The National Capital Radio & Television Museum in Bowie, Md., opens a new exhibit on the history of the American Forces Network on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (Judy Hannon via the City of Bowie)
The National Capital Radio & Television Museum in Bowie, Md., on Saturday opened a new exhibit on the history of the American Forces Network, the military’s broadcasting service for service members stationed overseas.
AFN is an important chapter in the history of broadcasting, NCRTV Museum Director Mark Sledziewski told Stars and Stripes.
AFN had a “large cultural impact” by bringing the latest in American culture to service members stationed overseas, helping them understand what their loved ones back home were following, and it remains very active to this day, Sledziewski said.
“Especially during, you know, the Second World War and some of the conflicts in Southeast Asia, AFN brought in lots of big talent,” he said.
Sledziewski noted that AFN also helps American culture permeate into the overseas communities that troops are stationed in.
The initial impetus for the exhibit was the AFN’s director, who is a member of the museum and approached its staff with the idea.
“The American Forces Network has a very rich broadcast history, but it’s pretty unknown to most civilians,” said Sledziewski. “So he wanted to partner with us to help share AFN’s story through the lens of broadcast history.”
The exhibit includes an interactive component that lets visitors cycle through clips of hit broadcasts from decades ago. While the broadcasts were in English, they featured commercials for foreign audiences, which museum visitors can listen to.
An audio component lets visitors hear PSAs for troops that took the spot of commercials during broadcasts — such as reminders to maintain M16 rifles properly.
The exhibit also has some of the personal effects of the AFN’s first director, Tom Lewis.
The National Capital Radio & Television Museum’s new exhibit on the American Forces Network features the personal effects of the network’s founder, Tom Lewis. (National Capital Radio & Television Museum)
The NCRTV Museum’s new exhibit on AFN covers the network’s earliest days. (National Capital Radio & Television Museum)
As the museum is less than 30 miles away from Fort Meade, Md., where AFN is headquartered, museum staff were able to make a couple site visits to the base — although most of the objects featured in the exhibit came from an AFN office in California.
Admission to the NCRTV museum is $7 for adults, free for children under age 5, and $5 for seniors, students and local residents. The museum is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Blue Star families can receive free admission to the museum until Sept. 1, after which admission is discounted. As with other Blue Star Museums, admission will be free again starting from Armed Forces Day in 2026.
More information can be found on the museum’s website.
One aspect of the history of AFN that the NCRTV Museum’s new exhibit highlights is the network’s delivery of big and upcoming talent. (National Capital Radio & Television Museum)
