evaluation

areas are the same as stipulated above.

E. The AFNE Affiliate of the Quarter and Year competitions will run on the calendar year

(CY). The competition dates and suspense dates will be published on the Ops SharePoint site.

F. Winners will receive the following:

1) A commemorative certificate

2) Two-day pass authorized for each military person assigned

4. RESPONSIBILITIES

A. The Chief of AFNE Operations has overall responsibility for the competition. The Chief

of Ops will commission a review board, provide guidance and tally the results, submitting a

final recommendation to the AFNE Director. The AFNE Director will announce winners via

email with all nominations attached. This transparency provides the opportunity for peer

review and process improvement.

B. Affiliate managers are responsible for submitting nominations to AFNE Ops by

established and advertised suspense dates.

C. The AFNE J-1 NCOIC is responsible for preparing certificates for the Director’s

signature and for delivering awards to Affiliates.

5. JUDGING CRITERIA

Judging criteria is as follows (also outlined on the “AFN-E.15.Judges” document):

A. COMMUNICATION OPERATIONS: Judging criteria - How did the Affiliate leverage

its capabilities and resources to engage audiences and solve problems or achieve goals for

clients? We are not looking for quantity of effort; we are looking for quantifiable proof of

meaningful engagement. What specific, quantifiable IMPACT did the Affiliate have on its

community? Review provided social media analytics, key client testimonials, client goals vs.

actual results, etc. included in the nomination.

AFN-Europe Affiliate of the Quarter and Year Competition SOP, January 1, 2017

3

*Consider audience composition/size and local key clients – opportunities are not equal

across locations!

B. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Judging criteria - In what activities did the Affiliate

engage that more tightly integrated their team and/or strengthened the AFN brand in their

local community? What specific, quantifiable IMPACT did these efforts have on the local

community? Review the evidence of impact of supported events, key client testimonials,

letters of appreciation, etc. included in the nomination.


across locations!

C. INNOVATION: Judging criteria - In what new and interesting ways did the Affiliate

deliver command information to its audience? What did the Affiliate do to direct listeners to

AFN360, and what was the quantifiable IMAPCT of those efforts? What specific,

quantifiable IMPACT did the Affiliate have on its community? Review the provided

AFN360 audience growth metrics, key client and/or audience response to innovative

products, etc. in the nomination.


across locations!

D. OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Judging criteria - What other things might qualify

this Affiliate for this award? Review any provided military readiness, maintenance/IT

actions, management successes, etc. included in the nomination.




UNIT 29405

APO AE 09136

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AFN-Europe Eagle DJ of the Month Award SOP

1. PUPROSE

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides guidance for recognizing excellence in live

Eagle radio show production throughout AFNE. The goal is to highlight and reinforce quality

work as well as to encourage and incentivize excellence in local radio production.


This SOP applies to all AFNE Affiliates with a live radio mission unless otherwise noted. The

AFNE Eagle DJ of the Month Awards program is the responsibility of the Chief, AFNE

Operations and will be executed by the AFNE Broadcast Operations Plans and Training

Manager.

3. PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA

Any person who hosts an AFNE show in the award period is eligible for this award. This

includes military members, GS civilians, local nationals and volunteers.

The AFNE Broadcast Operations Plans and Training Manager conducts regular reviews of

AFNE Affiliate shows, providing formal critiques and feedback to individuals. This generally

results in three Affiliates getting feedback for each of their hosts every week. As part of these

reviews, the AFNE Broadcast Operations Plans and Training Manager will highlight one specific

standout element, stellar show feature or excellent performance each month. The selected

element will be posted to AFNE Training Facebook group with an explanation of its merit. All

AFNE Affiliate DJs will be encouraged to review the clip for inspiration and consider emulating

or replicating the concept on their own shows. Selection criteria will be derived from the AFRTS

Standard for Radio Live Shows.

Each monthly award winner will receive a commemorative certificate and a one-day pass.

Regular quality reviews at the Affiliate level (required by the AFRTS Station Operations SOP

and the Eagle Radio Playbook), AFNE Broadcast Operations Plans and Training Manager

network critiques, the Eagle Peer Review Program and the Eagle DJ of the Month Award are

designed to work together to consistently improve and recognize that which is at the core of

AFNE’s mission: valuable, relevant, effective local radio shows.

AFRTS STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

80-01

STATION OPERATIONS

Originating Component: American Forces Radio and Television Service (Defense Media Operations, Defense Media Activity)

Effective: December 29, 2016

Releasability: Cleared for public release.

Incorporates and Cancels: AFRTS Station Operations SOP, May 26, 2015; 20160217 AFRTS Station Ops SOP Sup 1, AFRTS Regional Crawls

Approved by: David W. Honchul, Colonel, USAF, Director, American Forces Radio and Television Service

Purpose: This issuance, in accordance with DoD Instruction 5120.20:

Provides guidance for the operation of an American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) affiliate that is not provided in other issuances.

Establishes the DMA Management Internal Control Program procedures for affiliate operations.

AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1: GENERAL ISSUANCE INFORMATION .............................................................................. 3 1.1. Applicability ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.2. Additional Information ..................................................................................................... 3

SECTION 2: PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................ 4 2.1. Communications ............................................................................................................... 4 2.2. Commercial Internet and Mobile Telecommunications ................................................... 5 2.3. Overview Briefings........................................................................................................... 5 2.4. Standard Operating Procedures and Continuity Books .................................................... 6 2.5. Program Material Policies and Procedures ....................................................................... 6 2.6. Remote Location Broadcasts ............................................................................................ 7 2.7. AFN Cloud........................................................................................................................ 8 2.8. AFN 360............................................................................................................................ 8 2.9. Local Publicity and Productions ....................................................................................... 9 2.10. Emergency, Special and Routine Announcements ....................................................... 10 2.11. Event Coverage End-Of-Day Messaging...................................................................... 11 2.12. Production Content Standards and Critiques ................................................................ 12 2.13. Release Authority.......................................................................................................... 13 2.14. Requests for Copies of Products ................................................................................... 13 2.15. Station and Self-Identification ...................................................................................... 14 2.16. Volunteers and Interns .................................................................................................. 14 2.17. Compliance with ADA Section 508 ............................................................................. 15 2.18. Requirements Processing .............................................................................................. 15 2.19. Equipment Care and Handling...................................................................................... 15 2.20. Standard Facility Equipment Lists................................................................................ 17 2.21. Social Media Activities................................................................................................. 17 2.22. Restoring Services ........................................................................................................ 18

SECTION 3: ENCLOSURES .............................................................................................................. 19 3.1. Using the AFN Cloud ..................................................................................................... 19 3.2. AFN Regional Crawls..................................................................................................... 20

SECTION 4: MANAGEMENT INTERNAL CONTROL PROGRAM ......................................................... 23


SECTION 1: GENERAL ISSUANCE INFORMATION 3

SECTION 1: GENERAL ISSUANCE INFORMATION

1.1. Applicability

a. This issuance applies to all AFRTS stations, outlets, bureaus and Regional Media Centers (RMC), unless otherwise noted. Certain parts are applicable to the American Forces Network-Broadcast Center (AFN-BC) at DMA-Riverside, California.

b. This issuance is required reading for all leadership and production personnel assigned to AFRTS activities overseas as noted in paragraph 1.1.a. above. It is recommended reading for Technical Services and Resource Management personnel at AFRTS activities overseas.

1.2. Additional Information

a. Digital versions of this issuance shall be posted to an enterprise or regional shared drive and/or an internet-based cloud so that it is accessible to all applicable personal.

b. Questions regarding this issuance should be directed to the AFRTS Plans and Training Manager, Mr. Michael Frank, [email protected], 301.222.6397, or the AFRTS Broadcast Operations Officer, Mr. Erik Brazones, [email protected], 301.222.6473.

mfrank

Typewritten Text

APPROVED BY:

mfrank

Typewritten Text


SECTION 2: PROCEDURES 4

SECTION 2: PROCEDURES

2.1. Communications

a. Direct communication is authorized between:

(1) The AFN Regional Division staff and AFN-BC on routine program matters (other than spot announcements) such as new programming, program complaints, promotions, satellite transmissions, and program restrictions, with courtesy copy up the Division chain to theappropriate AFN Regional Division Chief. AFRTS outlets afloat shall forward all communications concerning programming to AFN-BC Affiliate Relations. All communications of this nature should be courtesy-copied to AFRTS Operations using the established email distribution list: DMA Ft Meade AFRTS List AFRTS HQ Operations ALL <[email protected]>.

(2) AFN Regional Division staff and AFRTS Operations staff on issues concerning command information (CI) spots that are broadcast worldwide to the DoD audience. AFRTS Operations staff should be courtesy-copied using the Ops email distro list.

(3) AFN affiliates and AFRTS Operations on issues concerning immediate or emergency operational and policy matters, with courtesy copy through the regional Division chain to the appropriate AFN Regional Division Chief.

(4) AFN Regional Division staff and T-ASA concerning routine supply matters, acquisition actions, maintenance data, new equipment training, technical engineering advice, and site engineering assistance visits with courtesy copy up the Division chain to AFRTS Operations.

(5) AFN Regional Division staff and host-country commercial or government broadcasters, coordinated with AFRTS Operations, and with the approval of the Director, AFRTS.

(6) Regional Division staff and AFN-BC, T-ASA and other agencies required to effectively manage and operate their affiliates, with courtesy copy up the Division chain to AFRTS Operations.

(7) AFN-BC managers and U.S./international broadcast industry representatives’ program rights holders.

(8) AFN-BC Affiliate Relations and AFN affiliates with courtesy copy to the appropriate AFRTS Regional Division staff and AFRTS Operations.

b. AFN affiliates shall forward communications concerning such matters as broadcast policy, proposed changes in existing program services, outlet staffing, equipment procurement, standard operational procedures, host base-Division problems, manpower standards, and administrative procedure problems, to their appropriate AFN Regional Division staff.



c. AFN affiliates are not permitted to contact U.S. networks, international broadcasters, or program rights holders/material suppliers/distributors without advance authorization from AFN-BC and coordination through the Division chain to AFRTS Operations.

d. Any comments or complaints received by AFN affiliates and/or AFN Regional Divisionstaffs about the content or scheduling of AFRTS-produced spot announcements are to be relayed to the Affiliate Relations division of AFN-BC, who will respond directly to the complainant, and forward them as necessary to AFRTS Operations.

2.2. Commercial Internet and Mobile Telecommunications

a. AFN Regional Divisions and affiliates are authorized to lease commercial Internet service for official use when restrictions on DoD NIPRNET systems prevent or otherwise interfere with accomplishing the AFN mission. Any such leases shall be coordinated with the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO), through the appropriate AFRTS Regional Division and AFRTS Operations.

b. AFN Regional Divisions and affiliates are authorized to lease mobile telecommunications services and devices to support mission requirements. Each AFN station should have no fewer than two mobile phones, for official use only, issued to the Station Manager and the Chief Engineer. Additional FOUO devices are may be approved by Regional Division leadership.

c. Secure mobile devices, or smartphones, are recommended for AFRTS personnel in leadership positions who may need 24/7 access to DoD Enterprise Email (DEE), as determined by the Regional Division Chief.

2.3. Overview Briefings

a. AFN Regional Division Chiefs will have on hand, and be prepared to present, an overview briefing that describes the mission, scope, structure and capabilities of their Division.

b. Each AFN Station Manager should have on hand an overview briefing of their individual station. These briefings should be presented to client commanders and visitors at the Regional Division Chief’s and Station Manager’s discretion, or upon request.

c. Overview briefings should be presented to AFN personnel upon assignment to the Division or station as part of the on-boarding process. Members of the Division or station senior staff should be familiar with the contents of their briefing.

d. In addition to mission, scope and capabilities, overview briefings at AFN stations will include specific radio, television and social media command information services for their communities, radio frequencies, signal strength and coverage area, and program schedules.

e. Overview briefings will use a template provided by AFRTS Operations to standardize appearance.



f. Briefings will be updated at least annually, and will be provided to AFRTS Operations nolater than May 1.

2.4. Standard Operating Procedures and Continuity Books

a. Regional Media Centers and AFN Stations should develop and maintain local SOPs for their operations as required. Stations will forward SOPs to Regional Ops staff for review to determine which procedures are suitable for standardizing and publishing as either a regional SOP or an addition to an Letter of Instruction. SOPS applicable only to localized situations will be added to station continuity books after being reviewed by Regional Ops.

b. Regional Media Centers and AFN Stations will maintain continuity books on key processes (flow charts with "how to" details, production notebooks for each regular program, SOPS, tutorials on equipment, etc.). Continuity books should enable any operations personnel to step in and accomplish key processes when needed. They provide routine and emergency quick reference guidance in TV and radio master control rooms. Include applicable instructions to cover routine and non-routine actions (i.e. step-by-step instructions, emergency phone numbers, equipment checkout procedures, procedures for Red Cross notifications, bomb threats, and off-air conditions). Everything an operator needs to know to perform on-air or emergency dutiesshould be instantly available.

c. Continuity books may be stored electronically, but at least one printed copy will be placed in the on-air radio studio to be available to operators during emergencies.

2.5. Program Material Policies and Procedures

a. AFN-BC establishes procedures for handling, controlling and disposing of program materials. Recommendations for improving or updating program material policies and procedures may be submitted to AFN-BC Affiliate Relations through Regional Division channelsand AFRTS Operations.

b. All AFN program materials are under the custodianship of the Department of Defense at all times and are restricted for AFRTS use only.

(1) All program materials distributed by AFN-BC are official U.S. Government property. All AFRTS personnel shall take every precaution possible to guard against damage, loss, theft, unauthorized use or piracy of these materials. AFRTS program materials will not be used for any purpose other than broadcast on AFRTS services. Products that incorporate copyrighted programming materials are restricted to the geographical region where they are produced and will not be posted to internet sites or social media, except as allowed by this SOP or other issuance.

(2) All AFN affiliates and DoD activities, including contract cable providers, must maintain the integrity of the AFN program schedule. As a result, programming will not be



preempted without permission from AFN-BC. The Director, AFRTS, prohibits the use or reproduction of any AFRTS program material, in whole or in part, without specific authorization from AFN-BC, for any purpose other than official AFRTS outlet programming.

(3) Direct-To-Sailor (DTS) staff at AFN-BC may reproduce Television Weekly packages for Navy ships and send them directly to the ships.

c. Short excerpts may be edited out of radio and television programming by AFN-BC’s Marketing and Promotion Division for the sole purpose of promoting that show's appearance on the AFN schedule. AFN affiliates are not authorized to excerpt AFN programming for any purpose unless authorized by AFN-BC, except as noted below.

(1) AFN affiliates are encouraged to use production music libraries provided by AFN-BC for spots and other productions broadcast on air and posted to the World Wide Web. Radio news and music provided by AFN-BC may be sampled for local Cl-related production for AFRTS use overseas only. Excerpts from shows delivered via satellite may be used, for example, for promotional purposes in a local spot. Excerpts from AFN satellite-delivered music programming or HitDiscs may be used for broadcast or webcast spots or other productions as long as they are heard or available only in the geographical region where they were produced.

(2) AFN affiliates may excerpt commercial network radio news reports in their entirety and use them in local or regional radio newscasts. Reports used in this manner must have a local or regional tie to the intended audience.

d. Stations with a studio-to-transmitter link (STL) will be configured to switch to the DTS feed in the event the AFRTS SATNET signal is lost. In the case of AFN 360, if the local signal fed to AFN-BC is dropped, the AFN The Eagle Jukebox signal automatically covers the channel. Station personnel who note that the Jukebox signal is playing in place of their local signal should contact Regional Operations and Tech Services staff to determine cause and remedy.

e. Stations wanting to dispose of vinyl record or CD libraries may destroy them in place with approval from the AFN Regional Division Chief and AFN-BC. The Station Manager will sign a memorandum certifying exactly what materials were destroyed, and when and how they were destroyed. This memo, along with a digital image of the destroyed materials, will be sent to AFN-BC Affiliate Relations with a copy to AFRTS Operations. The station will maintain a copy of the certificate of destruction for not less than one year from the date of destruction of the materials.

f. Navy duplication facilities are authorized to record programs from AFN SATNET for the expressed, limited use of an afloat AFRTS outlet. These recordings are to be erased locally as soon as operational requirements are met. In this case, there is no requirement to furnish proof of destruction.

2.6. Remote Location Broadcasts



a. Guidance for remote broadcasts can be found in DoDM 5120.20, Section 4. Additional guidance is as follows:

(1) AFN personnel will not use AFRTS equipment or program materials to “D-J” an event, except during live remote broadcasts. AFN stations may broadcast music from the studio or from a remote site if all of the following conditions are met:

(a) AFN support is requested by a commander, public affairs officer or other DoD agency.

(b) There is no cost for admission to the site/event.

(c) The AFN show is not rebroadcast to provide entertainment for the event at the remote site. Use of speakers carrying the AFN signal in the immediate vicinity of an AFN booth is acceptable.

(d) The AFN signal is not rebroadcast by a host nation radio station or unauthorized streaming source.

(2) For remote broadcasts from off-base locations, the event must have a direct tie to the U.S. military or is a host nation cultural event of interest to Americans.

b. Remote broadcasts may be conducted on base at "open house" community relations events at which the majority of the people present are local nationals as long as conditions outlined in paragraph 2.6.a.(1) are met.

2.7. AFN Cloud

a. The AFN Cloud is a web-based environment that gives AFN the ability to communicate and share more easily outside of the traditional methods. See Enclosure 3.1, Using the AFN Cloud, for more information.

b. Overseas Regional Divisions are required to upload any written guidance (SOPs, Letters of Instruction, policy memos, etc.) pertaining to broadcast/production operations to their respective POLICY folder upon publication.

2.8. AFN 360

a. AFN 360 is an online service consisting of local affiliate radio shows and several AFN radio services from AFN-BC. It is provided for the authorized audience only.

b. Defense Media Activity (DMA) has the capability to remove geo-blocks of AFN 360 for authorized users in exercise, deployment or contingency situations in remote areas outside of the U.S. and its territories. Requests should be forwarded to AFRTS Operations for action.



c. Each AFN station should produce spots that advise the local audience of the AFN 360 service, and where and how it can be accessed. Additionally, stations should work with local Exchanges to promote AFN 360 in the Powerzone and at kiosks where Exchange vendors sell mobile phone and internet services.

