The Jersey Broadcaster

NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW JERSEY ANTIQUE RADIO CLUB

May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 5

MEETING/ MEETING NOTICE ACTIVITY NOTES NOTE - MEETING ON THE 19th TO AVOID KUTZTOWN CONFLICT

The next NJARC meeting will take place on Friday, May 19th at 7:30 PM at InfoAge. Directions may be found at the club's website (http://njarc.org). This Reported by month's agenda will feature a Radio Scavenger Hunt. Further details may be Marv Beeferman found on page 2.

The ON-LINE Broadcaster The Jersey Broadcaster is now on-line. plications of the TM valve was the nated these items to the club and for presi- Over 150 of your fellow NJARC mem- French Type 3.3 amplifier from 1916 dent Richard Lee for setting up their sale. bers have already subscribed, saving that was used as an audio amplifier for the club a significant amount of money "earth telegraphy" and as a detector and and your editor extra work. Interest- amplifier in a radio receiver. On the ed? Send your e-mail address to home front, Al talked about the Division [email protected]. Be sure to of Research and Inspection which was include your full name. responsible for a tank radio set, a two- watt radio loop set, listening station The final count is in and we only had equipment, high frequency amplifiers, to cut 17 people from our membership mobile telephone and telegraph offices roles for non-payment of dues. Of course, and telephone sets for artillery fire con- they will no longer receive the Broadcast- trol and balloon service. er so, if you hear any "buzz" along these Other topics in Al's presentation was a lines from past members, you can tell description of early U.S. military tubes them the reason why. such as the VT-1, VT-2 and VT-4 and Thanks to Technical Coordinator Al the SCR-68 airplane radio. Klase for his presentation at the April My "" vacation prevented meeting which he titled "Radio in the me from attending our Spring repair clin- Teens" where he traced how WW I took a ic and guests from afar kept me away relatively mature telegraph technology from the Kutztown swapmeet. However, "based on sparks and rocks" to CW teleg- thanks to radio reporter extraordinaire raphy, AM radio telephone and long- Bob Bennett and his cub reporter wife, distance telephony supported by a sophis- all the action of both events was captured ticated vacuum tube industry. on YouTube under the heading Al covered a host of topics including "Radiowild." Bob called his feature on the problems with spark technology, the Kutztown "10 minutes of radio bliss" - I 1906 Telefunken arc transmitter and the don't know if I'd go that far but some interesting life of Paul Pichon. In 1911, really nice pieces from the swapmeet and Pichon toured the on assign- auction should up in Bob's video. ment from Telefunken to gather samples Our best wishes for a speedy recovery of all the latest wireless equipment he go out to member Gary D'Amico who is could find. He visited the Western Elec- going through some rough times with tric Company and was given samples of medical issues. Gary was instrumental in the latest high-vacuum Audions together maintaining our tube program for many Upcoming Events with full information on their use. Pichon years and did a fantastic job. If you care also visited General Electric and received to contact Gary with a card or note, he May 20th - Veterans and Armed Forces Pliotron samples. can be reached at 84 Noble St., South Appreciation Day at InfoAge Al also talked about the French TM Bound Brook NJ, 08880. June 9th - Monthly meeting at Princeton; valve, the first mass-produced vacuum Our April meeting also featured the Show & Tell, Hints and Kinks tube based on GE "Pliotron" technology. auction of some very nice communica- July 14 - Monthly meeting at Princeton; Some 50,000 of these were produced by tion receivers including a National NC topic TBA Moorhead in California and numerous 125, a Hammerlund HQ-120, a Hal- July 22nd - Summer Tailgate at InfoAge others were manufactured by the British licrafters S-40A and a Hammerlund SP- August 15-19 - AWA Annual Convention as the "R" valve. One of the earliest ap- 600. Thanks to the individual who do- May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 5 Page 2

