Crosley Radio

Introduction

Though for numerous it was a name on an ancient wooden radio, at that time the Crosley Radio Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio was one of the giants of American radio manufacture. From the 1920s until presently after World War II, it was the best in sales and consumer recognition comparing with other classic radio manufacturers such as Atwater Kent and Philco. (Wiccanpiper, 2004, p. xx-xx). In this work will give some detail about the history and social impact on Crosley radio. 

http://www.motat.org.nz/explore/objects/crosley-model-48-radio-c.1931

History

In 1920, Powel Crosley established the company that pioneered radio broadcasting and mass market manufacturing around the world. Because of promising that Closley wanted to buy a radio for his son's birthday but the price was expensive, it was 130, $ so he decided to make his own. He successfully built a working set for only $35, Crosley was rapid to pick out the mass market potential.

 It was a simple idea, he designed a completely functioning radio, accurately craft each unit with obsessive detail and exact precision, and of course add a measure of consideration for the wallet. This simple idea lead Crosley Radio to be the largest radio manufacturer in the word, while Powel Crosley became known as 'The Henry Ford of Radio'. His relentless fascination with mechanical devices, coupled with his intense wish to become a millionaire, sent Crosley's career soaring. He's most famous for the production of mass market radios and the creation of the WLW 'The Nation's Station' and the 500,000 watt radio, however he made that transmitted Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Fireside Chats (by the way, these signals were reported to have been heard as far away as Australia). By the mid 1900's, Powel Crosley headed over a star-studded radio empire which featured such stars as Rosemary Clooney, Red Skelton, Jack Benny and more. ("The History of Crosley Radio", 2007, p. xx-xx).

Social impact

The Great Depression drove down the average price of a radio sold in United States from $139 in 1929 to around $47 just four years later. But the brutal market forces of the early depression did not stop Americans from buying radios; by the end of the 1920s, one third of U.S. families owned a radio and by 1933 that number rise close to 60%.

 

 

 

http://www.crosleyradios.com/48c.html

Radio was a great entertainment worth in a time when people strived just to put food on the table and pay rent. By 1933, the radio manufacturers had made main technological improvements that in turn allowed radio stations to spread more listeners in American and around the world. These improvements assisted fuel sales; it was appreciated that by 1933, 4.5 million radios in U.S. households were becoming neglected owing to improved radio broadcast and short-wave reception. Radio sales in the early 1930's also had assistance from "installment buying" or buying on credit. In 1931, 75% of all radios were sold on installment payments with the average radio buyer putting 20% off on their radio purchase.

It was the dark and profound days of the early 1930's and the Great Depression that would have a deep effect on industrial design in America. Modern and Streamline design were born after the popular Art Deco design movement of the 1920s. Complex design was swapped with simplified straight lines and basic aerodynamic curves. ("RADIO IN THE 1930's", n.d., p. xx-xx) 

References

The History of Crosley Radio. (2007, October 25). Retrieved August 22, 2013, from http://www.retrolinkdirectory.com/articles/article-18.html

Wiccanpiper (2004, December 18). Crosley Radio Corporation - Everything2.com. Retrieved August 28, 2013, from http://everything2.com/title/Crosley+Radio+Corporation

RADIO IN THE 1930's. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2013, from http://www.radiostratosphere.com/zsite/behind-the-dial/radio-in-1930.html