2.9. Local Publicity and Productions

a. Guidance on types of spot announcements which can and cannot be produced and aired by AFRTS outlets is provided in DoDM 5120.20. Local publicity is provided to groups and organizations authorized and recognized by client agencies. All information must be targeted at the primary authorized audience members: overseas DoD personnel and their family members.

b. Radio and TV spot productions on behalf of local or regional clients shall be presented in messages that appeal only to the local or regional audience. Only productions for DoD-level clients will use messaging that appeals to a worldwide audience.

c. Publicity for off-base or host nation activities should be limited to events of cultural interest to audience members. Private or commercial venues may not be mentioned in the publicity, except as follows:

(1) Promoting off base activities held at commercial venues will only be allowed when the publicity request is channeled through a military agency such as MWR, the USO or a Public Affairs office.

(2) AFN may promote commercial venues when they are part of travel-related news or feature stories, regardless of the source, and are intended to encourage base personnel to explore their host nation.

d. Spots produced by non-AFRTS agencies for local or regional broadcast may be approved by the AFN Regional Division staff. Spots produced by non-AFRTS agencies for worldwide broadcast must be approved by AFRTS Operations.

e. Spots provided by Defense Media Operations (DMO) to stations for local use should have a local tag added to them before broadcast, and should then be managed and tracked like any local spot.

f. AFRTS, as a non-commercial broadcast organization, shall not mention commercial products or profit-making organizations. As such, use of brand names, logos and/or trademarks would constitute implied endorsement of said products and organizations, and shall not be incorporated in any AFRTS spot products. This includes organizations that are contracted by the federal government and non-profit making charities which are solely covered in DoDM 5120.20,under Enclosure 2, paragraph 8.(c).

g. The practice of "boosting," or expanding the reach of, a social media post by paying a fee to a commercial social media provider is considered an endorsement of that provider. AFN personnel are prohibited from this practice when using official AFN social media sites.



h. Stations may mention a commercial product as part of an on-air giveaway if the following conditions are met:

(1) A military unit or authorized government agency requests the giveaway.

(2) The giveaway benefits the U.S. military community overseas, not AFN personnel.

(3) AFN personnel and their families are not eligible to participate in the contest or giveaway.

(4) Spots or promotions for the contest or giveaway inform the audience of the contest/giveaway but do nothing to “sell” the merits of the prize.

(5) Any contest or giveaway spot NOT produced by an AFN station must be approved by the AFN Regional Operations staff before it airs.

(6) Station managers assume responsibility for the security and accountability of contest prizes in their respective stations.

2.10. Emergency, Special and Routine Announcements

a. AFN Regional Divisions will establish processing procedures for local stations’ emergency, special and routine announcements. Refer to Enclosure 3.2, AFN Regional Crawls, for the form and specific guidance regarding regional crawls of emergency public information.

b. Emergency conditions leading to an emergency announcement require immediate processing. The term "emergency conditions" means any extraordinary condition that could present a hazard to DoD personnel. Examples include changes to Force Protection levels, severe weather, changes to road or travel conditions, civil disturbances or demonstrations, etc. School closures are considered an emergency condition due to the safety factor of the children affected and the impact of such closures on military and government employee parents.

(1) The AFN Regional Operations staff will establish procedures for determining what information is used in TV crawls and what is used in radio and/or web broadcasts. When possible, emergency announcements will air on all broadcast services: TV, radio and social media platforms.

(2) AFN affiliates shall broadcast emergency announcements only upon explicit clearance from the competent authority authorized to release the information, and the AFN affiliate manager who is responsible for verifying the emergency requirement. Each station will establish authentication procedures for emergency announcements that must be taken over the telephone.



(3) Stations should break into radio programming for bulletins such as natural disaster instructions, severe weather warnings and real-life military alert conditions or life-threatening situations.

(4) The degree of emergency and the possible effects any AFN emergency announcements might have upon the host country "shadow audience" must be carefully considered before approving announcements for broadcast and/or posting online.

c. Special announcements are short-notice announcements that affect a large portion of the audience but are non-emergency. Examples of non-emergency conditions include facility closures, utility outages, gate or road closures, blood shortages, inclement (versus severe) weather advisories, mil-air schedule changes, etc.

(1) Normally, non-emergency condition situations are to be announced on live radio, andposted on the web and social media sites, but should not be put on TV as a regional crawl.Stations with the capability to run local crawls may do so for special announcements.

(2) Special announcements should be authenticated using the same procedures for emergency announcements. Processing should be expedited and these announcements aired as soon as possible in normal spot breaks.

d. Routine announcements should be received in writing (paper or email) in advance of the requested air date. Establish procedures to ensure announcements are ready to air by the first appropriate air date and discontinued on the “kill” date. Broadcast routine announcements in normal or appropriate spot rotations.

e. The frequency of special and emergency announcements will be dictated by the severity of the emergency conditions and the frequency of changes or updates.

(1) Typically, emergency announcements would be broadcast as often as two to four times per hour, depending on the scope and urgency of the situation, up until the end of primetime (2300) or until the emergency has passed, whichever comes first.

(2) Station management will coordinate with the proper Public Affairs entity to determine if the situation requires continuing an emergency announcement into overnight hours.

(3) Special announcements would normally be broadcast twice per hour until the end of primetime or the non-emergency situation passes, whichever comes first.

f. Regional Operations staffs will establish procedures on how and when they will incorporate AFN-BC originated services (TV, radio, social media) into their emergency messaging plan and update that plan annually. AFN-BC Affiliate Relations will ensure the plans are integrated into AFN-BC operations.

2.11. Event Coverage End-Of-Day Messaging



a. High-visibility events require an end-of-day (EOD) email from the location of the event through Regional Division channels to the Chief, Regional Media Center, who will forward itIAW paragraph 2.11.c.

b. An EOD message is appropriate following standard coverage (vice live / special event coverage, addressed elsewhere) of activities involving general officers, distinguished visitors and other VIPs. EOD emails are also required upon completion of standard coverage of major regional military exercises and real-world operations.

c. EOD emails will be sent to the DMA Joint Operations Center (JOC) ([email protected])and the AFRTS Operations email distribution list. EOD senders should courtesy-copy any relevant regional AFN personnel and clients appropriate to the event. Depending on the event covered, other recipients may be specified by AFRTS or the JOC.

d. EOD emails should include the following information:- A brief synopsis of the event in paragraph form.- Bullets describing the specific who, what, when, where.- A list of the expected deliverable products.

Example EOD email:

BLUF: Vice Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff led a USO tour with UFC fighters, 2016 Miss America Betty Cantrell and country singer Craig Morgan. The group conducted a meet-and-greet at the Kadena Community Center. AFN Okinawa produced multi-media products.

Who: Gen Paul Selva, various celebritiesWhat: USO tour with meet-and-greet with community membersWhen: 14 MarWhere: Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan

Product deliverables:1. Radio/social media products uploaded to DVIDS and social media on 14 Mar.2. TV package uploaded to DVIDS, DoD FTP servers and social media on 15 Mar.3. AFN Pacific Newsbreak/Pacific radio reports

e. A follow-up email should be sent to the same recipients when products are posted, providing all web links to them.

2.12. Production Content Standards and Critiques

a. Product content standards are designed to help producers meet the command information expectations and objectives of the host command. Standards used in a quality control (QC) process help producers develop high quality broadcast products that send targeted, compelling and relevant messages to customer audiences. They also provide the basis for training events, and as a screening tool for determining regional media contest entries. AFRTS Operations



provides these standards in the form of checklist-based critique forms in the AFRTS SOP 80-02,Broadcast Product Content Standards .

b. All products (except live radio shows) will be reviewed for QC before being aired or posted online. Producers should be given feedback that includes at least one element that the producer did well. The QC authority may also require the producer to rectify problems with the product before it is allowed to go on air. This informal critique is usually verbal, brief and rarely documented.

c. Formal critiques should occur monthly and are much more detailed. The person performing the critique should be the supervisor, trainer or other QC authority. The checklist from the appropriate standard will be used, either hand-written or electronically, to track all feedback of every item discussed. Any line item from the standard that is scored with a '1' will be accompanied by written comments. Formal critiques will be filed for one year to track trends and document progress. Supervisors may be asked to produce formal critique sheets during an internal staff assistance or inspection program.

2.13. Release Authority

a. Authority for embargoing or holding release of command information products produced by AFN personnel normally is the local installation or command Public Affairs (PA) office or U.S. Embassy.

b. Permission to release and broadcast radio and TV products is assumed unless a competent authority requests and justifies holding it.

c. Unit commanders who wish a product be withheld from release should be referred to the appropriate PA office.

2.14. Requests for Copies of Products

a. In situations where copies of local or regional productions are requested for official internal purposes, the following applies:

(1) AFN producers will make all completed television news products available to internal and external agencies by posting them to the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) website.

(2) When requested by a PA office, AFN will make prime b-roll cuts and interviews available by posting them to DVIDS.

(3) Official requests for anything other than finished products, prime cuts or interviews requires the approval of the AFN Regional Division Chief.



(4) Official requests from a PA office for products on CD or DVD should be honored as soon as mission requirements permit.

b. AFN affiliates will not provide copies of products for private use. Unofficial requests for copies should be referred to the appropriate PA office.

(1) Most AFN television news products are posted to at least one web or social media site (regional or station web site, YouTube, Facebook, etc.). Persons requesting unofficial copies of products should be directed to one of these sites.

(2) Providing a link to the product requested is the best response.

2.15. Station and Self-Identification

a. Live radio show hosts at AFN affiliates shall identify themselves at the first available opportunity of every hour of live radio. The host will use rank, full name and ”Eagle” brand during the first identification in each program hour.

b. The standard lock-out or self-ID for radio and TV news reports / features is rank-name-location only, without any reference to organization affiliation (examples: “Lance Corporal Alex Hamilton, Kadena Air Base, Japan,” or “Petty Officer Frank Pulver, aboard USS George Washington, in the Gulf of Aden.”).

2.16. Volunteers and Interns

a. Volunteers and interns are welcome additions to AFN affiliate operations. They provide additional manpower and help the affiliate connect with the audience.

b. A description of the volunteers' duties will be outlined on a DD Form 2793 Volunteer Agreement (available at the AFN Cloud), signed by the volunteer and the Station Manager, and kept on file locally for the duration of the volunteer's service. If the volunteer is a minor, their parent or guardian must also complete the AFRTS Minor Volunteer Permission Form in addition to DD Form 2793. Include the information in block 8 from the 2793 on the minor volunteer permission form in the block describing their volunteer duties.

(1) Volunteers and interns must be interviewed by the Station Manager, will read and adhere to all applicable regulatory guidance, policies and SOPs, and sign a statement verifying such.

(2) Appropriate activities for volunteers and interns include radio and TV spot production, studio productions such as newscasts and newsbreaks, and assisting with local ENG coverage as grips or camera operators. Approval from the AFN Regional Division Chief is required for volunteers or interns to perform live on-air work, be assigned ENG shoots on their own, or to otherwise work unsupervised.



(3) Volunteers and interns will not be given keys or access codes to any AFN station.

(4) AFN affiliates are encouraged to partner with base agencies who manage volunteers. These agencies will often track volunteers’ hours for recognition, and sometimes offer benefits such as child care.

c. AFN affiliates are encouraged to participate in locally managed intern programs such as the Summer Hire program. Local program coordinators will provide guidance, but interns will adhere to the requirements outlined for volunteers in paragraphs 2.16.b.(1-4).

2.17. Compliance with ADA Section 508

a. Federal agencies are required to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 508 (29 U.S.C. § 794 d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to access available to others.

b. All video products for television and web produced by AFN affiliates will be close-captioned in order to comply with ADA Section 508.

2.18. Requirements Processing

a. AFN Regional Divisions and AFN-BC will adhere to AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisition, for all operational purchases and expenditures.

b. The Division will submit the completed Requirement form IAW the SOP. AFRTS Operations will review the requirement and, if found to be valid, determine the appropriate funding source and prioritize it for funding.

2.19. Equipment Care and Handling

a. All broadcast equipment malfunctions at AFN affiliates will be reported to station or regional Technical Services (TS) as soon as they are recognized. TS will troubleshoot and correct the problem or notify the necessary maintenance support activity. AFN Regional Ops staff must be included on email traffic regarding equipment malfunctions that impact on-air operations.

b. All damage or suspected damage to any AFN equipment will be reported to the station manager and station TS personnel upon discovery. The station manager must report any loss of or damage to equipment outside of normal wear and tear to Regional Supply Management Officer, Regional TS and Ops within one duty day of discovery. Additionally, lost or damaged property shall be reported by the hand receipt-holder to the Regional Supply Management Officer, who prepares and submits a DD Form 200, Financial Liability Investigation of Property Loss (FLIPL), to the regional Property Book Officer (PBO) to determine possible culpability.



The FLIPL Approving Authority determines final adjudication. The AFRTS Director will adjudicate the FLIPL with a dollar threshold of $49,999 and below. The DMA Director will adjudicate above the $50,000 threshold.

c. Equipment must be used for its intended purposes as outlined in the AFRTS Concept of Operation (CONOP). CONOPs are in the AFRTS Levels of Service and Systems Guide, posted to the AFN Cloud.

d. Personal production equipment and software will not be used for any official AFRTS broadcast products.

e. Operators must have access to, and are required to be familiar with, the contents of operations manuals for all the broadcast equipment they use. This helps prevent damage due to misuse, and increases productivity by ensuring users are familiar with equipment capabilities. Each affiliate will have an individual appointed in writing to certify operations personnel on proper use and care of broadcast equipment. No one will check out or use equipment unsupervised until they have been certified.

f. Cameras, laptop editors, tripods, teleprompters, lights and radio remote equipment must be transported in appropriate carrying cases.

(1) Cameras and laptop computers will be hand-carried on all commercial aircraft when permitted.

(2) Industry standard "soft" cases are allowable for transporting equipment in government-owned motor vehicles or when hand-carried on commercial transportation.

(3) Hard cases must be used when equipment is transported on aircraft as checked baggage, or stored as baggage on any aircraft, train, bus or commercial automobile. Checked equipment must be in containers clearly labeled as “fragile.”

g. Care must be exercised while handling and using equipment.

(1) Rain covers are required for all cameras when shooting outdoors in inclement weather. Rain covers are also required when shooting around water where the potential exists for water damage due to splashes, boat wakes, unexpected waves or other water-related hazards. This applies when shooting in muddy field conditions as well.

(2) Cameras must not be left unattended at any time while mounted on a tripod or placed on any unprotected surface.

(3) At no time will radio remote equipment be left unattended at a broadcast event.

(4) Personnel will not use equipment in a manner that will pose a hazard to themselves or the equipment.



h. Broadcast equipment will not be shipped "on loan" to another AFN station or any other DoD agency or activity without permission from AFN Regional Operations staff, and informing Technical Services and the regional PBO. Regional Ops staff will ensure that there are no excess assets (spares) available, and will evaluate the impact on operational capabilities of the loaning location.

2.20. Standard Facility Equipment Lists

a. All mission-related equipment in an AFN affiliate is annotated in a Standard Facility Equipment List (SFEL), as well as in the AFRTS Levels of Service and Systems Guide.

b. SFELs fall into six functional areas: Production (0-29), Backbone and Infrastructure (30-39), Reception (40-49), Delivery (50-69), Maintenance Support (70-89), and Contingency (100). For specific systems in each functional area, see the AFRTS Levels of Service and Systems Guide, posted to the AFN Cloud.

c. AFN Regional Ops and TS staffs should have access to paper or electronic copies of the specific equipment lists for each SFEL, and be familiar with them.

d. Any desired change to a SFEL must be routed through AFRTS Operations for processing and approval.

2.21. Social Media Activities

a. AFRTS supports social media as a personal and professional tool, but expects service members and employees to bear in mind how their actions might reflect on the organization.

b. Interactive communication or community-generated content tools are useful in a global enterprise as they enable widely dispersed personnel to more effectively collaborate and share information. Only official organizational social media sites will be used by AFRTS personnel as platforms for distributing command information, or in any other capacity that is part of an AFRTS employee’s duties.

c. AFRTS stations will incorporate social media interaction into the daily workflow just as they do TV and radio production. Stations will use social media tools in a manner consistent with applicable laws, regulations, user-website agreements and DMA policies. The publication “Defense Media Activity Social Media Strategy (2016)” provides detailed guidance for using authorized social media platforms. “DMA Social Media Guide (2015)” provides ‘best practices’ for using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

d. Stations must adhere to existing information assurance (IA) and privacy policy, guidance, and best practices. Users are responsible for posting and using content in accordance with applicable ethics, privacy, and information assurance laws, regulations, and policies. Regulatory implications of all social media relate primarily to the privacy of members that follow government social media accounts and the appearance of commercial endorsement.



2.22. Restoring Services

a. In the event of an outage of both the radio and the TV signals at an affiliate, service restoration priorities are, in order:

(1) Restore the primary radio service (live shows).

(2) Restore the primary TV service with local command information.

(3) Restore any secondary radio service, and any remaining TV services still out.

b. Any outage that exceeds four hours in duration must immediately be reported to AFRTS Operations staff using the AFRTS Operations email distro list.


SECTION 3: ENCLOSURES 19

SECTION 3: ENCLOSURES

3.1. Using the AFN Cloud

a. The AFN Cloud (https://cloud.afnbc.net) improves technology, reliability, collaboration efficiency, mobility and message synchronization. The AFN Cloud consolidates content from four websites (and countless e-mails) to one location. Collaboration in a cloud environment gives AFN the ability to communicate and share more easily outside of the traditional methods.

b. Each AFN station has its own account. A station account on the AFN Cloud allows usersto create folders and upload content. It also allows the flexibility to choose what content to share with others. Users have the ability to customize accounts as they see fit. First-time log-in shows default folders for new accounts which can be edited or deleted, a user manual (PDF) and a“Master Folder.”

(1) The Master Folder allows users to download content and is shared with AFRTS personnel, all AFN Station accounts and AFN-BC personnel. Users have full read access to the Master Folder which contains files relevant to all of AFN: policies, SOPs and style guides, STB files, radio materials (show prep, readers, liners, drop-ins, promos, etc.), logos and graphics.

(2) Content from AFN-BC is updated in the Master Folder each day in the appropriate sub-folder.

c. Users can access the AFN Cloud from any computer or mobile device. Users experiencing difficulty accessing the AFN Cloud on a NIPR computer should identify the IP address to be whitelisted and call Taft Maintenance at AFN-BC (available 24/7) at (951) 413-2224 or DSN 312-348-1224.

d. Account passwords lock if not used for 30 days. If an account locks, contact Taft Maintenance to unlock it.

e. Sharing gives full read access to folders and content contained in that folder.

(1) Copy and paste or e-mail the link to your folder to public users. The user can set a password and an expiration date. Only use this when sharing with non-AFN users.

(2) Share with AFN users or groups: start typing a name, station or group and a list will populate. Select the appropriate account(s) and then select the permissions allowed:

(a) “Can Share” – gives a person/account the right to share the folder with others.

(b) “Can Edit” – gives write, edit and delete access.

1. “Create” – can create folders and upload content.

2. “Change” – can edit folder names, edit files, make changes.



3. “Delete” – can delete folders and files.

b. Modify shared permissions at any time by clicking on the share button and deselecting the appropriate box.

(1) Click the trashcan to “unshare” a folder.

(2) To restore a deleted file, click on deleted files on the bottom left of the screen.

c. Multiple users may log in to the same account from different devices at the same time and work independently.

d. There is a 2GB file-size limit on individual files.

e. Media/file management is the responsibility of each individual station as designated by the station manager.

3.2. AFN Regional Crawls

a. AFN-BC has the ability to run character-generated message crawls for a specific region or, if necessary, worldwide, to alert the audience of an imminent threat or hazard to DoD personnel as identified in Section 2, paragraph 2.10.b.

b. AFN regional leaders will authenticate each emergency crawl message and ensure theydirect audiences to tune in to their local affiliate and/or check the local or regional commandofficial social media or web site for additional information.

c. Stations receiving an emergency crawl request that only affects their local audience mayrequest a regional crawl and route it through their regional operations staff. Requests should only be considered when conditions in Section 3, paragraph 3.2.a. are met and the size and scope of the issue necessitates a crawl.

d. Regional leaders will identify no fewer than four and no more than six regional staffmembers authorized to coordinate emergency crawl messages with client commands and theAFN Air Boss. The names and contact information for the identified individuals will be sent to AFN-BC Affiliate Relations and updated as needed.

e. Close coordination between regional leadership and the AFN-BC Air Boss is essentialwhen working emergency crawls. Regional leaders will follow up with the Air Boss via telephone on all crawl requests submitted via email.

f. When requests occur outside of normal duty hours, regional leadership is authorized to forward client command email messages requesting an emergency crawl to the Air Boss following completion of authentication measures identified in Section 3, paragraph 3.2.h.Regional leadership is responsible for rewriting the crawl message to meet the format



requirements identified in Section 3, paragraph 3.2.i. They will also email a completed CrawlRequest Form (available at the AFN Cloud) to AFN-BC at [email protected] with aninformation copy to AFRTS Operations at [email protected] record keeping no later than the first duty day following the emergency announcement.

g. When requests occur during normal duty hours, the AFN representative will use the CrawlRequest Form.

h. The individuals identified in Section 3, paragraph 3.2.d. will complete the following actions:

(1) Authenticate the message and wording with requesting person or agencyrepresentative by using call-back information obtained from a reliable source to prevent fake orerroneous information crawls.

(2) Verify the information in the crawl request email or on the Crawl Request Form is correct.

(3) Email the request to the Air Boss with an information copy to AFRTS Operations and follow up the email with a phone call. If using the Crawl Request Form, they will digitallysign the request and forward via email to AFN-BC with an information copy to AFRTSOperations.

i. Crawl messages will adhere to the following format guidance:

(1) Messages will not exceed 170 characters to include spaces and punctuation.

(2) Messages will ideally direct the audience to other sources like an official command social media presence or website and/or their local AFN affiliate for detailed information.

(3) If there is a specific time for an action to occur it will be expressed in the applicable audience time zone. European messages will be based upon Central European Time (CET) and messages for the Pacific will be based on Japan-Korea Time (JKT).

j. The AFN-BC is authorized and encouraged to send the request form to other agencies, such as DMA Production, which provide program content of interest to the authorized audience. Requestors outside of AFRTS will digitally sign the request and send the completed form directly to AFN-BC. AFN-BC staff will be responsible for completing the steps in Section 3, paragraphs3.2.h.(1) and 3.2.h.(2).


SECTION 4: MANAGEMENT INTERNAL CONTROLS PROGRAM 23

SECTION 4: MANAGEMENT INTERNAL CONTROL PROGRAM

Item No. Item Yes No N/A

01

Are digital versions of the AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, posted to an enterprise or regional shared drive or internet-based cloud, and made required reading for all leadership and production personnel assigned to AFRTS activities overseas?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 1, paragraphs 1.1.b. and 1.2.a.

02Does the station have no fewer than two mobile phones, for the Station and the Chief Engineer?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraph 2.2.b.

03Does the Division/station/affiliate have a current overview briefing on hand?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraphs 2.3.a. and 2.3.b.

04

Are products that incorporate copyrighted programming materials restricted to the geographical region where they were produced and not posted tointernet sites or social media?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraph 2.5.b.(1)

05Is the station ensuring all AFN remote broadcasts are not being rebroadcast to provide entertainment for the event at the remote site?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraph 2.6.a.(1)(c)

06Is all written guidance pertaining to broadcast/production operations uploaded to the AFN Cloud?


07Is the station broadcasting spots that advise the local audience of the AFN 360 radio streaming service?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraph 2.8.c.

08Are radio and TV spots produced for local or regional clients presented in messages that appeal only to a local or regional audience?


09

Are publicity items for off-base or host nation activities limited to events of cultural interest, or have been channeled through a military agency such as MWR, the USO or a Public Affairs office, or are part of travel-related news or feature stories?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraph 2.9.c.(1)



10Has the station established authentication procedures for emergency announcements that must be taken over the telephone?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraph 2.10.b.(2)

11

Are End-of-Day emails being sent to the DMA Joint Operations Center and AFRTS Operations following coverage involving general officers, distinguished visitors and other VIPs?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraphs 2.11.b. and 2.11.c.

12Are radio show hosts identifying themselves w/rank, name and station brand at the first available opportunity of every hour of live radio?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraph 2.15.a.

13Is a DD Form 2793 Volunteer Agreement, signed by volunteer and the Station Manager and outlining a description of the volunteer’s duties, kept on file?


14Are all products for television and web closed-captioned in compliance with ADA Section 508?


15Is all lost or damaged property reported by the hand receipt-holder to the Regional Supply Management Officer?


16Are all cameras, laptop editors, tripods, teleprompters, lights and radio remote equipment transported in appropriate protective carrying cases?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraph 2.19.f.

17Are all outages exceeding four hours in duration being reported to AFRTS Operations?


18

Have regional leaders identified new fewer than four and no more than six regional staff members authorized to coordinate emergency crawl messages with client commands and the AFN Air Boss?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-01, Station Operations, December 29, 2016Section 3, paragraph 3.2.d.


80-02

BROADCAST PRODUCT CONTENT STANDARDS

Originating Component: American Forces Radio and Television Service [Defense Media Operations, Defense Media Activity]



Incorporates and Cancels: AFRTS Broadcast Product Content Standards SOP, May 26, 2015



Describes the philosophy behind the broadcast product content standards for the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS).

Helps producers meet the command information objectives and expectations of the host command through constant feedback and improvement.

Describes the purpose of critique sessions using the enclosed content standards, and the requirements for documenting critique sessions for training purposes.

AFRTS SOP 80-02, Broadcast Product Content Standards, December 29, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS


SECTION 2: PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................ 4 2.1. Philosophy of Broadcast Product Content Standards ....................................................... 4 2.2. Standards Purpose and Usage ........................................................................................... 4 2.3. The Standards and Checklists ........................................................................................... 4 2.4. Product Critiquing ............................................................................................................. 6 2.5. Developing the Three Attributes of Success ..................................................................... 7

SECTION 3: ENCLOSURES ................................................................................................................ 9 3.1 Broadcast Product Content Standards ................................................................................ 9

SECTION 4: MANAGEMENT INTERNAL CONTROL PROGRAM ......................................................... 22




1.1. Applicability

a. This issuance applies to all AFRTS stations, outlets, bureaus and Regional Media Centers (RMC), unless otherwise noted.

b. This issuance is required reading for all leadership and production personnel assigned to AFRTS activities overseas as noted in paragraph 1.1.a. above.

c. These standards should be shared with any DoD agencies that are contributing products to AFRTS for broadcast on AFN services.




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Typewritten Text

APPROVED BY:




2.1. Philosophy of Broadcast Product Content Standards

a. Managers and supervisors should use the standards enclosed in this SOP to guide producers toward developing high quality broadcast products that send targeted, compelling and relevant messages to customer audiences.

b. The standards are not designed as a "go/no go" system to determine whether a product should air. Instead, they are a training tool designed to help managers and supervisors monitor product improvement using the three attributes of replicating success, identifying trends and maintaining accountability.

c. It is imperative that managers and supervisors ensure using the standards becomes a routine part of operations training, and that personnel are constantly using them to improve their products.

d. AFRTS Operations develops and publishes product content standards for operations personnel assigned to AFRTS affiliates. These standards provide personnel with broadcast-industry measures for meeting information objectives with radio live shows, and radio and television news and spot products.

2.2. Standards Purpose and Usage

a. The AFRTS broadcast product content standards attempt to:

(1) Focus on a product-oriented culture that allows producers to hone their broadcast skills.

(2) Provide a basis for OJT and self-improvement for broadcast producers working in an environment where there may be few or no experienced broadcasters to provide training.

b. The standards are designed to help producers meet the command information expectations and host command objectives. Standards guide producers to develop high quality broadcast products that send targeted, compelling and relevant messages to customer audiences.

2.3. The Standards and Checklists

a. The standards provide basic feedback aligned to a list of elements that, by broadcast industry measures, are crucial for product success. The checklist of elements serves two purposes - a producer’s guide and supervisor’s script to feedback sessions. Key aspects of the standards and checklists are: the elements, common language, the rating system and technical considerations.



b. Each standard and checklist contains subject headings with specific elements listed under each. These elements reduce the subjects to the basic qualities that will help the producerachieve the information objective of their product.

(1) Each element is designed to make the overall product more accessible and understandable to a typical audience member. Including every element in a product should yield a perfect product. This is rightly considered an unattainable goal. However, the producer should attempt to include as many elements as possible into every product. The more elements included - and properly applied - in any given product, the more likely the product will meet its information objective.

(2) With the possible exception of errors-in-fact, no single element will cause a product to fail to meet its information objective. Usually, a combination of elements omitted or executed poorly causes the failure.

c. The checklist and the explanation and description of each element form the basis of a common language.

(1) The common language is a key aspect of the standard. It allows broadcasters to assign specific meaning to elements in the standard. This leads to a better understanding of production and allows for improved quality practices.

(2) The common language allows managers and supervisors to provide informal feedback on products in minutes instead of explaining the techniques in detail for every productreview. If every producer understands the common language, the standards become a part of the workplace culture.

d. The reviewer uses one of three choices in grading a specific element within the standard: Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory or Excellent. ‘Not Applicable’ (N/A) is used when an element is not present, unless that element should have been present in order to better convey the informationobjective.

(1) These choices compel the person grading the product to make a definitive decision.An area marked as Unsatisfactory needs attention and the producer should make progress in that area on the next product.

(2) Just because a product airs does not mean it has an overall Excellent rating or has met an arbitrary numerical cutoff, nor should one or more Unsatisfactory ratings elements necessarily keep that product off the air.

(3) Station Managers, Operations Managers and section supervisors must look beyond just the standards to determine if a product should air. However, the standards can assist in that determination when the reviewer has limited broadcast experience.

e. The two technical aspects of a product that are considered absolutes are run time and audio levels. Other technical considerations have some degree of subjectivity…not these two.



(1) The run time requirement is necessary for automation systems to seamlessly air the product.

(2) Audio levels must be consistent (within the specified range) for all products in order to not distract the audience from the message as they hear them.

2.4. Product Critiquing

a. All radio and TV news and spot products should be reviewed for quality control (QC) and the producer receive feedback on them in a critique. There are two types of critique, and each serves a different purpose:

(1) Informal critiques happen for most products and determine if a product is ready for air.

(a) Upon review, the QC authority immediately gives at least one feedback element that the producer did well and should attempt to replicate, and at least one element that could be improved and the producer should avoid in future productions.

(b) The QC authority may also require the producer to rectify problems with the product before it is allowed to go on air.

(c) This critique is usually verbal, brief and not commonly documented.

(2) Formal critiques occur less frequently and are a training function, and therefore are intended to be much more detailed.

(a) The person performing the critique should be the supervisor, trainer or other QC authority.

(b) The checklist from the appropriate standard will be used, either hand-written or electronically, to track all feedback of every element discussed.

(c) Any element from the standard that is scored as a ‘1’ should be accompanied by comments written in the “Notes” block.

b. Critiques will be done for every original product. Original radio and TV news stories and spots will receive at least informal critiques as part of the QC review prior to release or broadcast. Radio live shows should also receive informal critiques on a regular and frequent basis.

(1) Formal product critiques are required for all qualified producers on a monthly basis.

(2) Producers in training for qualification or task certification should receive formal critiques weekly.



(3) Critiques are not expected for shell or donut products such as blue-pages, weather updates, movie schedules, exchange rates, etc., which only need to be reviewed for technical quality and accuracy.

c. QC authorities should not hesitate to turn an informal critique into a formal critique if the situation lends itself to that. Turning an “airworthiness” review into a training event for an individual or a group is a perfectly legitimate way to educate producers on product standards.

d. All formal critique checklists will be retained as training documentation by the supervisor for the duration of the producer’s assignment to the affiliate. Copies should be provided to the producer. Supervisors may be asked to produce formal critique sheets during an internal staff assistance or inspection program visit as evidence of compliance with this SOP.

e. The standards have been created in such a way that producers can easily use them to critique their own products when no other QC authority is available. Doing this often should be encouraged by leadership.

f. The standards are meant to be shared with any agency that produces radio or TV products for use on AFN program services.

2.5. Developing the Three Attributes of Success

a. As a mentorship tool, the standards focus on three key attributes vital to the product improvement process: identifying trends, replicating success and maintaining accountability.

(1) By identifying trends, good or bad, managers and supervisors can quickly praise or correct performance. Identifying trends can also serve as a means to highlight the good in a product from which producers can grow. For example, a producer comes back from a shoot with video that is over- or under-exposed. By reviewing past feedback forms, the supervisor can look at the "Color balance, exposure, lighting" element and determine if the producer is developing a negative trend or if this story is an isolated incident.

(2) Replicating success allows managers to ensure producers use over and over again the aspects of a product that worked well. Some tasks are easier to replicate than others, depending on experience levels. It is important for producers to know when an aspect of a production worked well. This practice encourages producers to improve no matter what their experience levels. For example, a shooter comes back with video properly (or creatively) exposed. Acritique that includes positive reinforcement of this is appropriate.

(3) Accountability is a key tool to document product improvement over time. For example, if a producer has six critiques over the last six months and has problems with video exposure in each, even though a course of action (training!) to correct the problems was laid out early on, then the producer must be held accountable for his/her failure to improve. The critique sheet serves as documentation that the producer has not followed the course of action outlined by the trainer, and is not working to meet the standard. On the other hand, if a producer who had



difficulty with video exposure has now improved, the product critiques serve as clear documentation of the improvement.

b. These attributes serve to assist managers in helping producers improve their products over time. As simple as these attributes may seem, each is vital to the overall success of the AFRTS mission. As such, managers and supervisors must work to make these attributes a part of the culture of the affiliate in daily operations.



SECTION 3: ENCLOSURES

3.1 Broadcast Product Content Standards

AFRTS Standard for Radio & TV Newscasts ( )


Communicative Qualities N/A 1 2 3

1. Story order/development 0 1 2 3

2. Local/regional relevance 0 1 2 3

3. Current information 0 1 2 3

4. Anchor material 0 1 2 3

5. Grammar, active voice 0 1 2 3

6. Clear, concise, correct 0 1 2 3

Anchor Qualities

7. Inflection 0 1 2 3

8. Authority 0 1 2 3

9. Pace/rate 0 1 2 3

10. Articulation/pronunciation 0 1 2 3

11. Military image 0 1 2 3

12. Credibility 0 1 2 3

Production Values

13. Switching/edits (TV) 0 1 2 3

14. Flow 0 1 2 3

15. Audio levels/mixing 0 1 2 3

Graphics (TV)

16. Font information 0 1 2 3

17. Simple font style 0 1 2 3

18. Consistent treatment 0 1 2 3

19. Relevant 0 1 2 3

20. Contrast ratio 0 1 2 3 1 = Unsatisfactory 2 = Satisfactory 3 = Excellent

Notes:

Addendum #1

Communicative Qualities:

1. Story order/development: All elements of the newscast are placed according to importance. The most immediate stories that impact the largest portion of the audience are at or near the top of the newscast. Personality spotlights, features and sports fall toward the end. Related stories are placed next to one another.

2. Local/regional relevance: All information is relevant to the intended audience and ties to the region or local community. Non-local/regional stories are presented with a tie to local/regional audience.

3. Current information: Stories are not old or outdated, especially those tied to a date or event. The most current information available is presented.

4. Anchor material: Story leads are clear. Leads don’t give the story away, nor are they excessively soft, trite or ambiguous. Clichés and jargon are not used.

5. Grammar, active voice: Correct subject-verb agreement, proper use of verb tense and simple sentence structures. Avoids use of passive voice.

6. Clear, concise, correct: Information is presented so the audience understands material presented. Writing shows an economy of words. The information must be correct, free of errors-in-fact.