5-We'll give members the chance to vote RADIO SCAVENGER on the the one entry that they feel is the THE JERSEY BROADCASTER is the newsletter of the New Jersey Antique HUNT AT MAY most unique and unusual and that best Radio Club (NJARC) which is dedicated to MEETING represents the category it was entered in. preserving the history and enhancing the Members will vote for only one entry in knowledge of radio and related dis- all the categories (not one in each ciplines. Dues are $25 per year and meetings are held the second Friday of By category - we had this misunderstanding each month at InfoAge or Princeton Uni- Marv Beeferman last year) by placing an "X" on the front of versity. the selected index card. The Editor or NJARC is not liable for any 6-You can vote for another member's other use of the contents of this publication. The concept of a "radio scavenger hunt" was first suggested by member entry but you can't vote for your own. PRESIDENT: Richard Lee (914)-589-3751 Marsha Simkin many years ago and we've conducted quite a few over the This can be a fun contest but it totally [email protected] depends on the participation of members years. Basically, members compete in VICE PRESIDENT: various radio-related categories by dis- attending the May meeting. Sal Brisindi (732)-308-1748 [email protected] playing the strangest or most unusual item in a maximum of three of the thir- THE WORLD OF SECRETARY/NEWSLETTER teen categories represented. The "hunt" EDITOR: is conducted within your own collection. JOHN VASSOS Marv Beeferman (609)-693-9430 [email protected] The membership then votes for their first choice of the one item that best repre- By TREASURER: sents and is the most unique entry of all Marv Beeferman Harry Klancer (732)-238-1083 categories in the contest. [email protected] The game's idea becomes a lot more SERGEANT-AT-ARMS (WEST): obvious when you review the categories Darren Hoffman (732)-928-0594 that your entries must fit into: [email protected]

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS (EAST): 1-Most unusual item in the shape of a Rotating radio that really isn't a radio. 2-Most unusual item not in the shape of TRUSTEES: a radio that really is a radio. Ray Chase (908)-757-9741 [email protected] 3-Most unusual "wearable" radio-related Phil Vourtsis (732)-446-2427 item. [email protected] 4-Most unusual radio-related toiletry, Bill Zukowski (732)-833-1224 cosmetic or personal care item. [email protected] 5-Most risqué radio-related item. TECHNICAL COORDINATOR: 6-Most unusual radio-related game or Al Klase (908)-892-5465 toy. [email protected] 7-Most unusual radio-related greeting TUBE PROGRAM CHAIRMAN: card for a holiday other than Christmas, Al Klase [email protected] Valentine's Day or New Years. 8-Ugliest or gaudiest commercially SCHEMATIC PROGRAM: Aaron Hunter (609)-267-3065 produced radio. [email protected] 9-Strangest or ugliest looking tube. 10-Most unusual novelty radio. CAPACITOR PROGRAM: 11-Most unusual radio accessory other Matt Reynolds (567)-204-3850 John Vassos was considered by many [email protected] than a speaker, headphone or battery. as the founder of the 12-Most unusual commercially produced profession in the United States. From his RESISTOR PROGRAM: crystal set. earliest days, he considered how the fren- (To be announced.) 13-Most unusual radio advertising item. zied urban environment, with its rapid WEB COORDINATOR: transit, towering buildings and powerful Dave Sica (732)-382-0618 Here's the way the contest is set up: machinery increased anxiety and how [email protected] carefully applied modern design, such as www.njarc.org 1-Take an index card for each entry simple geometric shapes, could make MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: (maximum of 3). complex technology less frightening. Marsha Simkin 2-On one side of each card, print the Vassos was extremely prolific and his 33 Lakeland Drive category number and a short description designs were applied to a host of diverse Barnegat, N.J. 08005 of the item. (Example: 9 - Large, ugly (609)-660-8160 [email protected] projects. In 1924, Vassos created his first water-cooled transmitter tube.) industrial design, a lotion bottle popular as 3- On the opposite side of the card, a hip flask during Prohibition. In 1933, he print your name. designed the widely popular Perey turn- 4-Place the card next to your entry with stile still used in many subway stations. the category number/description side Other projects included, but were not lim- up. May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 5 Page 3 ited to window displays for Macy's, mu- create a top-secret design center to devel- Similar design features can