AFN Family is an American-based international family-oriented television network that airs, (mostly reruns of) many popular children’s and family-targeted television programs and movies that is owned and operated by the US Military, (specifically The Department of Defense’s Defense Media Activityprogram.) It’s lineup currently consists of cartoons, live-action programs, and select movies on its “Together Time” block. Additionally, the channel also airs delayed premieres of new episodes of programs such as Blaze and the Monster Machines and The Loud House, and a separate set of reruns of other, (mostly off-the-air) programs such as "Steve-era," (seasons 1-4) episodes of Blue's Clues, older episodes of The Fairly OddParents, and Wonder Pets!. Since 2015, the channel has also aired along sides an overnight block tilted AFN Pulse, airing shows targeted to teens and young adults. Because of this, the channel currently runs from 8 AM to 10 PM International Time.
The channel is a part of (as of 2019) seven other multiplex channels covering entertainment in general, sports, live and pre-recorded news, and (mostly) aduit and R-rated movies. As with most US Military products, AFN is designed to ”compete” with most American television networks by using comparative branding. In other words, AFN’s networks are designed to look like their American or state-side counterparts.
Furthermore, AFN's main purpose is to provide programs from US cable networks (like Nickelodeon), and other national networks, and then to rebroadcast those programs for US troops and their families overseas via satellite. It has been airing most, not if all of Nickelodeon programs produced since the late 80's or very early 90's. AFN stands for American/Armed Forces Network and is the current branding used for a vast collection of television and radio networks owned or affiliated with the US Military.
History
1980s AFN Germany schedule shows programs such as “Sesame Street,” and, “The Flintstones.”
AFN's history can be traced back to the 1940s, being found by the US Department of War as a radio service starting in Alska. A television service was launched in 1954. Starting in June of 1945, famously, AFN's first Germany service was launched. The networks were famous for servicing US Troop during hard war times during the 1940s into the 1970s, such as World War II and the Korean War.
Starting in the mid 1960s, AFN played children's programs. Delayed reruns of programs such as "Mr. Rogers," "Seasme Street," “The Flintstones,” and "Romper Room," were aired in an unbranded block. Color was added in 1975. During these programs, command spots and “commercials” were played. This practice was mainly used from the 1970s to the 1990s, especially during the 80s. Starting in the 90s, AFN added more shows to the block, later leading to the creation of AFN Kids.
AFN Kids
2001 AFN Kids Commercial Breaks (from- ChenowethRules)
An example of the kind for "breaks" used on AFN Kids. Recorded in 2001 from an episode of Rugrats.
Before AFN Family was launched, Nickelodeon shows, (and other programs) were aired in a children’s programming block on the main AFN channel, called AFN Kids. The block was targeted to mainly kids; featuring kid-oriented ”commercials", bumpers, and programs. Family programs (at the time) were aired in evening time slots on the main AFN channel, (currently known as AFN Prime.) These programs were moved to AFN Family when it launched in 2004. After that point, AFN Kids was discontinued in favor of more daytime programs, game shows, and soap operas.
After AFN Kids
AFN Family was launched in 2004, and featured programs from the AFN Kids block, (with several promos still being kept intact, ) along with newer programs. In 2011, two weekend cartoon blocks entitled ”Sunday Funtoons!, ” featuring programs for more younger children, (however not preschoolers, ) such as Spongebob Squarepants, and Back at the Barnyard, and ”Super Charged Saturday, ” featuring more action-based programs for older children, were added to weekend time slots, however these blocks were later removed.
In 2015, an overnight block called AFN Pulse was added, running during AFN Family's evening time slot airing programs from major US networks targeted to teens and young adults. </noinclude>Later in 2017, High Definition was added to the channel, along with a new bumper repackage, as AFN celebrated its 75th year anniversary. AFN currently broadcasts in over 100 countries with over 30 television stations and over 60 perminate radio stations, with a few exiting to this day.
Availability and Broadcast
The channel is distributed through base cable systems and is attainable over satellite with an authorized decoder. The channel is not broadcast in North America.
AFN Europe’s current headquarters since 2014. Located in Sembach, Germany.
Even though is not owned by Nickelodeon or Viacom, AFN is connected to Nickelodeon in a way as it reruns its programs. AFN's programs are usually offered for free or at a low cost, however with the consequence of new episodes of these programs airing on a time delay from 24 hours to 6 months. A notable factor of AFN is that it has never (nationally) produced any original series, (outside of locally produced news and weathercasts on local AFN networks, however, these have come less present as AFN reworked its overseas networks into national AFN branding since 1997.)