Anchor Qualities:

7. Inflection: Anchor properly interprets copy, correctly places emphasis on key words and phrases.

8. Authority: Anchor understands the script and delivers it with a style that conveys confidence, a mastery of the information.

9. Pace/rate: A varied pace appropriate to context and purpose. Pauses are natural and consistent.

10. Articulation/pronunciation: Accurate, distinct audible vowels and consonants. Voice quality has no distortions, omissions of sounds or sound substitutions.

11. Military image (TV): Anchor exceeds service regulations for appearance (uniform, hair, make-up, jewelry, tattoos, etc.). Anchor does not appear to be overweight.

12. Credibility: Anchor projects a credible image through appearance (TV), knowledge and presentation.

Production Values:

13. Clean switching/edits (TV): Transitions between sources are clean, no lag or clipping. If post-produced, no flash frames.

14. Flow: Newscast is seamless, flows logically, transitions professionally from one element or segment to the next. Tosses are well-timed and smoothly executed.

15. Audio levels/mixing: Audio levels are consistent throughout the newscast. Audio is properly mixed during transitions.

Graphics (TV)

16. Font information: Proper rank, title and position, correct spelling.

17. Font style: Easy to read at first glance.

18. Treatment: Consistent, matching throughout the newscast, including fonts, backgrounds, colors.

19. Relevant: Effective, supplementing information being presented and not a distraction to the viewer.

20. Contrast ratio: Background at least 30% darker that the principal information.

AFRTS Standard for Radio & TV Spots ( )


Communicative Qualities N/A 1 2 3 1. Coordination/planning/storyboard 0 1 2 3 2. Targets an audience 0 1 2 3 3. Clear message 0 1 2 3 4. Strong attention step 0 1 2 3 5. Consistent treatment 0 1 2 3 6. Memorable/emotional 0 1 2 3 7. Promise/benefit 0 1 2 3 8. Call to action/strong ending 0 1 2 3 9. Correct grammar/active voice 0 1 2 3 10. Conversational 0 1 2 3

Editing

11. Clean edits (TV) 0 1 2 3 12. Audio levels/mixing 0 1 2 3 13. Pace/momentum 0 1 2 3

Videography (TV)

14. Color balance/exposure/lighting 0 1 2 3 15. Composition 0 1 2 3 16. Steady video/shots level 0 1 2 3

Graphics/Special Effects (TV)

17. Correct font info 0 1 2 3 18. Appropriate font style 0 1 2 3 19. Consistent treatment 0 1 2 3 20. Relevant 0 1 2 3


Notes:

Addendum #2

Communicative Qualities: 1. Coordination/planning/storyboard: Production has been coordinated with a local or regional client. Adequate advance work gathering information was done. The producer planned the spot production, including drafting a script and a storyboard (TV). All production aspects (angle, video selection, natural sound, music beds, sound effects, graphics, etc.) are planned prior to shooting.

2. Targets an audience: Spot targets a specific demographic. Different groups respond to different treatment, so a target audience determines tone, music selection, style of graphics, etc. A spot targeted at young, single military members living in barracks will employ elements that would not appeal to middle-aged parents, for example.

3. Clear message: Spot addresses one information objective that is clearly apparent. Avoids confusing the viewer/listener with multiple objectives.

4. Strong attention step: Attention step commands the viewer’s/listener’s attention in the first few seconds. Spot uses astrong opening image, sound or other attention-getting device. Avoids yes-no questions that lead to viewer/listener tune-out.

5. Consistent treatment: Spot stays focused on a single theme or treatment. Treatment is appropriate for the topic.

6. Memorable/emotional: Spot means something to the audience, leaves viewers/listeners with something to remember. Spot appeals emotionally to viewers/listeners, evokes an emotional response.

7. Promise/benefit: Spot offers some benefit or return on the viewer’s/listener’s investment of time or effort, or suggests negative impact of NOT acting.

8. Call to action/strong ending: Spot ending compels the viewer/listener to take action. Call to action may come earlier in the spot. Effectively uses repetition.

9. Correct grammar/active voice: Correct subject-verb agreement, proper use of verb tense and simple sentence structures. Avoids use of passive voice. Effective use of sentence fragments.

10. Conversational: Written for the ear, uses contractions, avoids jargon.

Editing 11. Clean edits (TV): No jump cuts or flash frames (unless motivated). Edits do not distract from the message.

12. Audio levels/mixing: The audio is at the appropriate level throughout the spot. The different sounds (natural sound, narration, music, sound effects, etc.) blend together well without one dominating the other.

13. Pace/momentum: Effects used in edits or transitions are appropriate and effective for the topic and treatment.

Videography (TV) 14. Color balance/exposure/lighting: Video has effective hues, chroma and skin tones to communicate the intended message. Video levels between 80-100 IRE, avoiding low light levels or hot video levels. Subjects or scenes are lit effectively.

15. Composition: Shots make good use of framing, lead room, and thirds as needed to communicate the message.

16. Steady video/shots level: Handheld shots follow action, all other shots steady on tripod. All shots are level, no keystone effect. Pans and zooms are steady and even.

Graphics/Special Effects (TV)17. Correct font info: Font information is correct, words spelled correctly.

18. Appropriate font style: The chosen font is readable and fits the intended message. Correct contrast ratio.

19. Consistent treatment: Graphics and special effects throughout the spot, including fonts, backgrounds and colors, should flow smoothly. Changes are deliberate, not random.

20. Relevant: Graphics and special effects supplement the information being presented, do not distract the viewer/listener. Each has a purpose that supports the information objective.

AFRTS Standard for Radio News Reports-Features ( )


1 = Unsatisfactory 2 = Satisfactory or N/A 3 = Excellent

Communicative Qualities 1 2 3 1. Research/pre-planning 1 2 3 2. Tightly focused 1 2 3 3. Beginning, middle, end 1 2 3 4. Central character 1 2 3 5. Multiple interviews/action-reaction 1 2 3 6. Sound bite set-up 1 2 3 7. Answer all questions raised 1 2 3 8. Substantial anchor material 1 2 3 9. Command information focus 1 2 3 10. Correct grammar 1 2 3 11. Conversational, no clichés or jargon 1 2 3 12. Active voice 1 2 3 Field Audio 13. Microphone use 1 2 3 14. Quality natural sound 1 2 3 Editing 15. Audio levels/mixing 1 2 3 16. Natural sound beginning 1 2 3 17. Natural sound bridges 1 2 3

Addendum #3


1. Research/pre-planning: Adequate advance work gathering information was done. The reporter planned the story, deciding on all aspects before beginning production. Story is made for radio, not a TV rip.

2. Tightly focused: Story addresses one subject only, does not bounce from one angle to another. The listener is not left confused by the story. After it’s over, the viewer doesn’t ask, “What was that about?”

3. Beginning, middle, end: The development is logical, with the ending tying back to the beginning.

4. Central character: Story uses a single person to communicate something larger to the audience. Story avoids focusing on policies, equipment, etc., stays focused on a person or people.

5. Multiple interviews/action-reaction: Reporter uses more than one subject-matter expert. For every action, there is a reaction. Story gives the reaction(s) of the person(s) impacted by the action. Avoids gratuitous sound bites.

6. Sound bite set-up: Narrative properly introduces the sound bites. Sets up or paraphrase bites without “echoing” or repeating them.

7. Answer all questions raised: All intrinsic questions (5 W’s + H) are answered, as well as any new ones raised by the reporter or SMEs.

8. Substantial anchor material: Solid lead provided for the anchor. Lead doesn’t give the story away, nor is itexcessively soft, trite or ambiguous. The tag, if used, provides relevant information relating to the story. Lead and tag are geared towards regional or local audiences.

9. Command information focus: The story hits a relevant CI point from a key client. It is not simply “an idea in search of a message.”

10. Correct grammar: Correct subject-verb agreement, proper use of verb tense and simple sentence structures.

11. Conversational, no clichés or jargon: Written for the ear, so the listener can understand it the first time they hear it. Uses contractions. Avoids jargon that may be lost on a significant portion of the audience. Avoids using clichés.

12. Active voice: Uses action verbs in the active voice, subject-verb-object. Avoid forms of “to be” verbs.

Field Audio13. Microphone use: The interview audio isn’t captured with the camera mike. Wind screens are used to prevent unwanted noise. The natural sound was captured creatively.

14. Quality natural sound: The audio is clear, no interference, wind noise or other distracting background sounds.The natural sound is rich and present throughout the story. Sound used is loud and clear enough to understand what it is.

Editing

15. Audio levels/mixing: Sound blends well from one scene to the next. Levels are consistent throughout the piece.Nat sound doesn’t cut harshly in and out of sound bites.

16. Natural sound beginning: Nat sound used effectively to start off the story and help capture the listener’sattention.

17. Natural sound bridges: Denotes a change in the story (scene, idea, surprise). Nat sound should be present throughout the story.

AFRTS Standard for TV News Packages ( )


Notes:


Communicative Qualities N/A 1 2 3 1. Research/pre-planning 0 1 2 3 2. Tightly focused 0 1 2 3 3. Beginning, middle, end 0 1 2 3 4. Central character 0 1 2 3 5. Multiple interviews/action-reaction 0 1 2 3 6. Sound bite set-up 0 1 2 3 7. Answer all questions raised 0 1 2 3 8. Substantial anchor material 0 1 2 3 9. Command information focus 0 1 2 3 10. Correct grammar 0 1 2 3 11. Conversational, no clichés or jargon 0 1 2 3 12. Active voice 0 1 2 3 Videography 13. Color balance, exposure, lighting 0 1 2 3 14. Steady video/shots level 0 1 2 3 15. Composition: framing, thirds, lead room 0 1 2 3 16. Camera angles 0 1 2 3 17. Interesting backgrounds 0 1 2 3 18. Subject-in-action sound bite 0 1 2 3 19. Effective standup 0 1 2 3 20. Effective establishing shot 0 1 2 3 21. Effective closing shot 0 1 2 3 22. Composition: W-M-C shots 0 1 2 3 Field Audio 23. Microphone use and placement 0 1 2 3 24. Quality natural sound 0 1 2 3 25. Video and sound match 0 1 2 3 Editing 26. Clean edits 0 1 2 3 27. Tightly-referenced b-roll 0 1 2 3 28. Minimum pans/zooms 0 1 2 3 29. Minimum static shots 0 1 2 3 30. Proper audio levels and mixing 0 1 2 3 31. Natural sound beginning 0 1 2 3 32. Natural sound bridges 0 1 2 3 33. Action sequences 0 1 2 3

Addendum #4


1. Research/pre-planning: Adequate advance work gathering information was done. The reporter planned the shoot before going out, or at least decided on all aspects (angle, video selection, natural sound, etc.) before arriving at the shoot scene.

2. Tightly focused: Story addresses one subject only, does not bounce from one angle to another. The audience is not left confused by the story. After it’s over, the viewer doesn’t ask, “What was that about?”

3. Beginning, middle, end: The development is logical, with the ending tying back to the beginning.

4. Central character: Story uses a single person to communicate something larger to the audience. Story avoids focusing on policies, equipment, etc., stays focused on a person or people.

5. Multiple interviews/action-reaction: Reporter uses more than one subject-matter expert. For every action, there is a reaction. Story shows the reaction(s) of the person(s) impacted by the action. Avoids gratuitous sound bites.

6. Sound bite set-up: Narrative properly introduces the sound bites. Sets up or paraphrase bites without “echoing” or repeating them.

7. Answer all questions raised: The story must be complete. All intrinsic questions (5 W’s + H) are answered, as well as any new ones raised by the reporter or SMEs.

8. Substantial anchor material: Solid lead provided for the anchor. Lead doesn’t give the story away, nor is it excessively soft, trite or ambiguous. The tag, if used, provides relevant information relating to the story. Lead and tag are geared towards regional or local audiences.

9. Command information focus: The story hits a relevant CI point from a key client. It is not simply “an idea in search of a message.”

10. Correct grammar: Correct subject-verb agreement, proper use of verb tense and simple sentence structures.

11. Conversational, no clichés or jargon: Written for the ear, so the viewer can understand it the first time they hear it. Uses contractions. Avoids jargon that may be lost on a significant portion of the audience. Avoids using clichés.

12. Active voice: Uses action verbs in the active voice, subject-verb-object. Avoid forms of “to be” verbs.

Photography

13. Color balance, exposure, lighting: Video has the proper hues, chroma and skin tones. Video levels 80-100 IRE, avoiding low light levels or hot video levels. Subjects or scenes lit well not only for exposure but for effect and color.

14. Steady video/shots level: Wide shots steady on tripod or godpod, handheld shots follow action. Shots are level, with no keystone effect. Pans and zooms are steady and even.

15. Composition: Framing, thirds, lead room: Shots are balanced for mass. Objects are framed properly using rule of thirds. Proper angle and amount of lead room used in interview shots.

16. Camera angles: Angles are varied and relevant to the subject. Vary angles within a sequence. Take the viewer to where the action is. Shoot for three dimensional look. Use close-ups to tell the story. No violations of 180-rule.

17. Interesting backgrounds: Put the subject in the story setting. Avoid subject standing in front of a sign or blank wall. Avoid outdoor interview for indoor subjects, and vice versa.

18. Subject-in-action sound bite: Mini-interviews of the subject in his/her setting. Example: mechanic replacing a part on a plane describes how tough it is to take the old part out.

19. Effective standup: Used as transition, when no video is available or as chance to show and tell. Used to establish reporter in a location. Avoid stand-ups as openers and closers.

20. Effective establishing shot: Opening shot sets the tone or brings the viewer into a specific place. The establishing shot doesn’t have to be a wide shot.

21. Effective closing shot: Closing shot uses negative action to show the story is over. Examples: people walking or running away, cars moving away, door closing, culmination of event or action.

22. Composition: W-M-C shots: All three shots used to tell the story, wide, medium and close, in their appropriate place. Avoids too many of the same type shot in a row. Effective close-ups take the viewer to the action.

Field Audio 23. Microphone use and placement: The interview audio isn’t captured with the camera mike. The lavaliere microphone is properly and inconspicuously placed, without the cable running across clothing. Wind screens are used to prevent unwanted noise.

24. Quality natural sound: The audio is clear, no interference, wind noise or other distracting background sounds.The natural sound is rich and present throughout the story. Sound used is loud and clear enough to understand what it is. The natural sound was captured creatively.

25. Video and sound match: The natural sound matches the images being shown.

Editing

26. Clean edits: No jump cuts or flash frames in the story. Avoided adjoining scenes that do not match, and unnatural changes or jumps in the action.

27. Tightly-referenced b-roll: Shows the viewer what is being talked about. The reporter touches upon something in the script and then shows it.

28. Minimum pans/zooms: Zooms and pans have a purpose. Avoids unmotivated camera movement. Zoom or pan has a beginning and an ending.

29. Minimum static shots: Shows movement as much as possible. When used, static shots have variety, not the same angle or frame all the time.

30. Proper audio levels and mixing: Sound blends well from one scene to the next. Levels are consistent throughout the piece. Nat sound doesn’t cut harshly in and out of sound bites.

31. Natural sound beginning: Nat sound used effectively to start off the story and help capture the viewer’sattention.

33. Natural sound bridges: Denotes a change in the story (scene, idea, surprise). Nat sound should be present with virtually all video.

34. Action sequences: Sequences show action, a subject moving from one place to another or accomplishing a task. The producer cut the edits on the action of a sequence.

AFRTS Standard for Radio Live Shows ( )


Overall Tone N/A 1 2 3 1. Show prep 0 1 2 3 2. Structure 0 1 2 3 3. Topicality 0 1 2 3 4. Humor/entertainment 0 1 2 3 5. Bit construction 0 1 2 3 6. Audience interaction 0 1 2 3 7. Spontaneity 0 1 2 3 8. Compelling 0 1 2 3 9. Creativity 0 1 2 3 10. Consistency 0 1 2 3 Overall Sound 11. Pace/momentum 0 1 2 3

12. Production values 0 1 2 3 13. Communication skills 0 1 2 3 14. Vocal dynamics/quality 0 1 2 3 15. Time clock orientation 0 1 2 3 16. Information, key elements: Call sign 0 1 2 3 Time 0 1 2 3 Weather 0 1 2 3 Traffic/driving conditions 0 1 2 3 Exchange rate 0 1 2 3

17. Forward promotion 0 1 2 3 18. Cross promotion 0 1 2 3 19. Information-to-music ratio 0 1 2 3 Interviews 20. Prep 0 1 2 3 21. Control 0 1 2 3 22. Levels 0 1 2 3 23. Tempo/flow 0 1 2 3 Mechanics 24. Sound source 0 1 2 3 25. Source chop 0 1 2 3 26. Bleed through 0 1 2 3 27. Tightness 0 1 2 3 28. Levels 0 1 2 3


Notes:

Addendum #5

Overall Tone

1. Show prep: Show host prepared all materials, bits and command information in advance, using the “RoadMap” from the AFRTS Radio Playbook.

2. Structure: Show flows well from one element to the next.

3. Topicality: Show host talks about things that interest the audience, touches on the big stories, knows what’s on their mind. Used the “In-Touch Checklist” from the AFRTS Radio Playbook to be tuned to audiences’ needs ortied to local events.

4. Humor/entertainment: Show has a sense of humor, listeners should be able to smile and feel good. WARNING: A humorous approach is not for everyone. Hosts are better off staying away from attempts at humorunless they have a lot of experience at the mike.

5. Bit construction: Show is well thought-out. Getting into and out of bits is well-planned. Bits are well-executed. Show host employed a hook, setup and payoff with each bit.

6. Audience interaction: On-air phone calls are entertaining with an economy of words, kept concise.

7. Spontaneity: Listener gets some surprises, planned or unplanned, during the show. Show sounds natural, fun and freewheeling, vs. stiff, planned and scripted.

8. Compelling: Creative hooks and teases are so good, listeners can’t turn the radio off because they’re afraid they’ll miss something. Show host finds ways to make people talk about the show.

9. Creativity: Show sounds fresh, progressive and original. Host puts fresh spins on old ideas.

10. Consistency: Each portion of the show is a snapshot of the entire show. Show elements are delivered regularly. Listeners know what to expect.

Overall Sound

11. Pace/momentum: Show moves forward, host is brief and constantly resets the stage so listeners joining are brought into what is going on.

