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Broadcasting

Bring a feeling of home to the fleet and field by providing stateside radio and television programming, as well as communicating Department of Defense policies, priorities, programs, goals and missions, to those serving outside the continental United States.
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Taking Phone Calls On Air

Article
8 min
Watch an AFN Refresher on the best practices for taking phone calls during a live radio broadcast.

What's New

Illustration of a service member thinking about different parts of their day, including traffic on a busy road, getting into a car in front of a house, eating pizza while listening to a podcast, all in front of a clock. AFN Radio text at the bottom right.

Clock Orientation

Article
6 min
Illustration of an individual sitting at a desk, working on a computer and wearing headphones with sound files, folders and a microphone in the background.

Using Studio Production Computers

Article
5 min
An illustration of a hand placing one audio on a track with other audio to create an hour of music. A mixer slider and audio level support graphic with a microphone is silhouetted in the background.

Back Timing

Article
5 min
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Learn From These Lessons

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An illustration of an interview-style podcast in session with the text AFN Radio and stars added.

A Leadership Podcast That Leads by Example

Case Study
3 min
Learn about a successful interview-style format through the podcast, The Leadership List.
Airmen laugh together.

Leave Them Laughing! Humor Makes the Spot Memorable

Case Study
8 min
Learn how comedic techniques create a memorable spot on operational security.
Rear Adm. Edward Cashman Conducts a Radio Interview

Let Your Subjects Do the Talking

Case Study
10 min
Study this technique of letting your subjects get the message out in an informal yet informative tone.
Lt. Cmdr. N. Cody Schaal is a Navy Industrial Hygiene Officer, Deputy Director of the Environmental Health Effects Laboratory, and the Occupational Environmental Health Department Head, Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-Dayton). Schaal is in one of NAMRU-Dayton’s operational exposure labs where scientists can simultaneously test chemical exposures with environmental stressors to assess potential health effects.

Achieving Good Lighting Outside the Studio

Case Study
5 min
Watch an example of good lighting achieved during an interview shot outside the studio by Defense Department...
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Brent Latham, a staff non-commissioned officer in charge with Recruiting Substation Lexington (RSS Lexington), Recruiting Station Columbia, 6th Marine Corps District, answers on-camera interview questions at the RSS Lexington office, Lexington, South Carolina, Sept. 5, 2024. Staff Sgt. Latham is the Marine who recruited Pvt. Brian Gilbert, a student with Marine Corps Engineer School, and a native of Lexington, South Carolina, who is currently training to become a utilities systems technician.

Choose Your Interview Location Wisely

Case Study
14 min
Watch the 1st Combat Camera Squadron demonstrate the value of carefully choosing an interview location.
A drill instructor with Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, introduces himself to new recruits on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., June 5, 2020.

Repurposing Gems from the Archives

Case Study
2 min
Watch a positive example of how some creative thinking and musical overlay helped this USMC post go viral.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Zanobia Pratt, a property chief from Chattanooga, Tennessee, participates in a physical training event in honor of the Marine Corps birthday on Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Nov. 7, 2024. TF 51/5 responds to crises and contingencies; coordinates, plans, and executes operations; conducts theater security cooperation; and advances emerging naval concepts at sea, from the sea, and ashore.

Promote with Meaning

Case Study
2 min
Watch a positive example of an engaging Marine video that compelled an audience to participate in a campaign.

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Check It Off

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A person holding a phone while listening to a podcast, surrounded by a checklist and radio signals in the background.

Guide to Podcast Post-Production

Checklist
1 min
Follow this checklist after recording a podcast to ensure you've completed the final steps for delivery.
A person recording a podcast into a microphone with a checklist, audio waves, clock and headphones in the background.

Guide to Podcast Production

Checklist
1 min
Follow this checklist to ensure you don't miss a step when recording a podcast.
A person smiling while looking at a schedule, surrounded by icons of a camera, headphones, checklist and calendar.

Guide to Podcast Pre-Production

Checklist
1 min
Use this checklist to research, plan and prepare for recording a podcast.
U.S. Army Spc. Destiny Baker, a student with the Mass Communication Foundations course at the Defense Information School, acquires overall video sequences of the World War II memorial in Washington D.C., 29 March, 2024. Overall imagery is essential to give a sense of place as their lead instructor was reenlisting at the memorial.

Livestreaming Preparation

Checklist
3 min
Use this checklist to organize a livestreaming event that wows your audience.
Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, participates in a press conference alongside Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense, following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Ramstein, Germany, September 6, 2024.

News Conference Preparation Guide

Checklist
2 min
Use this checklist to prepare for and conduct a news conference for a sensitive or complex event.
An international military student with the 837th Training Squadron, identifies a hostage during Operation Jaguar, a capstone exercise at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, July 30, 2024. The event was a culmination of skills students learned in courses such as intelligence, force protection, logistics and professional military education at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy. Approximately 60 students from partner nations in Latin America participated in the event. The 837 TRS is aligned under IAAFA at the 37th Training Wing. IAAFA teaches professional military education, technical training and aircrew training courses in Spanish.

