American television didn’t really get off the ground until after the war, but by 1939, there were a handful of stations, mostly in New York City, using standards compatible with postwar standards. For example, we’ve previously written about W2XBS, which later became WNBT, and is currently WNBC, which came on the air 80 years ago today, April 30, 1939. That station has been in continuous operation, meaning that modern television in the U.S. is 80 years old. The receivers numbered in the hundreds, and the majority of them were in public places such as taverns. The April 1939 issue of Radio Retailing shows the offerings available from a number of different manufacturers.

The viewer shown here is enjoying a program on her set manufactured by the American Television Corporation.