12. Production values: Proper sound effects, music beds, drop-ins, etc. are used. Phone call and snippets are used properly. Show does not sound over-produced.

13. Communication skills: Show host relates and communicates with the audience naturally, conversationally, rather than “announcing.” Putting thoughts into words your audience uses and understands.

14. Vocal dynamics/quality: Host projects properly, sounds confident, gets the most out of his/her voice. No excessive laughter or giggling; laughter only when appropriate.

15. Time clock orientation: Mood of the show matches the daypart (morning, midday, afternoon, other). How well does host relate to what listeners are thinking, feeling and doing?

16. Information: Service elements and key information items are delivered appropriately, creatively and the minimum required number of times per hour.

17. Forward promotion: Host promotes what is coming up later in the show or the show that follows.

18. Cross promotion: Show host gives listeners compelling reasons to listen to other local live shows, and local and/or regional radio and television newscasts. Promotes AFN web sites, AFN 360 and social media sites.

19. Information-to-music ratio: Morning show is based on information with music, other shows are based on musicwith information.

Interviews

20. Prep: Host prepared for the interview, understands the topic, asks specific questions rather than catch-all questions like, “What is your group doing?” or “Tell me about your project…”

21. Control: Host controls and guides the interview. Interview stays on topic. Guest does not “hijack” the interview by going off-topic or on tangents to a new subject. Host keeps the interview to a reasonable time limit.

22. Levels: Host and guest have constant, matching levels.

23. Tempo/flow: Interview continuously moves forward, does not stall on run-on answers.

Mechanics

24. Sound source: Proper source element is selected, show host goes to the right element at the correct moment.

25. Source chop: Elements start without being upcut, finish without being chopped off. Transitions are smooth and timely.

26. Bleed through: The only elements on air are those that are supposed to be on, no bleed through of other show elements or satellite feeds due to a channel inadvertently left open on the console.

27. Loose between elements: Elements do not have gaps of silence between them, nor is there any unintentionaloverlap. Host makes good use of song ramps and fades.

28. Levels: Elements are playing at full volume (80-100% on VU meter), avoiding “muddy” sound of low levels or distortion from high levels.


SECTION 4: MANAGEMENT INTERNAL CONTROLS PROGRAM



01

Are digital versions of AFRTS SOP 80-02, Broadcast Product Content Standards, posted to an enterprise or regional shared drive or internet-based cloud, and made required reading for all leadership and production personnel assigned to AFRTS activities overseas?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-02, Broadcast Product Content Standards December 29, 2016 Section 1, paragraphs 1.1.b. and 1.2.a.

02

Is a formal or informal critique done for every original product other than radio live shows?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-02, Broadcast Product Content Standards December 29, 2016 Section 2, paragraph 2.5.b.

03

Are all qualified producers receiving formal products critiques on a monthly basis?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-02, Broadcast Product Content Standards December 29, 2016 Section 2, paragraph 2.5.b.(1)

04

Are producers in training for qualification or task certification receiving formal product critiques on a weekly basis?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-02, Broadcast Product Content Standards December 29, 2016 Section 2, paragraph 2.5.b.(2)

05

Are all formal critique checklists being retained as training documentation by the supervisor for the duration of the producer’s assignment to the affiliate?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-02, Broadcast Product Content Standards December 29, 2016 Section 2, paragraph 2.5.d.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEFENSE MEDIA ACTIVITY

6700 TAYLOR AVENUE FORT MEADE, MD 20755-7061

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

1

AFRTS NON-STANDARD PRODUCTIONS 1. PURPOSE This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides guidance on producing long-form and other non-standard radio and television productions in support of the Defense Media Activity (DMA) and American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) requirements. 2. APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE This SOP applies to all personnel assigned or attached to stations, bureaus and Regional Media Centers in the AFN Regional Directorates of AFRTS. 3. PROCEDURES Non-standard productions are those productions that are occasional and event-driven. Typically, they are initiated upon notice of a distinguished visitor (DV) making stops in the overseas theater of operations. DVs that merit non-standard productions include the President or Vice President of the United States when their activities include appearing before or interacting with US military members; senior civilian Department of Defense officials such as the Secretary of Defense and the service Secretaries; the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and their senior enlisted advisors; Combatant Commanders and regional service component commanders. These DVs often hold troop or media events of one form or another and these events are of particular interest to the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Public Affairs. In support of this, AFRTS, in concert with DMA Forward Centers, responds with non-standard event coverage.

a. Pre-Event Coordination.

(1) The AFN Regional Directorate will appoint an AFN Executive Producer (EP) as the primary point of contact for the DMA Joint Operations Center (JOC) or DMA Forward Center, DoD News and the primary service Production element at DMA. The appointed AFN EP will provide oversight and has the authority to staff all related DV event and news coverage.

(2) DMA Forward Center, DoD News or a designated DMA Production entity will establish a living email that will include HQ AFRTS Operations staff, the JOC and the AFN EP. Those initiating a phone call must document the content of the call with a follow-up email to inform all interest parties of the exchange.

(3) Email updates will be sent from AFN EP to DMA each day in the form of an "End of Day" report, beginning 3 days prior to event. The latest information sent to DMA will be sent out by 1900 (local time) each day.

AFRTS Non-Standard Productions SOP, May 26, 2015

2

(4) No later than 24 hours prior to the event, the AFN EP will send an email to DMA that includes, at a minimum, all names/titles of those who will speak, the location and event date. A return email will be sent from DMA with transmission requirements for File Transfer Protocol (FTP) of the recorded products.

b. Event Coverage.

(1) Single-Camera Coverage. Single-camera coverage is the baseline coverage for all DV events. One camera, set up for a straight-on shot of a podium, stage or other point from which the DV will speak. The camera should be on a tripod, with pockets-to-headroom framing of the DV. If the DV is mobile, as opposed to static at a podium, the camera operator may take a wider frame, but must keep the DV centered as he/she moves, or framed with an appropriate amount of lead space. The primary camera on a DV that is moving should not be locked down.

(2) Multi-Camera Coverage. At events where more than one camera is permitted, the

primary camera will be set up as described in paragraph 3.b.(1), Single-Camera Coverage. Additional cameras will be deployed to the sides of the venue to capture reaction shots of the audience, to record questions from the audience when interaction with the DV occurs, or to record cut-ins or other alternate shots of the DV.

(3) Audio. Audio of DV remarks must be captured in a line feed from a press box or

multi-box. A wireless microphone feeding from the DV to the primary camera is also acceptable. Audio of the event captured on the camera microphone, other than natural sound, is not acceptable.

c. Live Transmission. If transmitting the event live, the AFN EP will coordinate satellite

times with Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) or DMA Technical Services-Communications (for commercial satellite), and set-up of NORSAT with the AFN Regional Tech Services (TS).

(1) One-hour test times will be scheduled with DVIDS or DMA Technical Services-Communications (for commercial satellite) and coordinated with DMA to ensure proper video and audio levels. AFN Regional TS will ensure proper operation of the NORSAT system and check the operability of all components 72 hours prior to the scheduled event.

(2) The AFN EP will send an e-mail containing event name and estimated run time, identifying DVIDS Channel 1 or 2, POC information at the event location, and feed times (to include test times). The e-mail will be sent to the DoD News POC, DVIDS POC, AFN Regional Operations and TS, and the JOC.

d. FTP Transmission. If live coverage of the event is not possible, media is expected to be transmitted via the most expedient method available immediately following event completion. The video will be clean, without fonts and unedited. Video may be broken into smaller file segments to reduce the chance of connection failure during FTP transfer. Always feed primary camera, "A" roll first (the main subject pockets-to-headroom shot with primary audio).

AFRTS Non-Standard Productions SOP, May 26, 2015

3

(1) A final email from the AFN EP will be sent when transmission of the product has begun. It must contain exact name of file (if FTP) and location by folder/subfolder name where it is being transferred to.

(2) DoD News will close out with a final email that includes acknowledging receipt and a brief product review.

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Addendum #1: Non-Standard Productions Contact List

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Addendum #2: MICP Internal Control Checklist

4

Addendum #1: Non-Standard Productions Contacts List Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) Military Media Relations Liaison Josh Vierela 678-421-6832 [email protected] TOC: 678-421-6604/6690 3845 Pleasantdale Road Atlanta, GA 30340 Media hotline: 678-421-6612 Dir: 678-421-6832 DSN: 312-367-1792/1761 www.dvidshub.net www.twitter.com/dvids www.facebook.com/dvids DoD News: Jim Langdon Commercial: 301-222-6638 [email protected] Brian Kumia Commercial: 301-222-6584 [email protected] Scott Howe Commercial: 301-222-6591 [email protected] SFC Michael Cox (USA) Commercial: 301-222-6299 [email protected] Media Management: 301-222-6695/6 Master Control Room: 301-222-6693/4 Yvonne Hawkins: 301-222-6593 DMA Joint Operations Center (Sync Center): [email protected]


http://www.dvidshub.net/

http://www.dvidshub.net/

http://www.facebook.com/dvids

5

Paul Croxon Commercial: 301-222-6412 BB: 571-217-5322 [email protected] LT Desiree Frame (USN) Commercial: 301-222-6344 BB: 240-479-0491 [email protected] MSG Adam Shaw (USA) Commercial: 301-222-6047 BB: 571-230-2496 [email protected] DMA Forward Center (Hawaii): MSgt Ryan Kruse (USAF) Commercial: (808) 448-4262 DSN: 312-448-4262 [email protected] Defense Media Activity Technical Services – Communications: Mark Duff Commercial: 301-222-6555 DSN: 312-733-4555 [email protected] Eric Zipf Commercial: 301-222-6491 DSN: 312-733-4491 [email protected]



ADDENDUM #2: AFRTS NON-STANDARD PRODUCTIONS SOP

MANAGEMENT INTERNAL CONTROL CHECKLIST (OPS)

Item No

Item

Yes

No

N/A

1 Is the AFRTS Non-Standard Productions SOP posted to a shared drive or SharePoint, and made required reading for all operations personnel?

2 Does the AFN regional directorate establish an AFN Executive Producer for all Distinguished Visitors/Very Important Persons visiting military bases in their respective regions?

3 Does the AFN Executive Producer send daily “end of day” email updates to the DMA Joint Operations Center and the AFRTS Component at Ft. Meade?

4 Does the AFN Executive Producer send names and titles of event speakers, location and event date to the Joint Operations Center and/or DoD News at least 24 hours prior to any event?

5 In cases of event live transmission, is the AFN POC coordinating satellite times with DVIDS and set-up of NORSAT with AFN Regional Tech Services?


80-03

REQUIREMENTS AND ACQUISITIONS

Originating Component: American Forces Radio and Television Service [Defense Media Operations, Defense Media Activity]



Incorporates and Cancels: AFRTS Requirements and Acquisitions SOP, May 26, 2015



Provides guidance on acquisition of supplies, equipment and/or services, and the Requirements process for funding them, within the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS).

Directs all requirements and acquisitions to be coordinated through AFRTS Operations.

AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisitions, December 29, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS


SECTION 2: PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................ 4 2.1. Macro-Purchases............................................................................................................... 4 2.2. Micro-Purchases ............................................................................................................... 6 2.3. Sustainment of Approved Systems ................................................................................... 6 2.4. Additional Processing Responsibilities............................................................................. 6

SECTION 3: ENCLOSURE 1 – REQUIREMENTS FORM ........................................................................ 8 SECTION 4: MANAGEMENT INTERNAL CONTROL PROGRAM ........................................................... 9




1.1. Applicability

a. This issuance applies to all AFRTS stations, outlets, bureaus and Regional Media Centers(RMC), unless otherwise noted. It is also applicable to the American Forces Network-Broadcast Center (AFN-BC) at DMA-Riverside, California, with the exception of requirements for Facilities, Sustainment, Restorations and Modernization (FSRM) at the Broadcast Center. Those requirements are processed through the DMA-Riverside Mission Support Office.

b. This issuance is required reading for all leadership and production personnel assigned to AFRTS activities overseas as noted in paragraph 1.1.a. above that participate in any AFRTS requirements and acquisition processes. It is recommended reading for all other personnel assigned to AFRTS.




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APPROVED BY:




2.1. Macro-Purchases

a. The AFRTS Requirements Form is to be used by the AFN Regional Divisions and the AFN-BC for:

(1) Equipment repair and maintenance projects exceeding $10K in cost, or greater than $3K if funding or assistance is necessary from DMA Technical Services (TS).

(2) Facilities repair and maintenance.

(3) Any new requirements or projects at the enterprise level.

(4) Adding new equipment items to a Standard Facility Equipment List (SFEL)

(5) Any large quantity/scale purchases over the Government Purchase Card (GPC) limit for a SFEL system refresh or replacement.

b. AFRTS Divisions will use the AFRTS Requirement Form, completing the followingfields:

Requirement: Check the appropriate Division fieldRegion Req No.: Provide the request number as recorded in the Division databaseRequestor: Provide the name of the person responsible for the projectPhone No.: Provide the Requestor’s DSN or commercial telephone numberLocation: Identify the affiliate location supported by the project, or location of the RequestorSystem Supported: Identify the system supported by checking the appropriate boxRequirement Action:o Enter the date the form is submitted to AFRTSo Identify if the requirement is new, a fix to an existing project or system,

replacement of a system at end of lifecycle, or a change to an existing systemo Identify the urgency by checking ROUTINE, MISSION DEGRADED or

MISSION IMPACTEDo Provide a budgetary estimate if knowno Priority: To be determined by AFRTS OperationsProgram/Requirement Description: Provide as much detail as possible about the project requested, actions to be accomplished, equipment or services needed to complete it, specific location(s), existing conditions that must be rectifiedJustification: Provide as much detail as possible about how the requirement will improve performance, eliminate safety hazards, bring a system or project up to code or standardImpact if not funded: Describe the detrimental effect of the requirement not being funded or otherwise met



Valid/Not Valid: To be completed by AFRTS OperationsRecommendation/Solution: To be completed by AFRTS Operations

c. Submit the form and all supporting documentation (see para. 2.1.f.) by email to <[email protected]>.

d. Upon receipt, the requirement is logged into the AFRTS Operations Projects Database, it is then validated by AFRTS Operations.

(1) The validation process includes confirming authenticity of the request, clarifying the supporting details, determining any multi-directorate applicability, and ensuring alignment with established levels-of-service and future plans.

(2) AFRTS Operations will provide a final determination to the requirement Requestor.

e. Validated requirements are categorized and submitted to either DMA Technical Services (TS), or to the DMA Facilities Manager for projects that may be funded under DoD’s FSRM program.

f. The following additional supporting documentation or additional information is required for all submitted AFRTS Requirement Forms:

(1) For FSRM:

Copy of Civil Engineer or Public Works work order estimate, Job Order Contracting (JOC) contractor estimate, or other estimate from an approved government source. Estimate quotes may be in US dollars (USD) or local currency. If local currency, provide the official exchange rate as of the date of submissionThe following information, which will be used for transfer of funds by Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request (MIPR) from DMA to the US government agency overseeing completion of the work:

o Activity nameo Activity addresso POC nameo POC telephoneo POC emailo Activity DODAAC

(2) For equipment repair and maintenance:

Cost estimate for the necessary repair or maintenance. Estimate quotes may be in USD or local currency. If local currency, provide the official exchange rate as of the date of submission

(3) For new requirements or modifications or additions to existing SFELs/SFEL Upgrade or Refresh:



Concept of Operation (CONOP) for how the requested items will integrate into existing workflow or enhance efficiencyList of suggested item(s) desiredRecent GSA or commercial pricing data (web links, screenshots, or scanned quotes)

g. Additional requirement validation responsibilities include the following:

(1) DMA TS and/or the Facilities Manager will process the requirement into their systems, then research and develop a Bill of Materials.

(2) AFRTS Operations and DMA TS or Facilities Manager will determine any applicable funding source, funds availability, and installation and training obligations when applicable.

(3) AFRTS Operations will maintain a projects database on the AFRTS shared drive. DMA TS provides a monthly status update, which is forwarded to the Regional Operations and TS Regional Branch Chiefs.

2.2. Micro-Purchases

a. AFRTS Divisions may make GPC micro-purchases for:

(1) One-for-one replacement in a current SFEL to sustain approved systems.

(2) Office supplies and other consumables.

b. All GPC micro-purchases will be made in accordance with DMA OI 40-03 Government Purchase Card, and other federal acquisition issuances.

2.3. Sustainment of Approved Systems

a. AFN Divisions may conduct repairs/maintenance up to $10K in cost to sustain approved systems using the following:

(1) MIPR, if more than the GPC micro-purchase limit.

(2) Local contract, with approval from AFRTS and DMA Contracting Office.

b. AFRTS Deputy Director is responsible for obtaining approval from DMA Contracting Office for all contracts, regardless of amount.

2.4. Additional Processing Responsibilities



a. Regional Divisions will crosswalk repair and technology micro-purchases with AFRTS Operations, who will coordinate with DMA TS as necessary and appropriate.

b. Regional Division Resource Managers will submit requests to use local Contracting for repair and maintenance to the AFRTS Deputy Director for items under $10K, after the required crosswalk is completed.

c. Bridge replacements for systems scheduled for refresh or replacement will be coordinated on a case-by-case basis between AFRTS Operations, Regional Divisions and DMA TS.

d. Regional Divisions may seek technical advice from DMA TS on item selection.

e. Regional Divisions will provide AFRTS Operations and DMA TS with regular updates.

f. Regional Divisions will participate in regular conference calls to codify and clarify the status of ongoing projects.


SECTION 3: ENCLOSURE 1 – REQUIREMENTS FORM 8

SECTION 3: ENCLOSURE 1 – REQUIREMENTS FORM





01

Are digital versions of AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisitions, posted to an enterprise or regional shared drive or internet-based cloud, and made required reading for all leadership and production personnel assigned to AFRTS activities overseas involved in the acquisitions process?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisitions December 29, 2016Section 1, paragraphs 1.1.b. and 1.2.a.

02

Is the Requirements Form used for all equipment repair and maintenance projects exceeding $10K in cost, or greater than $3K if funding or assistance is necessary from DMA Technical Services (TS)?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisitions December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraphs 2.1.a.(1)

03

Is the Requirements Form used for all facilities repair and maintenance?


