INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Complaint: 

I would like to know why AFN is not showing BBC News, Euro news or CNN international anymore. These channels were added last year around September or October of last year, but they were off the air since last December. I am an advocate of current events and news and these channels cover the European continent where we are stationed. If I have to choose, I would prefer a news channel than a fashion channel.

Response: 

Thanks for taking the time to write. Here is the rest of the story ...

A year or more ago, we decided to try and show a few free-to-air channels which were available on satellite and we had the capability to pull down. We added the five or six channels (in the 20s) within our manpower capabilities and only on a no-cost basis.

Over time, these channels either move in the frequency spectrum or (most often) become a pay channel which is scrambled. Since we have no funding or manpower to purchase or maintain these extra channels, we only maintain what is free to air. The channels you mention I like as well, but once they are removed from the free list we can no longer provide them. So, the channels we have are the best ones available free; we do review them from time to time, as manning allows, to see if anything else is available, but that is only on a "as-time-permits" basis.

The good news is we do provide all the AFN channels free of charge which is not true in most of Europe! Thanks again for your question.