be found in rals for movie palaces, advertising for op future styling ideas for RCA products. a Vassos designed Model 44-B ribbon General Tire, automobiles and Concept sketches culminated in eight microphone and Model 91-B desk stand French Line cruise ships, theatre and stage futuristic "Sets of the Seventies" rolled made from chromium-plated brass and production design, book illustrations and out in 1961. They included wafer-thin, lacquered metal. (This item sold for environments for international expositions large-screen with crystal clari- $6,875 at a 2015 auction.) and restaurants. Other notable designs ty and miniaturized portable color sets included a streamlined paring knife, Hoh- for use in the car, which when closed ner accordions, corporate logos, shotguns were as small as a lady's purse. Also and the Constellation jukebox for the visualized was a versatile set Mills Company. Among its scores of for the "executive on the move," which national clients, Vassos Consulting in- folded into an innocuous attaché case and cluded NBC, United Artists, Waterman could be used for marketing presenta- Pens, Coke-Cola, Nedick's and the United tions as well as personal enjoyment at States Government. home. These designs anticipated the But of most interest to collectors is mobile screens and Nano-thin, theatre- Vassos' output as the leading consultant size viewing walls of today. Although designer for the Radio Corporation of none of these televisions were produced, America (RCA) between 1932 and 1975. they reflect the visionary thinking of His contributions during this span of over Vassos who created attractive and func- 40 years included the designs for micro- tional shapes for technologies which had phones, broadcast equipment, transmitter no design precedent. buildings, RCA's first color television Streamlining found expression in a camera which became the standard in the majority of Vassos designs, particularly field, the RCA 501 computer and hun- during the Great Depression, when man- dreds of other products for the company. ufacturers turned to industrial designers Vassos designed the cabinets of the to distinguish their products from their Vassos designed numerous radio cabi- RCA Corporation's first commercially competitors. The speed and energy of nets for RCA and space limits his output available television sets and contributed to the period was emphasized through the to just a few examples. In general, his shaping the television receiver and its use of aerodynamic curves, stepped approach to radio cabinet design may be place in the home. For the 1939 New forms, and the vertical rib motif, or summed up by Danielle Shapiro in her York World's Fair, he created a novel TV "streamlines," for which the style is book "John Vassos - Industrial Design for cabinet in transparent Lucite plastic as named. Modern Life:" well as the company's first mass-produced A typical example is the Vassos de- television sets - the TRK12, TRK-9 and signed RCA Victor Special Model K "He was determined to bring modern de- TRK-5 which were sold at major depart- phonograph which was light years away sign into the home, but he would have to ment stores in the New York metropolitan from the large cabinets built to hold pho- wait until the furniture cabinet phase of area. However, Vassos' only known tele- nographs in the early 1900s. It featured a radio was over before he could create the vision design marketed during the post- "Slow/Fast" dial for 33 and 45 rpm rec- modern shapes that plastics like Bakelite war period was the RCA 621TS, which he ords, compartments for new and used allowed. For Vassos the transformation of designed circa 1941. Delayed by WW II, needles, battery power and a felt-lined the radio form meant rejecting the tall, this set was sold for a short period in interior with tabulated folders for "on-the domed, vertical wooden shape known as 1946. Despite its streamlined cabinet, it -go" record storage. The new industrial the cathedral (grounded in the architectur- did not sell nearly as well as the larger, material of aluminum made for a smooth, al tradition of the church), or the squarish RCA 630TS, which is most of- lightweight and stylish case and its round 'tombstone,' as he liked to call this dying ten considered North America's first post- edges, streamline accents, chromed finish radio shape." war television. and bright red accents gave the phono- graph an air of automobile elegance. Plastic radios were among Vassos's most successful designs. These included the Little Nipper line, the widely popular and affordable Model 15X, and the 96X series. The 1939 Model 96-X3 on page 4 was described by one collector as follows:

"I particularly like the impression created by the step-down top, the unobtrusive curved dial and the streamlined left side, with its wrap-around louvered grille in contrasting tan colored Plaskon. It in- spires images of powerful machinery."

The RCA 621TS In the designs, Vassos relied on streamlining and adding vertical or hori- In 1954, Vassos urged RCA to expand zontal lines to the bodies of the radios. He its leadership in television design and used plastic molding to give the radios an May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 5 Page 4 aerodynamic appearance that was hard to distinctive look and array of features - achieve using wood. These radios, which including shortwave bands and big, edge- featured curved speaker grilles, came in a lighted dials - they were "designed for range of neutral colors, including walnut, listening in the modern way." Interest- ivory and black. Some models had con- ingly, the New Yorker models made vis- trasting knobs and speaker grilles to add ual reference to RCA's larger ambitions - to the visual impact. Push-button tuning the television. The prominent square buttons (in some models) were located speaker grilles in the centers of the radios cleverly near the dial window to differen- set the stage for the radio's transfor- tiate them from the ridged knobs near the mation into the television set. The model base. The unique setback design and the 6Q8 clearly resembles the Model TT-5 asymmetrical sweep of the grille make the television receiver. Selected as the best 96X one of the more distinguished Amer- "1940 plastic expression of contemporary ican radio designs. radio" by Architectural Forum, the 5Q6 sold more than 120,000 sets.

The Model 6K10 used tubular metal to support the receiver

Resources:

1. Danielle Shapiro, "John Vassos - In- dustrial Design for Modern Life," 2016. 2. Wikipedia, "John Vassos." 3. Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr., JVJ Publishing, "Illustrators," 2011. The 1939 Little Nipper radios (9-SX 4. Smithsonian, "John Vassos and Televi- sion Design." and 9TX series) stand out as some of the The 5Q56 "New Yorker." most elegant miniature plastic radios of 5. TubeRadioLand.com the era. The crisp geometric shape of the square body blended with horizontal One of Vassos's first radios that ex- STREAMLINED grooves and circles of contrasting, stacked pressed his design philosophy was the large and small dials. The lack of a grille 1936 Model 6K10. He essentially re- CONVENIENCE cloth and celluloid dial face gave the radio moved the radio receiver from its outer, a clean look unlike anything else in the furniture-like wooden casing and By genre. propped it on the floor with curving met- John Vassos al arches, doing away altogether with legs. The model marked a departure from the Gothic arches and ornate grilles What's in a knob? Most of us view our of the "cathedral" or tombstone radio and electronic collectables in terms of its cir- created a vision of radio as a medium that cuitry or mechanics. But a few of us also should be associated with modern materi- respect the talent that went into their de- als and shapes in a bold and dramatic sign as exemplified by the previous arti- way. The radio had minimalist influ- cle. Along the same lines, in some cases, ences with sleek bends of tubular steel we might miss the thought that went into supporting a rectangular black receiver. the design of the most minor details. The Two vertical metal pieces at the edges of following article, authored by John Vas- the speaker complemented the arches and sos from the November 1937 issue of drew attention to the radio's central fea- "Broadcast News," may give you a differ- The tabletop radios in the 9TX series, ture - sound. ent take on the subject, as the variables including the 9TX-22 and 9TX-32, fea- Other Vassos designs of note include considered in the re-design of a broadcast tured strong vertical lines, narrow louvres the 811K and 813K consoles, the "Super equipment knob is discussed. covering the speaker grille and a square Six" series, wood radios such as the 7Q4, tuning window. The small grooved, Q-14, Q-31 and Q-33 and many radios Sometimes an apparently insignificant round tuning knobs added contrast to the designed for RCA's International Divi- object is given a great deal of attention interplay of shapes and textures. sion such as the Canadian A-20. What and one wonders whether the mountain The "gleaming plastic" New Yorker Vassos radios are in your collection? brings forth a mouse or vice versa. radios that Vassos designed for RCA in Hopefully, this article may allow you And this was the dilemma with which 1939-40 marked a departure from the to view certain pieces in your collection we were faced when it came to the prob- streamlined styling of the Bakelite mod- as examples of the unfolding history of lem of redesigning and standardizing the els. Among tabletop radios, the New American design and the story of modern knobs for our various types of speech in- Yorkers were truly original in the size and style at RCA, the nation's major broad- put equipment. At the first glance, the centering of their speaker grilles. These casting and manufacturing company dur- problem seemed to present a rather easy radios were marked primarily for their ing this time. solution, which was, to smooth and clean May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 5 Page 5 the surface of the old-fashioned knobs, disfiguring of the panel proper and the group of radio engineers representative of but, as the analysis proceeded, certain rubbing out of the calibrated numerals. those using the type of apparatus to which other pertinent facts were exposed. On Often callouses and infections developed these knobs are applied, were given five active equipment, the control engineer on the hands of the operator from the unidentified types of knobs for this critical spends hours manipulating these knobs metal pointer that existed on these old test, among which, was the knob under without interruption, and also the fact was knobs. Consequently, a flange was add- discussion. This survey resulted in a 73% brought out that oftentimes the control ed at the bottom of the knob to prevent preference for this knob over competing engineer is in a sitting posture when marring of the numerals of calibration knobs, which was an amazingly high ac- working, changing the angle of the fore- and an integral fin was provided to act as ceptance in introducing a new form where arm to an entirely different plane and lev- the pointer, starting from the bottom of fixed ideas were established by reason of erage of action as compared to the opera- the protective flange and, in a stream- habit. tion when standing. So, as the importance lined fashion, blending into the top of the The reasons given were as follows: of this lowly object began to achieve gi- knob, the pointer portion extending from 1. Large and easily gripped. gantic proportions in its solution, a survey the center of the knob. This resulted in a 2. Rounded surface and natural feel. was taken to determine even further fac- beautiful and efficient form which had no 3. Best for working two pots with one tors in trying to arrive at, and cover prac- sharp or angular protrusions foreign to hand. tically all conditions under which the the contours of the human hand, and as- 4. Pointer easy to find - not necessary to knob would be used. sured protection for the instrument panel look at it. Can be held between second proper by the above mentioned flange. and third fingers. The indicator point is more efficient 5. Increased leverage. Can be worked than on previous knobs of this type be- with greater ease and gives finer adjust- cause the line from center of top of knob ment. extends to the point of marking in a fin- The only other recent experience I had like shape without a gap between. In in working on a similar problem that ap- general, speaking of the efficiency of peared insignificant and yet very im- these knobs, besides the above mentioned portant was a streamlined paring knife for features, no injury can be sustained by Remington DuPont. It was disclosed that accidental contact and, at the same time, one-third of the time spent in the kitchen a in case the lights go out, it is possible to paring knife is in constant use, and no tune in total darkness, as the hands feel time before was this object given any at- the web-like point rapidly. But its great- tention. Man's most valuable mechanism est service rests on the fact that it elimi- are his hands and it is inly until recently nates the fatigue and discomfort of the that any serious consideration was given operator during the many hours that the in preserving and retaining their beauty knob is in use. And again, aside from its and efficiency. extreme consistency of functionalism, a A more complete conception of the beautiful form was evolved. detail and romance behind the creation of our new giant transmitters and the care devoted to their details can readily be ap- preciated when it is realized from the fore- going account, the amount of infinite de- Broadcasting stations and radio centers tail and investigation involved in the crea- were approached for vital information. tion of a relatively small unit such as a First, it was necessary to arrive at the gen- knob, merely one small component of a eral proportions of the hand of the aver- panel. age radio engineer, assuming that, due to his particular type of work the hand de- velopment would be different than the average person. Then a plastic, soft putty MYSTERY TUBE similar to that used by sculptors was con- stantly molded and remolded until its STILL A PUZZLE overall firm was of such size and propor- tions to suit this average hand, with the result that the most favorable proportions The following article is based on work and dimensions were determined: It has conducted by the club's Technical Coordi- no sharp or angular protrusions but soft nator Al Klase. The complete, but still indentations that act as a sure grip. ongoing investigation may be found at Another fact was disclosed. Seventy- Al's Radio Technology Home Page: http:// five percent of the control engineers rest- Tests www.rtm.ar88.net/tubes/mystery/Mystery ed their hands on the knob by hooking the %20Tube.html. middle and index fingers over the knob It was gratifying when all this work and in a manner suspending and resting was completed and one of the severest A very unusual looking tube was part their entire arm thereon, and at the same tests ever given by a survey, to really of a recent estate donation to the Radio time manipulating the knob. This meant find out how close we were in arriving at Technology Museum (RTM) at InfoAge. in a short period of time the complete the perfect solution of the problem. A It was mounted in a 4-pin base engraved May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 5 Page 6 "201A." A heavy spiral filament sits in- when all else fails...he took a deep breath side a shield. Neither touches the triangu- and fired up the tube. Here are some of lar metal prism shown in the photo. Only his results: two wires come through the press; they connect the filament to pins 1 and 4.  My small bench supply gave up at 1 volt at 1 amp without causing any glow.  The filament drew 2.5A at 6.3V. (Not much anode current at 5 V.)  The anode drew 3.3 mA at 400 VDC.

Al also photographed the image of the tube's discharge at various conditions (below) and a series of these can be found at the website noted in the preface to this article.

Al says he worked for weeks trying to "get a handle" on this unusual tube. It Now that Al has over 200 additional showed gas when activated by a Lepel "detectives" in his search, let's hope that at high-frequency coil (baby Tesla). He some point we can read an article with the speculated that the tube might have been headline "Tube's Mystery Solved!" made for some sort of laboratory demo. After sending out queries to the radio community (AWA, Tube Collectors As- "THE WORLD OF sociation, Milsurplus, etc.), the tube still RADIO" AT THE remains a mystery. "Tube Lore" author and honorary NJARC member Ludwell COOPER HEWITT Sibley was also "mystified:" By "There was once a four-anode disc-TV Marv Beeferman neon lamp associated with Jenkins, but it was a production item with vertical ori- entation of the anodes. The base heat- It's unfortunate that I didn't see the branded 201A doesn't mean a lot - the posting by member Tom Cawley concern- typical tube lab had access to fistfuls of ing an exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Smith- them. The bits of glass tubing over the sonian Design Museum while I was vaca- anode leads are consistent with a glass tioning in Manhattan. But since "The fill." World of Radio" runs until September 24, 2017 there is still time. The exhibit is a Al finally resorted to the basic inves- good supplement to the radio design tigative technique that many of us turn to theme of this month's Broadcaster. The May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 5 Page 7 exhibition features iconic radios, radio a product for a highly competitive mar- is You" which put the spotlight on audi- design drawings and photographs from ket. Their design was inspired by the ences, ensuring that their views and diver- the early twentieth century through the skyscraper - one of the era's great icons - sity are represented on the airwaves. We present day. The focus of the exhibition and utilized compression-molded plastic might want to consider registering the is a Depression-era, monumental batik (a (Plaskon), a cheaper and less labor- museum for the 2018 celebration as a technique for hand-dyeing fabrics) mural intensive alternative to traditional wood- great way to promote our activities. entitled "The World of Radio" that was en housings. designed by Arthur Gordon Smith. The mural celebrates the career of Jessica Dragonette, one of radio's most popular FAKE NEWS personalities of the 1930s. FROM THE Jessica Dragonette began singing on radio in 1926, and during her 22-year NIBI-NIBI ISLANDS radio career she helped to popularize op- erettas and semi-classical music. An ad- miring press dubbed her the "Princess of There's nothing new under the sun, and it Song," a nickname she later would use to isn't all related to the internet! This little publicize concert events. She was the star interesting piece was found in the March of the Philco Hour on NBC from 1927- 1959 issue of Popular Electronics." 30. By 1935, a listeners' poll voted her radio's most popular female vocalist. A few months ago, there appeared in During World War II, she performed for the bulletins of various clubs and organi- charities benefiting the U.S. armed ser- zations an item about a new station locat- vices, performed frequently for the troops ed in the Nibi-Nibi Islands. Additional and sold a record number of war bonds. reports on this station have been received Interestingly, a portrait of her hangs at her Part of the drawings included in the from time to time, with the latest report alma mater, Georgian Court College, right exhibit is the design for a tube radio with containing information on new program- down the road from me in Lakewood. its speaker on top that was created for ming. On view for the first time in nearly Crosley around 1955. The radio was The National Geographic Society three decades, the mural also includes never put into production. claims that there is no such island. And over a dozen vignettes illustrating radio's investigation into the situation by several formative events, personalities and veteran DX'ers has failed to locate the achievements. Some of these include original source of the information. It is radio broadcasts to Admiral Byrd in the believed now that the entire episode was a South Pole where they received bi-weekly hoax. While it may have begun as a broadcasts from NBC (Dragonette sang harmless prank, it has, nevertheless, con- during one of these programs in 1929), a sumed the time and efforts of the editors depiction of a rooftop shack that was of many clubs, organizations and DX pro- home to station KDKA and famous radio grams. broadcasts such as the Dempsey-Tunney This sort of thing has no place in prize fight and America's Cup yacht races shortwave listening. It is sincerely hoped of 1899 when Marconi telegraphed results that all DX'ers will be on the lookout for from sea to a land-based station at the such obviously phony reporting and will offices of the New York Herald. The do all they can to discourage any repeti- mural personifies radio by a woman hold- The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian De- tion of this kind. ing a radio at her heart, with music sign Museum is located in the Upper streaming out in waves. East Side's "Museum Mile" in Manhattan OVERHEARD AT OUR MAY The exhibit also features radios de- on 2 E 91st St and is open weekdays and REPAIR CLINIC signed by pioneering industrial designers Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. such as Donald Deskey, Dieter Rams and and until 9:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Henry Dreyfus which are installed along- As an afterthought, while researching side drawings by hand of prototypes for this article, I discovered that this particu- radio consoles and cabinets designed to lar exhibit was registered as a participat- enhance the modern home. The exhibi- ing event in World Radio Day. This ob- tion also underscores the technological servance is held annually on February 13 advancement of radio electronics - from and was established by UNESCO. It was electric powered to portable to digital created as a day to celebrate radio as a media players - and includes examples of medium, to improve international coop- historically significant radios. eration between broadcasters and to en- Typical of the radios displayed is the courage major networks and community Air-King Model 66 "Skyscraper" (1935). radio alike to promote access to infor- During the Great Depression, Air-King mation, freedom of expression and gen- turned to Harold L. Van Doren and John der equality over the airwaves. Gordon Rideout, members of the emer- The theme of the 2017 observance, "I'm working on some pretty big gent industrial design profession, to create with 500 events worldwide, was "Radio projects." May 2017 Volume 23 Issue 5 Page 8