04

Is the Requirements Form used for any new requirements or projects at the enterprise level?


05

Is the Requirements Form used for adding new equipment items to a Standard Facility Equipment List (SFEL)?




06

Is the Requirements Form used for any large quantity/scale purchases over the Government Purchase Card (GPC) limit for a SFEL system refresh or replacement?


07

Does AFRTS Operations staff log all requirements into the Operations Projects Database upon receipt?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisitions December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraphs 2.1.d.

08

Do all Facilities, Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization (FSRM) requests include a copy of a Civil Engineer or Public Works work order estimate, Job Order Contracting (JOC) contractor estimate, or other estimate from an approved government source?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisitions December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraphs 2.1.f.(1)

09

Do requests for new requirements include a Concept of Operation (CONOP) for how the requested items will integrate into existing workflow or enhance efficiency?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisitions December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraphs 2.1.f.(3)

10

Are all GPC micro-purchases will be made in accordance with DMA OI 40-03 Government Purchase Card, and other federal acquisition issuances?

Ref: AFRTS SOP 80-03, Requirements and Acquisitions December 29, 2016Section 2, paragraphs 2.2.b.

Department of Defense

MANUAL

NUMBER 5120.20 June 3, 2014

ATSD(PA)

SUBJECT: Management of American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) References: See Enclosure 1 1. PURPOSE. This manual reissues DoD 5120.20-R (Reference (a)) as a DoD manual in accordance with the authority in DoD Directive (DoDD) 5122.05, DoDD 5105.74, and DoD Instruction (DoDI) 5120.20 (References (b), (c), and (d)), to implement policy, assign responsibilities, and prescribe procedures for the administration and operation of all AFRTS outlets and functions. 2. APPLICABILITY. This manual applies to OSD, the Military Departments, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, and all other organizational entities in the DoD (referred to collectively in this manual as the “DoD Components”). 3. POLICY. Reference (c) provides the overarching policy for this manual. 4. RESPONSIBILITIES a. Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (ATSD(PA)). The ATSD(PA) develops broad DoD policy guidelines and objectives for DoD internal information programs. b. Director, Defense Media Activity (DMA). Under the authority, direction, and control of the ATSD(PA), the Director, DMA, ensures the Director, AFRTS: (1) Operationally carries out and implements the policy in Reference (c). (2) Develops internal policies and procedures for the management and operation of DoD AFRTS activities, oversees their implementation, and evaluates and directs corrective action to ensure that AFRTS is properly structured, staffed, and managed.

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2

(3) Ensures a free flow of information and entertainment programming, without censorship, propagandizing, or manipulation, to DoD personnel. c. Combatant Commanders. Through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Combatant Commanders ensure that nothing inhibits the free flow of radio and television (TV) information and entertainment programming to DoD personnel. 5. PROCEDURES. See Enclosure 2. 6. RELEASABILITY. Unlimited. This manual is approved for public release and is available on the Internet from the DoD Issuances Website at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. This manual: a. Is effective June 3, 2014. b. Must be reissued, cancelled, or certified current within 5 years of its publication to be considered current in accordance with DoDI 5025.01 (Reference (e)). c. Will expire effective June 3, 2024 and be removed from the DoD Issuances Website if it hasn’t been reissued or cancelled in accordance with Reference (e). Brent Colburn Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Enclosures 1. References 2. Procedures Glossary

DoDM 5120.20-M, June 3, 2014

3 CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ENCLOSURE 1: REFERENCES ...................................................................................................4 ENCLOSURE 2: PROCEDURES ..................................................................................................5

AFRTS SERVICE (NEW AND/OR ALTERED) .....................................................................5 USE OF PROGRAM MATERIALS .........................................................................................8 RESTRICTIONS .......................................................................................................................9 REMOTE LOCATION BROADCASTS ................................................................................10 FOREIGN LANGUAGE BROADCASTS..............................................................................10 NEWS PROGRAMS ...............................................................................................................11 POLITICAL PROGRAMMING .............................................................................................11 SPOT ANNOUNCEMENTS ...................................................................................................11 EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENTS ....................................................................................13 RELIGIOUS PROGRAM MATERIALS ................................................................................13 LOCAL NEWS PRODUCTION .............................................................................................14 PRODUCTION OF NON-AFRTS MATERIAL.....................................................................14 MANPOWER ..........................................................................................................................14 PHYSICAL SECURITY OF PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT .........................................15 AFRTS CONTINGENCY AND WARTIME OPERATIONS ................................................15 PROVIDING CABLE AND SATELLITE SERVICE OVERSEAS ......................................16

GLOSSARY ..................................................................................................................................19 PART I: ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ................................................................19 PART II: DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................20

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ENCLOSURE 1

REFERENCES

(a) DoD 5120.20-R, “Management and Operation of Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS),” November 1998 (hereby cancelled)

(b) DoD Directive 5122.05, “Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (ASD(PA)),” September 5, 2008

(c) DoD Directive 5105.74, “Defense Media Activity,” December 18, 2007 (d) DoD Instruction 5120.20, “American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS),”

October 18, 2010 (e) DoD Instruction 5025.01, “DoD Directives Program,” September 26, 2012, as amended (f) DoD Instruction 5035.01, “Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Fund-Raising Within the

Department of Defense,” January 31, 2008

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ENCLOSURE 2

PROCEDURES 1. AFRTS SERVICE (NEW AND/OR ALTERED) a. American Forces Network (AFN) Outlets. Manned AFN outlets (affiliates) produce local internal information products (such as spot announcements, news, and live radio shows) and insert them into radio and TV streams received from American Forces Network-Broadcast Center (AFN-BC). b. Criteria for Service. An AFN outlet (radio and TV) may be proposed anywhere outside the continental United States (CONUS) where U.S. Military personnel are stationed on permanent duty if a valid requirement for such service can be demonstrated and concurrence of the host-command and host-government can be obtained. In considering any request for a new outlet, the following criteria apply: (1) CONUS Exception Criteria. An outlet normally will not operate within the United States. Exceptions will be based on the physical location of the installation and activity requesting service and the availability of existing commercial English-language radio and TV service. These exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis if the Director, AFRTS, determines that a valid requirement exists. (2) Foreign Country Treaties and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rules Compliance. An outlet in a foreign country will abide by all existing treaties and international agreements to which the United States is a party, and relevant regulations. Outlets located where rules of the FCC apply will abide by all applicable FCC rules and regulations. (3) English-Language Availability. An AFN broadcast outlet will not be established in U.S. territorial possessions and AFN service will not be permitted when English-language TV programs are adequate. As a general rule, “adequate” is defined as programming that is comparable to that seen or heard on U.S. networks. The Director, AFRTS, makes the final determination of adequacy based upon recommendations from the requesting command and the appropriate DMA regional command involved. c. Funding Process for Proposed Outlets. In the event the command requesting an outlet desires AFN service before funding and personnel can be obtained, the requesting command is responsible for providing such resources, including those for all personnel authorizations (military and civilian). d. Requesting Service. Commanders will work with the DMA regional command and the Combatant Command for their region to prepare a request for service. The request will be forwarded through the chain-of-command (major command, component, task force) to Headquarters (HQ) AFRTS. AFRTS component will determine whether funds, personnel,

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equipment, administrative, and logistics support can be made available before recommending approval or disapproval to the Director, AFRTS. e. Requesting Program Materials. For new outlets requiring AFRTS program materials (satellite delivery services or portable media), the appropriate DMA regional commands will furnish HQ AFRTS, AFN-BC and the appropriate Combatant Command, an advisory at least 90 days before the planned activation date, and an updated advisory 30 days before the firm activation date. f. U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command (MSC) Ships (1) U.S. Navy. Since no host-government’s approval or frequencies are involved, every U.S. Navy ship (including submarines) automatically becomes an AFN outlet as soon as a Shipboard Information, Training, and Entertainment (SITE) closed circuit radio and TV system is installed onboard the ship. HQ AFRTS must be included on the initial activation message for each newly installed shipboard system. This message becomes the source document for determining affiliation and start-up of AFRTS services. The U.S. Navy Chief of Information (CHINFO) supervises SITE installations, programming start-up, and program circuiting for Navy ships. (2) MSC Ships as AFRTS Outlets. MSC ships with U.S. Military personnel assigned to their crews are eligible to become AFN outlets. MSC requests for service, playback equipment, and program media are processed and managed by CHINFO. HQ AFRTS must be included on the initial on-air message for each ship. This message becomes the source document for determining affiliation and start-up of AFRTS services. g. Direct-to-Home (DTH) AFN Service for Units (1) Description of Service. Similar to commercial satellite services in the United States, DTH is an unmanned service consisting of a receive-only satellite dish and decoder (which must be activated from the AFN-BC) directly connected to one or more TVs or an in-house cable system. It provides multiple channels of TV and radio news and entertainment programming direct from AFN-BC and includes global, regional, and local internal information. The signal may not be rebroadcast. It may be used in a common viewing or listening area or on an in-house cable distribution system designed to serve an authorized DoD audience. Another service called Direct-to-Sailor carries three channels of AFN and is available to units worldwide and ships at sea. (2) Criteria for Service. Eligibility for unmanned AFRTS service is determined by desired use and is generally limited to serve units’ common viewing areas or in-house cable systems. (a) Placing or building an earth station and downlink at the required location and receipt of the AFN signal must be in concert with all applicable local, national, and international agreements.

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(b) The funding for the downlink, associated installation, and maintenance for circuit distribution is provided by the activity requesting the service. (c) The downlink site will be recognized as an unmanned affiliate AFRTS location. (3) Requesting Service. The requesting commander will work with the appropriate DMA regional command to prepare a request for service. The request will be forwarded to HQ AFRTS for approval or consideration. Ships should forward requests for direct-to-sailor (DTS) directly to CHINFO Afloat Media Systems. h. DTH AFRTS Service for Individuals (1) Description of Service. This is the same service described in paragraph 1.g. of this enclosure, but is limited to individual use. (2) Criteria for Service. Eligibility for this service is limited to DoD personnel, military retirees, and selected personnel of the Department of State and other Department of State-affiliated U.S. Government agencies. (3) Requesting Service. There are various ways to acquire service. At some installations the housing office issues the system. If it is not issued, the individual must purchase or lease the system from Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), another authorized user, or through AFRTS. Full instructions for requests for service of all types, including the forms, can be found on the AFN website, www.myafn.net. i. Modifications of Existing AFRTS Outlets (1) Except for ships at sea, the geographic location of an AFN outlet will not be changed without prior approval of the Director, AFRTS. Changes to shipboard systems are not authorized without prior approval of CHINFO Afloat Media Systems and the Naval Sea Systems Command. (2) Any proposed changes or modifications to equipment that may materially alter the type of broadcast, the broadcast coverage area, or will result in a condition contrary to any host-country agreements, will be made only with prior approval of the Director, AFRTS, through the DMA regional command and in coordination with the appropriate Combatant Command. The Director, AFRTS, will be advised in advance of such proposed changes. (3) Frequency assignment parameters (frequency, emission, power, or time restrictions) will not be changed or exceeded without the approval of the appropriate broadcast frequency assignment authority and the Director, AFRTS. j. Disestablishing an AFRTS Outlet (1) At least 120 days before the date an AFN outlet is no longer needed, or whenever a host-country will no longer grant permission for the outlet to operate, the served installation

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commander will forward a request for disestablishment to the responsible DMA regional command. The DMA regional commander will coordinate with the appropriate component(s) and Combatant Command(s), explaining in writing the reasons that require disestablishing the outlet and requesting their concurrence and the concurrence of the Director, AFRTS. (2) Upon receipt of AFRTS concurrence, the responsible DMA regional commander: (a) Notifies the appropriate U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate of the disestablishment and will forward a copy of the notification to the Director, AFRTS, and to the Combatant Command. (b) Requests program material disposition instructions from AFN-BC at least 60 days before disestablishment. (c) Determines equipment disposition. Furnishes equipment disposition instructions to the outlet at least 60 days before the final on-air day. (d) Notifies the appropriate broadcast frequency assignment authority of the disestablishment. (3) The Station Manager: (a) Prepares an after-action report on the disestablishment, to include disposition of all classified materials, program materials and equipment, disposition of records in accordance with DoD requirements, transfer and/or disposition of all personnel, and lessons learned to include recommendations. An original report will be provided to the appropriate DMA regional command with a copy to the Director, AFRTS, and the Combatant Command. (b) If available, provides a copy on portable media, as appropriate, of the closing day special programming relating to the closure to AFN-BC. (4) AFRTS will coordinate with the Military Department personnel detailers for the transfer and/or further assignment of all AFN outlet personnel. 2. USE OF PROGRAM MATERIALS a. Editing AFN Programming Materials. AFN program materials will be broadcast as received from AFN-BC. Editing, for any purpose, is prohibited without prior approval of AFN-BC. b. Musical Recordings. Manned AFN outlets may excerpt individual musical recordings from AFN radio programs including satellite music channels for continuing local use. AFN music is for overseas broadcast only and AFRTS cannot extend its licenses for music to non-AFN organizations or for non-AFN use such as public information products shared with non-DoD audiences.

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c. Radiothons and Telethons. AFN outlets will not conduct fund-raising radiothons or telethons in support of the overseas Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). d. Fund-Raising Programs Support. Manned AFN outlets may conduct fund-raising programs in support of command relief, welfare, and organizational activities within the limits of DoDI 5035.01 (Reference (f)). e. Deleting, Editing, and Covering of Worldwide AFRTS Spot Announcements. AFN spot announcements broadcast worldwide via satellite will not be deleted or edited. AFN spots may be covered only during times designated as “affiliate” availability. Spots will not be edited nor will footage be extracted for any use. Requests for exceptions must be forwarded through the appropriate regional command to AFRTS, affiliate relations, and Radio and Television Production Office (RTPO) for final approval. f. U.S. Military-Produced Programming Other Than AFN. Programs of appropriate content and adequate technical quality produced by official U.S. Military sources (e.g., the internal information activities of the Military Departments) are authorized for use by AFN affiliates with approval by the appropriate DMA regional command or CHINFO (for ships), and AFN-BC. g. Foreign Programming of Cultural or Informational Value. In certain instances, programs, events, or ceremonies broadcast by a foreign government or agency may be considered of sufficient cultural or informational value to warrant broadcast by AFN affiliates. No broadcast of this nature will be made without the expressed permission of the originating or controlling foreign government or agency. Written concurrence of the host-country team is also required before such programs will be used. Additionally, the appropriate DMA regional command will be consulted and the Director, AFRTS, and AFN-BC affiliate relations will be notified before airing such program. h. Local AFRTS Outlet Programming. AFRTS will authorize and encourage regional commands and the AFN affiliates under their command to produce as much regional and local products as their assets and resources will allow. i. Navy SITE Systems. Shipboard SITE systems are the only authorized systems to be used to playback information, training, and educational materials and for Navy Motion Picture Service products. 3. RESTRICTIONS. AFN program materials will not be used: a. For non-AFN broadcast purposes, including private parties, functions, and events. b. On foreign or domestic commercial, private, or government-owned broadcasting affiliates or cable systems without specific authorization from the Director, AFRTS.

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c. In a program produced by, or originating from, a non-AFN military organization and broadcast by a commercial station. d. In any manner that constitutes competition with or infringement of the work of commercial artists, copyright holders, U.S. content providers, or other private interests. e. For direct projection exhibitions on a military installation or facility where a specific fee is collected for entrance or viewing of the AFN material. f. Aboard Navy, MSC, or Coast Guard ships, while the ships are in port and/or within range of U.S. commercial affiliates broadcasting U.S. programs, except for official military information and for training purposes. g. Program materials (e.g., news or sports broadcasts) produced by manned AFN outlets will not be made available to commercial, private, or government-owned radio or TV affiliates or networks, or their representatives, without prior approval by the Director, AFRTS. h. No AFN outlet may broadcast or rebroadcast any program material produced by private or commercial interests, or foreign governments, except as stated in paragraph 2g of this enclosure. 4. REMOTE LOCATION BROADCASTS. AFN affiliates may use program materials furnished by AFN-BC for broadcasts originating from remote locations (e.g., picnics and sport fields) providing the following criteria are met: a. Pre-emption of AFN TV programming is coordinated in advance with AFRTS and AFN-BC. b. The primary purpose of the remote broadcast is not to provide entertainment to the audience at the remote location and when the remote broadcast terminates, so does the AFRTS music. c. The majority of the audience at the remote location is not comprised of foreign nationals. 5. FOREIGN LANGUAGE BROADCASTS. Affiliate broadcasts in other than the English language may not be made without obtaining approval from the Director, AFRTS, except: a. Programs or announcements are permitted in the language of the host-country, where there is adequate English translation, and the program or announcement is addressed specifically to DoD personnel to increase their knowledge of the language and appreciation of the host-country, its customs, background, and people. b. Official requests are received by the host-government to alert its civilian population of emergency conditions, such as storms, floods, and earthquakes. Such announcements must be confirmed and approved for broadcast by the U.S. Country Team or senior host-command. The

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appropriate Combatant Command, DMA regional command, and Director, AFRTS, will be advised of the circumstances and actions taken. 6. NEWS PROGRAMS a. Ensuring Integrity of Commercial News Programs. DoD assures the U.S. commercial and public networks that it will protect the integrity of all news programs and materials. No changes will be made in the editorial content of any news programs and materials that are broadcast. b. Principle of Fairness. AFN-BC and AFN outlets’ news will be guided by the principle of fairness. This principle recognizes the right of AFRTS audiences to enjoy access to diverse topics and contrasting perspectives. AFN-BC and AFN outlets will provide reasonable opportunities for such access. 7. POLITICAL PROGRAMMING a. AFN outlets will not originate any political programming. The FCC requires equal opportunities for political candidates, except in newscasts, news interviews, news documentaries, and spot coverage of news events. Since AFN will not accept nor originate programs from political candidates and only carries FCC-exempted programming, equal opportunity is not an issue. b. AFN-BC will provide a free flow of political programming from U.S. commercial and public networks. AFN-BC, DMA regional commands, and their AFN affiliates will maintain the same equal opportunities balance offered by these sources. AFN affiliates should make extensive use of such programming, especially during Presidential election years, and should provide their audience with the political analyses, commentaries, and public affairs programs provided by AFN-BC. AFN will neither produce nor accept programming from political candidates. 8. SPOT ANNOUNCEMENTS a. Informational Spot Announcements Replace Commercials. AFN provides commanders with guidance and completed information spots for the dissemination of information to military personnel. These spots, for both radio and TV, replace the commercial advertisements within information and entertainment programs otherwise seen on commercial programming. b. AFRTS Non-Commercial Status. AFRTS is an entity of DoD and, as such, is a non-commercial broadcast organization. Except as stated, no commercial products or profit-making organizations (except sanctioned morale, welfare, and recreation activities) may be mentioned in AFRTS spot announcements. In addition, AFN will only air education spots for non-DoD colleges and universities that are under contract with the DoD, and then only by using the base

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education office as the focal point for all contact. No AFN spots will uniquely highlight any particular college or university. c. CFC and Other DoD-Sanctioned Fund Drives. Spots will not be used to solicit funds directly or indirectly unless specifically approved by RTPO. Exceptions are spot announcements produced for the annual overseas CFC if they are general in nature and do not highlight a single agency. AFN affiliates may also produce generic spot announcements that support fund drives sanctioned by the Military Departments and their major commands, such as Army Emergency Relief, Navy Relief Society, Air Force Aid Society, and similar campaigns. d. Command-Sponsored Publicity. Spot announcements will not publicize gambling or games of chance, unless such activities are organized within the U.S. Military communities and authorized by local commanders for purposes of charity or morale and welfare. In the case of command-authorized lotteries, names of winners may be mentioned in local news stories. Spot announcements will be restricted to mentioning where tickets are available but will not encourage participation in the lottery. e. Membership Drive Publicity. AFN will not air spots that promote membership based organizations or that promote non-DoD websites that solicit donations. f. Approval to Use Non-AFRTS Spots. Non-AFRTS produced spots will not be aired unless approved in advance by RTPO. g. Use of Brand Names and Prices in Spots. Spot announcements will not mention the brand name of any product. To do so may be considered a DoD endorsement and provide unfair competition with other products. This includes those products that carry the AAFES brand name, and Navy and Marine Corps Exchange products. Brand names may be mentioned in news stories if they are an integral part of the news story. However there are some exceptions: (1) Local Swap Shop or Trading Post Programs. Brand names may be used in local swap shop or trading post programs when advertising personal items for sale or exchange by authorized members of the audience. (2) Naming Sponsors as Part of Newscasts. Affiliates may mention the name of a commercial sponsor, along with other pertinent facts, in news stories and local announcements concerning DoD, USO-sponsored shows and programs. (3) Naming Commercial Brands as Command-Sponsored Prizes. AFN affiliates may mention the names of commercial products or companies to identify specific prizes in contests sponsored by military command activities. (4) Use of Prices in Spots. Prices will not be mentioned for products except for local swap shop programs and/or to advise the audience of specific upcoming local events and services. There must be no editorializing of the price.

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h. Spot Compliance and Consistency to DoD Policy. Any spot announcement aired on AFN, regardless of where or by whom it was produced, must comply with DoD objectives. i. Spot Use Adheres to Guidelines. Spot announcements released by RTPO must comply with the same guidelines and policies as any other program material released by AFN-BC. 9. EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENTS a. Command Written Policy Required. Regional commands will determine emergency announcement policies. Policies will include what constitutes an emergency announcement, how it will be aired, and the process for emergency announcement verification and approval. The degree of emergency and the possible effects any AFN emergency announcements might have upon the host country and all U.S. citizens in the host country must be carefully considered in formulating such policy. (1) In the event the policy authorizes the airing of emergency announcements, AFN affiliates will broadcast such announcements only upon explicit clearance from the competent authority authorized to release the information and the AFN affiliate manager who is responsible for verifying the emergency requirement. (2) Based on command policy, emergency announcements on local AFN affiliates may be pre-approved by the DoD Components in advance of an expected emergency such as evacuation of family members, natural disasters. b. Broadcasting of Exercise and Training Announcements. Local exercise announcements will be coordinated with appropriate public affairs offices and DMA regional commanders prior to airing. For large scale, such as regional exercises, coordination will be between the DMA regional command and DoD Component level. c. Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) Announcements. Regional commanders will be responsible for ensuring provisions for using AFN services during a NEO are in the applicable operations plan. 10. RELIGIOUS PROGRAM MATERIALS a. Religious Programming. The Armed Forces Chaplains Board (AFCB) liaison, the Director of Religious Programming at the AFN-BC, approves all religious programming, to include programs and spots, before it is scheduled on AFN TV and AFN Radio. No religious programming may be used without prior AFCB review and approval. No religious programming will be produced locally. Religious programming received from other sources may be forwarded to the AFCB liaison for a determination on their use. b. Religious Spots. All radio and TV religious spots are reviewed and approved by the AFCB liaison and by RTPO. No religious spots may be used without prior AFCB review and

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ENCLOSURE 2 14

approval. All religious spots must meet the AFCB guidelines. Spots received from other sources may be forwarded to the AFCB liaison for a determination on their use. Religious TV spots are normally inserted into AFN-BC broadcasts during airing of religious programming only. c. Local Religious Spots. Affiliates may produce command information spots that only inform the audience of times, dates, and places of authorized local military religious services and events. Such announcements will not promote participation or membership in one religious group over another, nor will local spot announcements espouse the doctrine of any specific religion. Since they are command information spots they can be scheduled in any programming. 11. LOCAL NEWS PRODUCTION a. Factual, Accurate, and Unbiased News Reporting. The content, format, and presentation of local news products will be factual, fair, and unbiased. AFN affiliates will not conduct investigative reporting. AFN affiliates will not function as news gathering or news support bureaus for commercial news organizations. b. Coordination with Local Public Affairs on Local News Products. AFN regions and affiliates will produce news products on subjects of interest and/or concern within the communities and commands served. Local news reports will be fully attributed as to source. News products will be coordinated, when appropriate, with public affairs offices. 12. PRODUCTION OF NON-AFRTS MATERIAL. AFN personnel (with the exception of U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialists serving aboard U.S. Navy and MSC Ships) or AFN equipment (including SITE systems) will not be used to produce non-AFRTS briefings, image products (e.g., hooah videos) or distinctly external media products. 13. MANPOWER. AFRTS utilizes a joint work force that must be staffed and supported by the Military Departments. a. AFRTS Manning Requirements, Authorizations, and Staffing. DMA publishes and maintains the DMA Master Manning Document. This document provides the worldwide DMA work force requirements, authorizations, staffing level, and Military Department composition of all DMA locations and is the source document to obtain required work force from the Military Departments. DMA regional commands will review their manning document annually. Change recommendations are forwarded to HQ AFRTS for further staffing and coordination. b. Proportionate Share of AFRTS Staff. The proportionate share mix of the authorized and required staff will be based upon the size of the authorized audience of each Military Department within the geographic area, as reported by the Combatant Command Population Statistics Report. For purposes of personnel authorizations, audience includes military personnel, DoD civilians, and command-sponsored family members.

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ENCLOSURE 2 15

c. Military Department Staffing Responsibilities. Each Military Department is responsible for ensuring its work force posture is as close to 100 percent of the authorized and/or funded requirement as possible. Changes to the work force will be coordinated with the supporting Military Department by DMA before implementation. d. Manpower Change Request. No changes may be made to manning documents without proper authorization from the Director, AFRTS, through the published DMA manpower change request process. 14. PHYSICAL SECURITY OF PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT a. General Security. AFN stations are located in areas of the world that could be subject to hostile actions between opposing forces and by terrorist threats or actions. Therefore it is imperative to protect at all times, to the maximum extent possible, all personnel, equipment, and facilities. b. Command Support. Host commands must: (1) Ensure plans and procedures for protecting stations against hostile threats and actions are addressed in memorandums of understanding or support agreements. (2) Maintain a file copy of the station’s physical security plans and procedures. (3) Ensure each station meets all installation physical security requirements for this type of operational capability. (4) Delineate the support required of the AFN station in base security plans. (5) Incorporate protection of the AFN station into base security plans. (6) Include the station in routine security patrols. 15. AFRTS CONTINGENCY AND WARTIME OPERATIONS a. General. AFRTS is prepared to provide several options to support contingency operations. b. AFRTS Wartime Planning. AFRTS is responsible for deliberate wartime planning and contingency operations. HQ AFRTS oversees all AFRTS deliberate planning for war and contingency operations other than war, reviews current planning efforts based on world conditions and AFRTS policies, and considers new AFRTS equipment requirements.

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ENCLOSURE 2 16

c. Contingency Operations. For all AFRTS contingency activities, AFRTS plans, manages, and provides operational guidance and support. DMA technical services (DMA/TS) provides technical and logistical support. (1) Activating Service. Upon notification of a deployment support requirement, AFRTS works closely with the deployed public affairs office planner in coordination with the Combatant Command public affairs office in planning AFRTS support to an actual contingency and/or combat zone. HQ AFRTS, in conjunction with DMA/TS, develops AFRTS support packages to meet the specific requirements of an operation plan as identified by the deployed public affairs office and the Combatant Command and obtains the necessary support from the supported command(s) to implement the support package. (2) Operational Control (OPCON) and Administrative Control (ADCON). Deployed AFRTS assets are OPCON and ADCON to the deployed command with operational policy guidance and support provided by HQ AFRTS and technical support provided by DMA/TS. 16. PROVIDING CABLE AND SATELLITE SERVICE OVERSEAS a. Overview (1) AFRTS Service. AFN-BC is the only source authorized to negotiate for, procure, and distribute AFRTS programming to U.S. forces overseas. (2) Non-AFRTS Service. Requests to add commercial, non-AFRTS radio and TV service to U.S. Government overseas cable or wireless cable distribution systems that also carry AFRTS programming must be coordinated and approved through AFRTS. b. Host-Nation Implications. Introduction of non-AFRTS broadcast services into U.S. installations and/or housing areas overseas may have effects on U.S. local command, DoD, and international agreements and regulations. Examples include, but are not limited to, status of forces agreements, host-nation sensitivity issues, international performing rights and copyright laws, host-country rules concerning the ownership of satellite receive dishes, cable ownership and installation, authority to downlink international and other satellite programming, directives pertaining to DoD and/or Military Department Internal Information Programs. c. Contracting for Commercial Radio and TV Services (1) Considerations. Commanders may propose introduction of commercial services to cable and wireless cable distribution systems at overseas military installations and housing areas. Overseas commanders should review the limiting factors and should investigate the services being offered by any vendor to determine its acceptability before forwarding the recommendation through their DMA regional command to AFRTS for final review and approval. Factors to consider include:

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ENCLOSURE 2 17

(a) English Language Programming Availability. In most overseas locations, English language and/or U.S. style programming is not available or limited. (b) Commercial Franchise Agreements and Fees. Franchise agreements and/or payment of fees may be required to receive these services. (2) Ensuring Vendor’s Compliance with U.S. Laws and Regulations. U.S. forces overseas must ensure that all agreements for service comply with U.S. copyright laws as well as local laws and international agreements and treaties to which the United States is a party. (3) Commercial Cable Routing and Approval Process. Commanders are authorized to pursue providing this type of service on their installations. Inquiries concerning satellite-receive stations, wireless cable, and cabling should be routed through the DMA regional command and Combatant Command public affairs officers to AFRTS Plans and Policy. In case of naval activities, DMA has been given responsibility by the Chief of Naval Operations for review of all proposals for cable and wireless cable at naval installations both in CONUS and overseas. Naval inquiries and proposals will be routed from the Combatant Command through the DMA regional command to AFRTS Plans and Policy. (4) Detailed Guidance. Combatant commanders will ensure that the following detailed guidance is followed: (a) AFN Programming on Commercial Systems and Rental Fees 1. If AFN programming is included on a commercial or military-installed cable or wireless cable system, that service must be available only to authorized viewers. The preferred arrangement is for all AFN services, both video and audio, be offered to DoD personnel on cable, free of any charges. This arrangement is not always practical because of the expense of operating a cable distribution system. Every effort should be made to offer as many AFN services as possible at little or no cost to the audience. Charging a nominal fee to offset the expense of a cable box and maintenance of the distribution system is authorized. 2. On multi-tiered cable systems, there may be conditions in which the primary entertainment channel (e.g., AFN Prime Pacific in the Asia region) and AFN News and AFN Sports are offered on a no-cost or maintenance-only-cost tier, and AFN Spectrum and the other region’s entertainment channel (e.g., AFN Prime Atlantic) are offered on the lowest-priced basic tier along with a variety of other commercial channels. This arrangement, while not preferred, is permissible assuming that the DoD personnel is not charged any additional fee beyond the normal cost of the tier to receive the additional AFN channels. Because cable capabilities and configurations are different depending on locale, requests for policy guidance should be addressed to HQ AFRTS. (b) AFRTS Restriction to Authorized Audiences. The AFN signal must be strictly limited to the authorized audience as defined in this manual. Failure to comply with this restriction could jeopardize programming being provided worldwide.

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ENCLOSURE 2 18

(c) AFRTS Funding Prohibited for Commercial Systems Installation and Upkeep. AFRTS funding will not be provided for costs of installing, operating, and maintaining this type of cable or wireless cable system. (d) Individual Contracts with Commercial Systems. DoD personnel may contract for additional program services offered by the contractor on an individual basis in accordance with installation policies and procedures. However, these additional services can in no way be tied to the reception of AFN. (e) Proof of Distribution Rights. Contractors and/or individual units (if such is the case) must provide the component commander and AFRTS detailed proof that they have the distribution rights to the programming being offered for the specific manner and location in which they will be delivered. The responsibility to obtain and document copyright clearances rests with the individual cable contractor or unit, but must still be submitted with requests for approval. The detailed approval must be in writing and signed by the programming source and the content provider (e.g., MTV, TNT, A&E, SKY-TV). AFN service will not be allowed on any system that does not provide proof of distribution for the additional commercial services. (5) Requesting Procedures (a) Coordination Process. Local commanders desiring to provide commercial radio and TV services will submit their request through their overseas component and Combatant Command public affairs officer to AFRTS through the DMA regional command. Requests will include documentation that supports the items in paragraphs 4a, b, d, and e of this enclosure. (b) Programming Services Offered and Costs. Additionally, requests will include a specific break-out of the programming services being offered and their cost to the Service member (e.g., services included on each tier, individual premium channels, and pay-per-view offerings).

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GLOSSARY 19

GLOSSARY

PART I. ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

AAFES Army and Air Force Exchange Service ADCON administrative control AFCB Armed Forces Chaplains Board AFN American Forces Network AFN-BC American Forces Network-Broadcast Center AFRTS American Forces Radio and Television Service ATSD(PA) Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs CFC Combined Federal Campaign CHINFO U.S. Navy Chief of Information CONUS continental United States DMA Defense Media Activity DMA/TS DMA technical services DoDD DoD Directive DoDI DoD Instruction DTH direct-to-home DTS direct-to-sailor FCC Federal Communications Commission HQ headquarters MSC Military Sealift Command NEO noncombatant evacuation operations OPCON operational control RTPO Radio and Television Production Office SITE Shipboard Information, Training, and Entertainment

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GLOSSARY 20

TV television

PART II. DEFINITIONS

Unless otherwise noted, these terms and their definitions are for the purposes of this manual. AFCB. The AFCB makes recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on religious, ethical, and moral matters for the Military Services. AFN. Provides multi-channel radio, TV, web, and mobile application services to DoD overseas communities and to military expeditionary forces as assigned. AFN operates regionally in the Pacific and Europe areas of operation. AFN-BC. Provides centralized commercial radio and TV program acquisition, global broadcast transmission, and associated services and support for AFN to meet DoD internal media requirements in peacetime, wartime, and contingency environments. AFRTS. A worldwide radio and TV broadcasting organization that consists of a HQs element within DMA. The AFRTS portion of DMA includes the AFN-BC and DMA component organizations, to include AFRTS networks and outlets and activities worldwide. authorized audience. DoD audiences overseas only comprised of DoD personnel, military retirees, and selected personnel of the Department of State and other Department of State-affiliated U.S. Government agencies. Combatant Command. A unified or specified command with a broad continuing mission under a single commander established and so designated by the President, through the Secretary of Defense and with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Combatant Commands typically have geographic or functional responsibilities. Country Team. A council usually composed of the senior members of the U.S. Embassy staff and other U.S. Government agencies in a particular country. Actual makeup of the Country Team is determined by the ambassador or the senior foreign service officer in that country. DMA. A field activity under the authority, direction, and control of the ATSD(PA) that contributes to DoD operational readiness and combat effectiveness through development of policies, guidelines, standards, training, and central management of DoD internal information programs including AFRTS, the Pentagon Channel, print publications, news media, internet operations, the Defense Information School, and audiovisual and visual information activities. DMA/TS. Plans, manages, and implements all broadcast media and production infrastructure and systems including satellite and telecommunications networks.