Hostage Situation Checklist

Checklist
2 min
Follow this guide when you're navigating a hostage situation to ensure you don't miss important tasks.
A mock aircraft crash is engulfed in flames at the firefighter training area as base firefighters respond during an exercise at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, April 25, 2024.

Aircraft Incident Response

Checklist
2 min
Be prepared to respond quickly and efficiently to an aircraft accident or incident that occurs on or off base.
An airman checks cargo logs attached to a clipboard with cargo in the background.

What to Leave When You Leave

Checklist
2 min
Ensure continuity of effort between outgoing and incoming personnel by using this checklist.
An Army Reserve, conducts an environmental survey in Jordan.

Site Survey Checklist

Checklist
3 min
Before production begins, check the location for any security, safety or hazard concerns using this list.

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Download Templates

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U.S. Air Force Maj. Patrick Bracken (left), 92nd Air Refueling Wing chaplain and Tech. Sgt. Amanda Wilson (right), 92nd ARW religious affairs specialist, look over documents at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington March 2, 2023. Chaplains and religious affairs specialists advise Airmen and give religious and moral support to service members and their families. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lillian Patterson)

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Template

Template
1 min
Easily create your own standard operating procedure with this Microsoft Word template.
A person checks two monitors – one with audio lines and the other with editing software – with a microphone in front.

Podcast Idea Analysis Worksheet

Template
1 min
Use this template to analyze your audience and research existing markets to validate your next podcast idea.
A uniformed service member, wearing headphones and speaking into a microphone, overlayed with icons of a checklist and calendar.

Podcast Episode Planner

Template
1 min
Use this template to help plan the logistics and goals for recording a podcast that tells a coherent story.
A person typing on a computer in a studio, with icons of a microphone and pencil and paper in the foreground.

Podcast Proposal Guide

Template
1 min
Use this template to craft a proposal that will help you convince command that your podcast idea has value.
Broadcast journalist speaking into a microphone with an illustration of a calendar. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Thomas Smith)

Podcast Editorial Calendar

Template
1 min
Customize this template to track your podcast episodes through the various stages from development to launch.
240823-N-QO892-3243 GARDEN ISLAND, Western Australia, Australia (Aug. 23, 2024) - Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Rear Adm. Rick Seif addresses local press marking the start of the first AUKUS Submarine Tendered Maintenance Period (STMP) at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia, Australia, Aug. 23. The, submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) is in port at HMAS Stirling to conduct the STMP with the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) as part of AUKUS Pillar 1’s effort to support Australia’s acquisition of a sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability.

News Conference Script

Template
3 min
Use this template to write an effective news conference script for public affairs professionals and briefers.
PACIFIC OCEAN (Dec, 9 2022) U.S. Navy Sailors simulate evacuating a wounded pilot during an aviation firefighting drill on the flight deck of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52). Bunker Hill, part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, is currently underway conducting routine operations.

Aircraft Incident Initial News Release

Template
2 min
Provide available information after an aircraft incident to share with the media and the public.
Capt. Leigh M. Durden (right), a liaison officer to the Airforce Radiation Team, prepares to film a video on acute radiation syndrome on Fort Carson, Colorado, on April 23, 2024. Vibrant Response is an annual U.S. Northern Command-directed command post-exercise. As U.S. Northern Command's Joint Force Land Component Command, U.S. Army North is Vibrant Response 24's executive agent responsible for ensuring the training focuses on a simulated Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) disaster scenario designed to validate U.S. Northern Command's CBRN Response Enterprise's ability to exercise short-notice and no-notice deployment of military forces at the request of civil authorities to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and mitigate property damage following a catastrophic CBRN event.

Interview Planning Worksheet

Template
1 min
Use this worksheet to prepare and plan all aspects of an interview, from research to camera shots.
Low angle photo of a table with a clapperboard and completed storyboard.

Storyboard Template

Template
1 min
Use this template to plan and draft the story for your video spot, television, web or social media project.

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Learn How

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Staff Sgt. Andres Orozco, 31st Force Support Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of the Passport Office, enters data while processing a passport request on Aviano Air Base, Italy, Feb. 27, 2020. Orozco is part of a two-person team responsible for processing passports for the 31st Fighter Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tory Cusimano)

How to Perform a Social Media Audit

How To
8 min
Follow these steps to improve your effectiveness on social media by performing an audit.
Crossing guard with face blurred (masked)

How to Mask a Video in Adobe Premiere Pro

How To
6 min
Watch how to isolate and edit video elements through masking techniques.
A volleyball player spikes a volleyball, and an overlay of yellow boxes, arrows, crosshairs and dotted lines trace the path of movement of the player and ball.