Because AFN is not allowed to air paid commercials, (with the exception of promos and bumpers, due to its ownership by the US Military, ) the program's source network must remove all advertisements before the program can be aired (or "rebroadcasted", as AFN terms it) on AFN Family, or any AFN network, meaning broadcasted programs air uninterrupted.
AFN currently has about 60 radio stations, and about 30 over-the-air television stations that services mostly European and Asian countries.
Programs
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AFN Family Promo - 2019
A newer promo for the network's lineup, produced in April 2019.
When AFN Family was launched, programs aired in a format that ”aged” though out the day. The same "aging" format continues to be used, targeting preschoolers during the mornings, and older children and their families, during the afternoon and evening before switching to AFN Pulse overnight on weekdays. A similar lineup is used on weekends, with preschool programs aired for 2 hours, followed by reruns of cartoons, educational E/I programs, and then (mostly) live-action programs, and movies to fill the remainder of the day.
A notable factor about AFN Family is that most of its programs have been in repeats to the present, such as Blue's Clues and Franklin, and that almost all of them have not been seen on current American television in several years, such as Ni Hao, Kai-Lan and Go, Diego, Go!. This also means that most of it's reruns are off-network, meaning that they have been airing even though that program's American channel pulled reruns and/or episodes of it off the air. In other words, the channel aired/airs reruns of programs which were no longer shown on the program's American broadcaster. This trend continues/contiuned for a long time, with shows airing from a few months, to over a decade, making AFN Family one of the only channels that airs many older, (as in when it stopped airing on mainstream television, not as in intended for older children,) kids TV shows, a practice Nickelodeon has despised doing since about 2012, with almost all of its older programs being pushed to overnight time slots on the Nick Jr., before being removed, and with most of them being moved to the Noggin service. This thus creates the fact that AFN Family does not have that many in-production series. Examples of this can be found in one of the network’s 2010/11 schedule, such as Blue's Clues, (whose‘s run ended in 2006/7,) and several other programs in which have ended their runs on PBS and Disney Channel, such as Bear in the Big Blue House, which ended its run on Disney Channel in May of 2007, and Seven Little Monsters whose run ended in 2004 on PBS, with the closure of its Bookworm Bunch block in that same year.
Nickelodeon (USA) programs (as of 2019) include:
- SpongeBob SquarePants (episodes air once a week at 6:30 PM)
- The Fairly OddParents
- Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn
- Henry Danger
- Dora the Explorer
- Blue's Clues (episodes air twice a week at 8:00 and 8:30 AM.)
Logo used until 2017. Still being used as an on screen ”bug, ” and as a secondary logo, as well as a placeholder on EPG Guides.
- Bubble Guppies
- PAW Patrol
- Franklin
- Tickety Tock
- Go, Diego, Go!
- Knight Squad
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Butterbean's Café
- Zack & Quack
- The Loud House
- Ni Hao, Kai-Lan
- Wallykazam!
- The Backyardigans
- Blaze and the Monster Machines
- Fanboy & Chum Chum
- Kuu Kuu Harajuku
- Wonder Pets!
- Mike the Knight
- Degrassi: The Next Generation (AFN Pulse)
- Victorious
- Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2019 Series)
- Double Dare (2018 Series)
- Team Umizoomi
- Zoofari
Formerly aired (incomplete)
- LazyTown
- Max and Ruby
- Rugrats (aired on a notable delay)
- Doug
- The Wild Thornberrys
- Invader Zim
- Hey Arnold!
- The Mighty B!
- Back at the Barnyard
- Top Elf (premiered December 20th, aired once)
- Gullah Gullah Island
- The Adventures of Kid Danger
- Eureeka's Castle
- The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss
- All Grown Up!
- Bunsen Is a Beast
Future Programs
- Blue's Clues & You! (possible to premiere In December or January)
- Dora and the Lost City of Gold (premieres January 5th)
- Wonder Park (premieres January 19th)
The channel also plays a 1-hour block of Christian programs on Sunday mornings.
Triva
- AFN does not air commercials. In their place, command spots and public service announcements are play.
- AFN has been around for about 80 years, since 1942, making it older than Nickelodeon, who was launched in 1979, and the oldest TV network and organization, (not company, due it being owned by the government,) on this wiki.
- AFN Family does not air any program or movie with the TV-MA, R, or the NC ratings.
- AFN was famous for shutting down its radio stations, Famous are one are AFN Berlin, (closed in 1994) and Munich, (closed in 1992.)
- The channel has never aired any Nick at Nite series.
- AFN's main network, AFN Prime, (featuring a mixure of programs that are similar to mainstream American broadcast networks,) also broadcasts over-the-air though analog and digital signals in some areas.