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GLOSSARY 21

DoD personnel. Active duty military and civilian members of DoD, including their family members, and DoD contractors. DTH. The worldwide satellite distribution systems that provide multiple channels of radio and TV news, sports, and entertainment programming directly to U.S. viewers living off military installations overseas. DTS. The worldwide satellite distribution system that provides multiple Navy-themed channels of TV news, sports and entertainment programming for ships and other authorized overseas audiences. MSC. A U.S. Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. RTPO. Acquires, produces, and approves radio and TV spot announcements for supported clients distributed via AFRTS and the Pentagon Channel. regional command. Manages and directs AFN outlets in their theater. State Department employees. An authorized State Department employee is a State Department direct hire, full-time U.S. Government employee who is a U.S. citizen occupying a position at an embassy or consulate, or who is attached to an embassy on official State Department orders for a State Department sanctioned mission.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy

Department of Defense

INSTRUCTION

NUMBER 5120.20 October 18, 2010

ASD(PA)

SUBJECT: American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) References: (a) DoD Directive 5120.20, “Armed Forces Radio and Television Service

(AFRTS),” December 17, 1991 (hereby cancelled) (b) DoD Directive 5122.05, “Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs

(ASD(PA)),” September 5, 2008 (c) DoD Directive 5105.74, “Defense Media Activity (DMA),” December 18,

2007 (d) DoD 5120.20-R, “Management and Operation of Armed Forces Radio and

Television Service (AFRTS),” November 9, 1998 (e) DoD Instruction 5040.02, “Visual Information (VI),” August 30, 2005 (f) DoD Instruction 4000.19, “Interservice and Intragovernmental Support,”

August 9, 1995 1. PURPOSE. This Instruction reissues Reference (a) as a DoD Instruction (DoDI) in accordance with the authority in References (b) and (c) to establish policy, assign responsibilities, and prescribe procedures for AFRTS. 2. APPLICABILITY. This Instruction applies to OSD, the Military Departments, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, and all other organizational entities within the Department of Defense (hereafter referred to collectively as the “DoD Components”). 3. DEFINITIONS. See Glossary. 4. POLICY. It is DoD policy that: a. The Department of Defense shall maintain an internal information program to provide U.S. radio and television news, information, and entertainment programming to Military Service

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

members, DoD civilian and contract employees, and their families overseas, on board U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships at sea, and other authorized users. b. The DoD internal information program shall: (1) Provide U.S. military commanders worldwide with a unique means to communicate internal information directly to DoD personnel and their family members overseas. (2) Provide overseas DoD personnel and their families the same type of information and entertainment programming as their fellow citizens in the United States, shall not be subject to censorship, and shall not attempt to propagandize or manipulate its intended audience, subject to the considerations in paragraph 3.b. of Enclosure 2. (3) Assist in maintaining and enhancing the morale, readiness, situational awareness, and well-being of DoD personnel and their family members overseas. Communicate messages and themes from senior DoD leaders (i.e., Secretary of Defense, Secretaries of the Military Departments, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Military Service Chiefs of Staff, Combatant Commanders), as well as other leaders in the chain of command, in order to support and improve quality of life and morale; promote situational awareness; provide timely and immediate force protection information; and sustain readiness. (4) Not seek to compete for audiences with any host nation or commercial broadcast service or organization. Broadcasts generated by the DoD internal information program are directed toward DoD audiences overseas only. The fact that others may receive those broadcasts is the result of the inherent characteristics of radio and television transmissions. (5) Not endorse or imply DoD endorsement of any commercial product or service (except as provided in DoD 5120.20-R (Reference (d))). (6) Not be used to support external information programs, in accordance with congressionally-imposed budget and operational limitations. DoD and command public affairs officers are the releasing authority for any locally produced internal information material. (7) Implement procedural guidance as described in this Instruction. 5. RESPONSIBILITIES. See Enclosure 1. 6. PROCEDURES. See Enclosure 2. 7. RELEASABILITY. UNLIMITED. This Instruction is approved for public release and is available on the Internet from the DoD Issuances Website at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives.

2

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

3

8. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Instruction is effective upon its publication to the DoD Issuances Website. Enclosures 1. Responsibilities 2. Procedures Glossary

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

ENCLOSURE 1

RESPONSIBILITIES 1. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS (ASD(PA)). The ASD(PA) shall: a. Develop broad DoD policy guidelines and objectives for DoD internal information programs. b. Provide DoD policy and operational direction to the Director, AFRTS, through the Director, Defense Media Activity (DMA). c. Oversee the implementation of the procedures in this Instruction by the Director, DMA. d. Develop supporting guidance on AFRTS matters. 2. DIRECTOR, DMA. The Director, DMA, under the authority, direction, and control of the ASD(PA), shall: a. Select and supervise the Director, AFRTS. b. Exercise authority, direction, and control of AFRTS and the DMA component organizations that operate, manage, and maintain AFRTS networks and outlets. 3. DIRECTOR, AFRTS. The Director, AFRTS, under the authority, direction, and control of the Director, DMA, shall: a. Develop internal policies and procedures for the management and operation of DoD AFRTS activities, oversee their implementation, and evaluate and direct corrective action to ensure that AFRTS is properly structured, staffed, and managed. b. Exercise AFRTS fiscal and manpower resource control through the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System and monitor the implementation of approved programs. c. Authorize the configuration and capabilities of AFRTS outlets and networks. d. Ensure a free flow of information and entertainment programming, without censorship, propagandizing, or manipulation, to DoD personnel and their family members overseas.

ENCLOSURE 1 4

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

e. Ensure that all AFRTS activities are in conformance with host-country rules and regulations governing radio and television transmissions and are guided by the applicable rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission. f. In coordination with the Commandant, Defense Information School, establish standards for the training of AFRTS management, production, and technical staffs. g. Oversee and develop internal policies for: (1) The worldwide Satellite Network and Direct-To-Sailor satellite distribution systems. (2) Joint workforce standards for the management of AFRTS outlets worldwide. (3) The operation, maintenance, and standardized design of equipment at AFRTS outlets. (4) Centralized deliberate wartime and contingency planning and operations for AFRTS support of the Combatant Commands worldwide. To accomplish this function, the Director, AFRTS, shall: (a) Act as the contingency and wartime manager of AFRTS on behalf of the ASD(PA) and the Combatant Commands. (b) Act as the DoD lead agent responsible for the allocation, reapportionment, and redistribution of available AFRTS resources based on the documented requirements of the Combatant Commands. (c) Direct and coordinate AFRTS re-supply efforts in time of war and for contingency operations based on the documented requirements of the Combatant Commands. h. Oversee management of the American Forces Network Broadcast Center (AFN-BC). i. Issue instructional-type memorandums and provide guidance to the Combatant Commands and DMA component organizations for distribution of radio and television programming in overseas locations. j. As appropriate, consult with and inform the Combatant Commands on matters that impact their missions and responsibilities. k. Establish internal policies and procedures for negotiation and payment of music and artist performance fees to foreign performing rights societies for the broadcast of copyrighted works. l. In coordination with the DMA component organizations, develop and implement joint-Service personnel requirements for manning AFRTS outlets worldwide and ensure that the individual selected to be commander or senior manager of an AFRTS outlet is a U.S. citizen.

ENCLOSURE 1 5

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

m. Ensure that the position of commander or senior manager of an AFRTS outlet is filled by a member of the U.S. military. The sole exception to this is when the station is manned solely by DoD contract personnel. In this case the senior contract manager for the AFRTS station must be a U.S. citizen, and shall ensure that employees working in AFRTS outlets are employed by the U.S. Government or are under contract to the U.S. Government. n. Establish and maintain centralized equipment allowances and authorizations for AFRTS outlets in accordance with DoDI 5040.02 (Reference (e)) and the DMA program for the standardization and certification of broadcast equipment. o. Negotiate agreements or memorandums with host countries authorizing the establishment and continuance of AFRTS outlets. p. Provide a full-time representative to the DMA Joint Assignment Desk.

q. Conduct, at a minimum, a scientific worldwide audience survey every 3 years. Encourage regional and local operations to conduct audience research via surveys and questionnaires as often as possible, but, at a minimum, once every 2 years. Submit all questionnaire and survey plans and instruments to AFRTS headquarters (HQ AFRTS) for approval before implementation. Submit a copy of all final survey or questionnaire results to HQ AFRTS. 4. COMMANDERS OF THE COMBATANT COMMANDS. The Commanders of the Combatant Commands, through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as appropriate, shall: a. Coordinate with the Director, DMA, to ensure AFRTS services are provided to DoD personnel. b. Establish an organization under the Combatant Command Director of Public Affairs to which allocated AFRTS resources are assigned on implementation of the theater wartime operation plan (OPLAN) and ensure that AFRTS operations are integrated into the OPLAN. During contingency operations, manage and support AFRTS operations in their respective areas of operations through the Combatant Command Director of Public Affairs. c. Provide a list of subjects considered sensitive to host countries as related to AFRTS programming to the Director, AFRTS. d. Support the negotiation of local and/or regional interservice support agreements or memorandums with host military installations and commands authorizing the establishment, continuance, and support of AFRTS outlets. e. Ensure that nothing inhibits the free flow of radio and television information and entertainment programming to DoD personnel and their family members overseas.

ENCLOSURE 1 6

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

ENCLOSURE 1 7

f. Assist in obtaining approval of host governments for broadcast frequencies in countries in which AFRTS operates radio and television transmitters in support of DoD personnel serving in those countries.

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

ENCLOSURE 2

PROCEDURES 1. The DMA components shall: a. Follow the AFRTS management and operations procedures in Reference (d). b. Manage and provide personnel, equipment, and financial resources to operate and maintain AFRTS activities within their area of responsibility, in accordance with this Instruction, and References (c) and (d). c. Ensure that nothing inhibits the free flow of radio and television information and entertainment programming to overseas DoD personnel and their family members. d. Manage and monitor the gathering of news and information for the DMA internal information mission and support efforts for news gathering and broadcast by AFRTS outlets and the Pentagon Channel. e. Negotiate interservice support agreements for the support of AFRTS outlets in accordance with Reference (c) and DoDI 4000.19 (Reference (f)), and adjudicate differences in reaching agreements. Normally, these agreements shall be negotiated at the lowest possible level; however, all interservice support agreements must be reviewed and finalized by DMA headquarters (HQ DMA) prior to signature and/or approval. 2. The AFN-BC, a field activity of the AFRTS, shall: a. Provide radio and television news, information, and entertainment programming that is representative of U.S. radio and television programming for use within DoD broadcasting and for the exclusive use of AFRTS outlets. b. Be the only DoD source authorized to negotiate for, acquire, and distribute commercial radio and television programming. Exceptions shall be considered by AFRTS, on a case-by-case basis. c. Provide, through satellite and other means of distribution and transmission, the means for the dissemination of internal information programming in support of DoD internal information themes, goals, and objectives. Specifically, this includes radio and television spot announcements produced by AFRTS, The Pentagon Channel, and the Military Departments. d. Distribute only those religious programs and religious spot announcements specifically approved by the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.

ENCLOSURE 2 8

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

e. Establish procedures to ensure a free and balanced flow of news and political reporting from the U.S. radio and television networks. f. Alert AFRTS outlets of specific entertainment programming containing discretionary subject matter, including that considered sensitive to a host country as identified by the host-nation country team. 3. AFRTS internal information outlets: a. Shall operate under the centralized management and control of the Director, AFRTS, in accordance with the policies and procedures developed by the Director, AFRTS, pursuant to this Instruction, Reference (c), and Reference (d). b. Shall adhere to DoD broadcast policy as established in paragraph 4.b.(2) above the signature of this Instruction. That policy is subject to the following considerations: (1) AFRTS outlets broadcast in foreign countries with the approval of the host government, which assigns broadcast frequencies and authorizes cable systems and satellite reception capabilities. Program topics considered sensitive to a host country may be restricted from broadcast on an AFRTS outlet in that country if they are listed on the official Host-Country Sensitivity List. (2) The official Host-Country Sensitivity List is the only legitimate basis for deleting AFRTS broadcasts. That list is comprised of U.S. Embassy and host-country team inputs from each country. Only those activities can add to, or delete from, that list. It must reflect only genuine host-nation concerns that, if violated, could threaten AFRTS broadcast rights. (3) Host-country sensitivity lists do not apply to AFRTS radio or television programs distributed on a base cable television system or an encoded broadcast channel. Therefore, there is no reason for such AFRTS outlets to screen any AFRTS program before airing. In those cases, the cablecast and/or encoded broadcasts are primarily limited to the authorized U.S. DoD audience and are not available for consumption by the general local national population. (4) The Host-Country Sensitivity List applies to over-the-air broadcast transmissions, including both radio and television news programs. The responsibility for reviewing programming for sensitivities rests with the receiving network or station, which must determine whether those programs may be aired on schedule or should be delayed to permit reviewing for possible sensitivities infringements. The decision to delay programming shall be made by the receiving network or station in conjunction with the local command. The decision to actually withhold programming can be made only by the country team and then is based solely on the Host-Country Sensitivities List. A decision to withhold programming must be relayed immediately by the network or station to HQ DMA through command channels. (5) News programs must not be edited to eliminate host-country sensitivities. If a host-country sensitivity occurs within a news program, the entire news program must be cancelled.

ENCLOSURE 2 9

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

(6) When legal owners of programs prohibit AFRTS from broadcasting certain programs in specified geographic areas, those restrictions must be honored. (7) The considerations in subparagraph 4.b.(2) do not permit the calculated withholding or editing of information and entertainment programming based on personal taste or preference. Such practices constitute censorship and are prohibited. c. Shall maximize the use of information and entertainment programming provided by the AFN-BC located in Riverside, California, and internal information programming produced and distributed by the Military Departments or DMA. AFRTS outlets may produce local information and entertainment programming to support clearly documented local internal news and information objectives. d. Shall not produce news editorials, commentary, or analysis; engage in investigative reporting; nor originate political news coverage. e. Shall protect all programming and associated broadcast products in any physical or electronic form from unauthorized use or distribution and/or transmission. Those materials shall remain in the custody of the Department of Defense. f. May be advised by AFRTS to broadcast special programming on certain occasions. Failure to comply with that requirement must be justified to the Director, DMA. g. May not offer broadcasts in other than the English language, except as stated in Reference (d). h. May be used to promote military training or off-duty education only at designated remote sites and aboard Navy ships, and as stated in Reference (d). Further exceptions to that policy shall be considered by the AFRTS, on a case-by-case basis. AFRTS outlets receive manpower, equipment, and other resources from the Department of Defense primarily for internal information. Outlets may not be used to produce non-AFRTS briefings, image tapes, or distinctly external (public information) public affairs products. In no instance shall the primary local internal information mission of the AFRTS outlet be jeopardized. i. May not use films, video, audio, or other program materials from any non-AFRTS source (except for Navy Motion Picture Service movies aboard Navy ships, which are authorized on a case-by-case basis). That does not prevent use of military exchange-provided promotional material or trailers to inform the audience of coming attractions (see Reference (d)). j. May not be used for any type of political or psychological operations, and may not produce or broadcast programming to serve any interests other than the overseas DoD internal audience.

ENCLOSURE 2 10

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

ENCLOSURE 2 11

4. Regional DMA commanders shall ensure that outlet information in the AFRTS Outlet/Station Database is updated within 30 days of the establishment, closure, or change of a facility under their oversight and in all cases reviewed not later than November 30 each year.

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

GLOSSARY

DEFINITIONS These terms and their definitions are for the purpose of this Instruction. affiliate. Any AFRTS-manned outlet authorized by AFRTS to produce and disseminate radio or television programming associated with an AFRTS operation. AFRTS-manned outlets also are responsible for DMA news gathering. AFN-BC. A field activity of AFRTS located at March Air Reserve Base, California, that provides radio and television programming to AFRTS outlets. AFRTS. A worldwide radio and television broadcasting organization that consists of a headquarters element within DMA. The AFRTS portion of DMA includes the AFN-BC and DMA component organizations, to include AFRTS networks and outlets and activities worldwide. AFRTS network. Two or more AFRTS affiliates authorized by AFRTS to disseminate programming through interconnecting broadcast quality transmission circuits. The network and its affiliates ordinarily feed a wide geographic area through transmitters and repeaters, and cable and satellite distribution systems. AFRTS outlet. Any facility authorized by AFRTS to disseminate radio and/or television programming. AFRTS outlets include AFRTS radio and television stations, relay sites, transmitters, and translators; Navy ships using AFRTS program materials; direct-to-home (DTH) satellite service; and other AFRTS broadcasting facilities providing services to remote and isolated locations where normal over-the-air service is unavailable. AFRTS Satellite Network. The worldwide satellite distribution system that provides multiple channels of radio and television news, sports, information, and entertainment programming to AFRTS outlets overseas and to the DTH satellite service. cable television. A service used to distribute AFRTS and other programming within military installations and Government-owned and leased housing. Cable systems for overseas installations require DoD approval. Installation, maintenance, replacement, and upgrade costs are the responsibility of the host command. censorship. The intentional withholding or editing of news, information, and entertainment programming when such action is not supported by legitimate host-country sensitivities or by broadcast restrictions imposed by program owners. country team. A council usually comprised of the senior members of the U.S. Embassy staff and other U.S. Government agencies in a particular country. Actual makeup of the country team is determined by the Ambassador or the senior Foreign Service officer in that country.

GLOSSARY 12

DoDI 5120.20, October 18, 2010

GLOSSARY 13

Direct-To-Sailor. The worldwide satellite distribution system that provides multiple channels of radio and television news, sports, and entertainment programming to U.S. Navy ships at sea. DMA. A field activity under the authority, direction, and control of the ASD(PA) that contributes to DoD operational readiness and combat effectiveness through development of policies, guidelines, standards, training, and central management of DoD internal information programs including AFRTS, the Pentagon Channel, print publications, news media, internet operations, the Defense Information School, and audiovisual and visual information activities. Communicates DoD and military department issues, policy, and guidance to internal audiences worldwide using public affairs, broadcast, print, web, and visual information personnel qualified in joint and Service-specific military occupational specialties. Designs, engineers, and provides acquisition support of visual and audiovisual equipment. Ensures still and motion media records depicting the Department of Defense, its heritage, and its activities are stored, preserved, and made available for use by the DoD Components, other Federal agencies, and commercial customers, as appropriate. DMA component organizations. The organizations that: Are responsible for AFRTS networks and regional outlet operations and for support of the Combatant Commands as specified by AFRTS. Manage and operate DMA regional news operations and AFRTS regional maintenance and engineering operations. DTH. The worldwide satellite distribution systems that provide multiple channels of radio and television news, sports, and entertainment programming directly to U.S. viewers living off military installations overseas. entertainment programming. Radio and television programming that affords pleasure, diversion, or amusement such as comedy, drama, and variety shows; play-by-play sports; and musical recordings. host-country sensitivities. Topics that are restricted from broadcast on an AFRTS outlet when determined by the U.S. Embassy or U.S. country team to be sensitive to the host country concerned. information programming. Radio and television programming that communicates knowledge. Includes international, national, domestic, OSD, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Military Service, Combatant Command, component command, local, community, and host-nation news; issue analysis and commentary; public affairs programming; and spot announcements with an internal informational theme. overseas. Refers to geographic locations outside of the contiguous United States, including U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships at sea.

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