The American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN) was the military broadcast network that served American service personnel during the Vietnam War. But much of what has been previously written about the AFVN has been overstated and far from comprehensive, including the most famous work: the movie Good Morning, Vietnam.
Hot Mics and TV Lights is non-fiction but reads like a barnstorming novel. Providing the perspective of thirty-seven individuals who served with AFVN over the course of the war, Hot Mics and TV Lights gives the reader a broad sense of what those serving with the network experienced.
Although many of the stories are humorous, AFVN suffered significant casualties. Five broadcasters were taken prisoner, and at least one radio announcer earned a Purple Heart while on air. But typical war stories do not dominate this book. Instead, you'll hear the memories of "Bobbie the Weathergirl," Vietnam's biggest TV celebrity, and Wheel of Fortune game show host Pat Sajak when he was an AFVN deejay.
Hot Mics and TV Lights is not just another book about the Vietnam War, but rather the chronicle of a storied broadcast network and its personnel who did their jobs as a costly war was being waged, often just outside their studio doors.