Category Archives: Television History

Claiborne Foster, 1924

Screenshot 2024-11-21 11.50.22 AMOne hundred years ago this month, the December 1924 issue of Radio Age showed Claiborne Foster, and in the inset below Allan Dinehart. They were both appearing in the play Applesauce, which was then playing in Chicago, where it was broadcast live from the stage by KYW.

Actress Claiborne Foster was prolific on Broadway, and Dinehart was most famous as a director.  His son by the same name also went on to fame in Hollywood as a television writer and producer.  His credits included the Fllintstones and Gilligan’s Island.



1974 Rebuilt TV Tuners

1974NovRadioElecShown here from fifty years ago, in the November 1974 issue of Radio-Electronics, is an ad for an industry that probably had about ten more years of life. These ads were surprisingly common. They offered re-built (or brand new) tuners from Televisions. If the old tuner went bad, rather than the local serviceman fix it, they could send it in for a replacement, and the one they sent would be re-built. It simplified the repair, and put it in the hands of someone who specialized in that task.

Almost every magazine had one of these ads once a month, so it must have been a profitable industry. But in a few years, solid-state sets, especially with digital tuners, would put an end to the industry.



1949 Air King Model A-2012 TV

1949NovRadioRetailingSeventy-five years ago, this was one of the lowest prices on a console (or, to be fair, a “consolette”) teleivision. The Air King model A-2012 featured a 12-1/2 inch screen, and more importantly, a retail price of only $239.95 (or ten dollars more if you wanted mahogany).

You would undoubtedly be the first on your block to have a television, but even this budget model was expensive, since the price tag translates to over $3000 in today’s money.

But things were booming, and you could always cash in a war bond or two. This ad appeared in the November 1949 issue of Radio Retailing.



Motorola Radio & TV, 1949

1949Oct17Life

Seventy-five years ago, if you wanted to see the most exciting radio and TV show, all you had to do was go to your nearby Motorola dealer. This ad appeared in Life magazine 75 years ago today, October 17, 1949.



Patton Bros, Benton Harbor, MI, 1949

1949SepRadioNewsSeventy-five years ago, these servicemen with the Patton Brothers firm of Benton Harbor, Michigan, speed up television repairs thanks to the use of modern test equipment. Because of the 6 MHz bandwidth of the TV signal, this includes the need for a sweep generator covering the entire TV broadcast range, with a sweep of at least 10 MHz.

The device is discussed in detail in the September 1949 issue of Radio News, on whose cover this illustration appears.



Starting a Home TV Repair Business, 1974

1974AugPEFifty years ago, the August 1974 issue of Popular Electronics offered some pointers for hobbyists thinking of going into business for themselves repairing televisions. It reminded that in some jurisdictions, a license was required, and that high voltages were present, so you had to be careful. But for those who wanted to ease their way in, the initial investment might be as little as fifty dollars for a set of tools, and the most common tubes. As you eased your way in to the business, you could upgrade, and the magazine gave recommendations for the parts, equipment, and chemicals you should keep on hand.

The magazine also reminded that in some cases, the experience and test equipment required might be out of your league. Therefore, if possible, it was wise to make a deal with a full-time service shop to tackle the jobs you couldn’t handle.



1964 Admiral TVs

1964Jul17LifeSixty years ago today, the July 17, 1964 issue of Life Magazine carried this ad showing the 19-inch offerings of Admiral TV. Shown are the Catalina (P9750 Series), the Spectator (P9640 Series) and Futura (P9430 Series) models. All featured all-channel tuning (channels 2-83) and private listening earphones. The Catalina and Spectator featured timers to turn the set on or off at a pre-set time. All were “portable,” in that they could be moved from one place to another by one person. But they spent most of their time in the same place, near an electrical outlet of course.

The set I watched as a child resembled the “Catalina,” although ours didn’t have the timer or the earphone.



1974 British Video Game

1974JulPracWirelessFifty years ago, this duo were among the first Britons to enjoy playing a video game, thanks to the project shown in two issues of Practical Wireless, starting in July 1974. The game, dubbed Tele-Tennis, appears to be a clone of Pong, which first hit arcades in 1972. The home version didn’t hit American Sears stores until 1975, so these two were way ahead of the curve. The construction article was careful, however, to avoid the “Pong” name.

The magazine noted that the television, the most sophisticated instrument in most homes, wasn’t living up to its potential being used only to watch Bugs Bunny or Coronation Street. It noted that the game was sweeping pubs and clubs in America, and that the British experimenter could duplicate it.

Initially, the author was afraid that the circuit might be too complex for the amateur constructor. But thanks to a careful design, the use of IC’s, and a printed circuit board, the project could be undertaken by anyone with reasonable soldering ability. Both the circuit boards and cabinet were available for purchase.

1974JulPracWireless2



TV Chassis Cart, 1954

1954JunRadioElectrSeven decades ago, the job of TV repairman involved a lot of manual labor. More often than not, a home service call meant hauling the set back to the shop for repair. And since the set was contained in a large piece of furniture, it wasn’t necessary to haul the whole thing back. The chassis could be removed. Sylvania offered this cart to get it safely to the shop. It would accommodate up to a 27 inch picture tube, and cradle it, protecting not only the TV, but the customer’s floor and furniture.

It was a value of $19.95, but Sylvania would give you one for free in exchange for purchasing your tubes from them.

The ad appeared in the June 1954 issue of Radio-Electronics.



1954 UHF Antenna and Converter

1954AprRadioNewsWe can’t think of anything that could possibly go wrong in this picture, which appeared on the cover of Radio News 70 years ago this month, April 1954.

It shows one Walter Schott assembling a Walsco Model 4450 UHF Corner Reflector in sunny California. On top of the set is the UHF converter made by the same company.