How to Use Motion Tracking in Adobe After Effects

How To
14 min
Watch how to use three motion-tracking techniques in After Effects for text, callouts and screen replacement.
A silhouetted person throwing a ball in a park. Movement is indicated by arrows, angles and dots.

How to Use Adobe After Effects for Character Ani...

How To
14 min
Watch how to use Adobe After Effects to develop motion-based graphics and animation.
Photo of two service members holding and reviewing paper documentation. Yellow strokes outline the border of the papers and a yellow arrow is pointing from the paper to an illustration of a computer with a mouse pointer on an empty data entry field.

How to Create Your Own SOP Document

How To
10 min
Follow these simple steps to author any standard operating procedure or SOP document.
A gridded three-dimensional space with text "3D" that looks three dimensional.

How to Create 3D Text with Adobe After Effects

How To
15 min
Watch this School of Motion video to see three simple ways to add 3D text using Adobe After Effects tools.
Graphic image of a service member running. A purple wall is in the background with a door that says "Not an exit" and a graphic image of a target.

How to Use Adobe After Effects to Track a 3D Camera

How To
4 min
Watch how to use the 3D tracking camera in Adobe After Effects to develop motion graphics and animation.
Illustration of 3D shapes floating in space lit up by two different colored lights and an ambient light. Sketches on top of the illustration show the direction and angle of the lights. One 3D square is outlined in sketch lines to show where the light creates reflection and shadow.

How to Use 3D Lighting in Adobe After Effects

How To
10 min
Watch and learn how to manipulate 3D lights and cameras in Adobe After Effects to enhance 2D motion graphics.
Illustration of reports with a large letter A and B labeled over them. A grid pattern, check marks, line graphs, pie charts and arrows float behind the reports in the background.

Optimize Your Content With A/B Testing

How To
6 min
Follow these steps to user-test your social media content and better reach your public.

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Review Policy & Doctrine

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Cyber Yankee prepares DoD, government, and business for potential cyber threats

DoDI 5535.12

Policy & Doctrine
15 min
Reference DoD Instruction 5535.12 DoD Branding and Trademark Licensing Program Implementation (29 April 2020).
Maj. Gen. Denise M. Donnell, New York Air National Guard Commander and Assistant Adjutant General, and Master Sgt. Elliot Butler, 313th Recruiting Squadron C Flight Flight Chief, talk to Air Force delayed entry program members before a ribbon cutting ceremony at the C Flight office in Brooklyn, N.Y., May 24, 2023.

DoDD 5535.09

Policy & Doctrine
5 min
Reference DoD Directive 5535.09 DoD Branding and Trademark Licensing Program (19 December 2007).
Cyber Yankee prepares DoD, government, and business for potential cyber threats

Identity Awareness, Protection and Management Guide

Policy & Doctrine
113 min
Reference the DoD Identity Awareness, Protection and Management Guide (12th Edition, March 2021).
Yeoman 2nd Class Tyree Pierre works at his desk on Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sep. 8, 2022.

DoDI 8170.01

Policy & Doctrine
53 min
Reference DoD Instruction 8170.01 Online Information Management and Electronic Messaging (24 August 2021).
A graphic illustration of a social media post with a photo of two service members working on a plane. A clock, planning and a bullseye symbol are spread across the graphic. An overlaid photo of a Marine typing on a computer keyboard.

DoDI 5400.17

Policy & Doctrine
33 min
Reference the DoDI 5400.17 Official Use of Social Media for Public Affairs Purposes (14 February 2025).
Sailors assigned to Defense Media Activity operate cameras during Vice Adm. John Nowell, Chief of Naval Personnel, and Fleet Master Chief Wes Koshoffer's town hall event

DoD Directive 5105.74

Policy & Doctrine
14 min
Reference the DoD Directive 5105.74 Defense Media Activity (DMA) (Change 1) (August 29, 2017).
La. National Guard monitors Medical Supply Data [Image 11 of 13]

DoD Data Strategy

Policy & Doctrine
21 min
Reference Executive Summary: DoD Data Strategy (30 September 2020).
14&15 July l MC Symposium

DoD Directive 5160.48

Policy & Doctrine
8 min
Reference DoDD 5160.48 Public Affairs & Visual Information (PA & VI) Education & Training (Nov. 20, 2017).
Dr. William Burnett, Technical Director of Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC), and Mr. James Griffith, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Director, Source Operations and Management Directorate—along with other NGA personnel—received a detailed overview of CNMOC with a full brief and engagements with subject matter experts. CNMOC directs and oversees more than 2,500 globally-distributed military and civilian personnel who collect, process and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to make better decisions faster than the adversary.

DoD Directive 5105.60

Policy & Doctrine
25 min
Reference the DoD Directive 5105.60 National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) (July 29, 2009).

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