Monthly Archives: June 2026

Television 1946

Eighty years ago, there were about 10,000 families in the United States with television, but it was rapidly growing. They would soon be guaranteed four hours per day of programming, as the FCC was about to adopt rules conditioning licenses on providing 28 hours per week.

The June 1946 issue of Popular Science reported on the state of television in the United States, and the cover picture showed the transmitting towers of WNBT atop the Empire State Building. Thirty feet had been added to the building, and with gain antennas, the station boasted a range of 60-70 miles. The next big event was said to be the Louis-Conn fight on June 19, which was to be telecast.

1966 Kit Building

Sixty years ago, some would have considered soldering to be a “macho” activity. This gentlemen, however, shown in the June 1066 issue of Radio-TV Experimenter, was more progressive, and he realized that Gladys probably had better eye-hand coordination than he did (especially considering those beer cans on the table in front of him). I suspect that as soon as the kit was complete, it worked flawlessly.

Universal Volume Control Kit, 1941

I don’t envy the poor radio serviceman shown in the left illustration, in the June 1941 issue of Radio Retailing. That customer doesn’t look very happy. If the poor guy got drafted the next year, the drill sergeant couldn’t scare him any more than she did. She was going to miss her favorite programs for a few days, and it looks like she’s taking her wrath out on him.

But the customer on the right is happy. She would be able to listen to her programs immediately. The difference was that the dealer on the right stocked a kit from the International Resistance Company, 401 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia.