Depression Radio Cost

[studegary]

I am gradually looking through some of the papers from my father. One item struck me that I thought may be of interest to others.

My father worked during the depression, but it was 12 hours per day, six days per week for $12, later (1932) $15 with a promotion with more responsibility. I found a receipt for a radio that must have been a Christmas present for my parents. It is dated 12/20/30. It is for a Model 91 Majestic Radio. The cost was $144.50.

Twelve weeks pay for a radio is hard to comprehend now. I know that electronic items have always come down in price, especially when comparing the different value of the dollar over time.

[Bud]

Majestic built some really nice radios in the early 30's. They were meant for people that could afford a good radio. There were many radios built during that period that could be bought for as little as 20 bucks, but couldn't hold a candle to the better radios in the areas of sound and the ability to pick up weak or distant stations. I've worked on a few Majestic radios over the years. They are built like battle ships and are tougher to repair than some of the lesser radios. Bud

[studegary]

Majestic built some really nice radios in the early 30's. They were meant for people that could afford a good radio. There were many radios built during that period that could be bought for as little as 20 bucks, but couldn't hold a candle to the better radios in the areas of sound and the ability to pick up weak or distant stations. I've worked on a few Majestic radios over the years. They are built like battle ships and are tougher to repair than some of the lesser radios. Bud

That figures. My father was a real radio nut. Supposedly, he and a friend built the first radio in Connecticut. I believe that would have been in the 19-teens. My father never made a living at it, but he did repair radios for others in the 1940s-1950s. There were a lot of radios and radio parts in his home when I cleared it out. One huge chassis made it to the auction and it brought a surprisingly (to me) high bid.

Of my own radios, I left a big, multi band, floor model radio in my last house. The only old radio that I have now is a cathedral top (I believe that is what it is referred to). Both of those radios worked when I last tried them.

[Gunslinger]

It wasn't uncommon at all during those years and the early years of television for it to be not just a radio or television but a piece of furniture.

[8E45E]

My father worked during the depression, but it was 12 hours per day, six days per week for $12, later (1932) $15 with a promotion with more responsibility. I found a receipt for a radio that must have been a Christmas present for my parents. It is dated 12/20/30. It is for a Model 91 Majestic Radio. The cost was $144.50.

It would be relative to this one costing $1250 in 1966. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ghlight=zenith

But with this one, you also got a record player, a tape deck, and stereophonic sound. At the same time, a floor model color TV would have been around the $800 mark.

Craig

[53k]

It wasn't uncommon at all during those years and the early years of television for it to be not just a radio or television but a piece of furniture.

And the family gathered around it to listen to Fibber McGee and Molly, The Shadow and countless other radio programs. I used to run home from school to turn on the old battery-powered Philco (we didn't have electricity) and listen to Jack Armstrong, All American Boy. Rather than miss my programs when my folks were listening to the Philco, I used to sit in the '35 Plymouth and listen to the radio in it. Much over 30 minutes would run down the car battery so I had to be careful with my listening time.

[benaslopoke]

When I first started in a Packard later Oldsmobile dealership in 1956.. All we needed to repair car radios was OZ4 and Vibrator tubes.. Not to contradict any of the repair guru's here, but they were simple then..

[Bud]

Any of the old radios whether they are house or automobile need major surgery to get them back into good and reliable working condition as the capacitors and many of the resistors have deteriorated over the years which can cause a major failure of other parts if the radio is powered up without replacing the bad parts. Trying to find a replacement power transformer or audio output transformer for an old radio because the filter capacitors in the power supply or the coupling caps in the audio section are shorted or leaky and overloaded the transformers is a PITA and expensive. Bud

[sasquatch]

I have a 1932 Silver Marshall multi-band floor model radio which still works. I had all the dried up capicitors replaced back in 1979. A good looking piece of furniture.

[wittsend]

And to think today that a 12 year old kid is "given" an $800 phone and they can listen to virtually any station in the world.

Radios like the Tivoli One ($149 and up) seem to be the "go to" counter top radio today. That is for people who actually still listen to radio. Serial stories on radio were before my time so I have no history of listening to them. That said, there is something that stimulates the mind when reading or listening audibly that television and film just can't do. A film puts a single interpretation on the screen. But when we listen each of us has an independent vision of what is being said that is drawn from our creative mind.

For years I taught Television Production. When the Great Recession came I reluctantly was forced to teach an Audio Production class. For a class project we did two dramatic radio broadcasts based on the concept of the War of the Worlds broadcast in 1938. Since the theme of WOTW was "Panic" one of my students named it the "Panic Project" and the name stuck though each individual project had its own name. The criteria for the students was that it had to happen in real time, present day, out of the ordinary, but at least be somewhat plausible. And like WOTW it had to have an interruptive nature to a regular broadcast. Such notables were "Island - B" where there was an earthquake and a portion of California split off and was sinking, "Freeze Out" when scientist attempted to secretly change the temperature of Las Vegas and the experiment got out of control - FAST! This story had people trying to break into the Snuggy factory and a line from a field reporter stating she was 'in a restaurant freezer, the warmest place she could find.' Frankly I learned as much as the students did as I saw them flex their creative muscles.

So, I envy those of you who had radio (and only radio) as your entertainment source. I'm sure you sparked a few more brain cells than a modern kid does.

[cliffh]

According to the CPI inflation calculator that $12 a week in 1930 would be $173.43 today or about $2.40 an hour. Can't imagine anyone working for that little today, especially 72 hours a week. The $144.50 radio would be $2088.35 in today's money. I remember my dad telling me that he worked for .10 an hour pruning apple trees in the winter during the depression and was glad to get the work. Sometimes all they had for dinner was potato skins fried in bacon grease.

[Skip Lackie]

So, I envy those of you who had radio (and only radio) as your entertainment source. I'm sure you sparked a few more brain cells than a modern kid does.

You may be right about those of us who had only radio as an entertainment source having more brain cells, but unfortunately, most of them have now atrophied to the point that it doesn't make any difference.

One of the local DC stations runs four hours of old-time radio on Sunday nights, and it's one of their most popular segments. The shows are a mixture of kiddie drama (eg, the Shadow), mystery and comedy, and dramatizations of movies (often with the original cast) and books.

I also find it interesting that there's enough interest in audio-only story telling that a whole new industry has now been created to satisfy it. Some of its content is virtually identical to the kind of radio programming that was available 1935 - 1955.

http://www.audible.com/

[Bob Bryant]

Radios! My dad brought home a Silvertone console radio with push buttons just before WWII. Money was scarce and I would be surprised if he paid more than $25-50 for it. He was good at finding deals. He passed in 1943, but not long before he purchased a little Philco Transitone table model for me. It had a broken piece out of the Bakelite case/grille over the speaker. I recall that he said it was $9. I see the same radio today on ebay in the $50-60 range. Today, I visited the antique store where I have items on consignment. There were 2-3 boxes with a radio tube collection that had just arrived. It appears that there are collectors for just about everything.

[Skip Lackie]

Radios! My dad brought home a Silvertone console radio with push buttons just before WWII. Money was scarce and I would be surprised if he paid more than $25-50 for it. He was good at finding deals. He passed in 1943, but not long before he purchased a little Philco Transitone table model for me. It had a broken piece out of the Bakelite case/grille over the speaker. I recall that he said it was $9. I see the same radio today on ebay in the $50-60 range.

The Philco Transitone (which of course has tubes, not transistors) was/is a very nice table radio. I still use my grandmother's Philco Transitone, but mostly to listen to ball games on AM.

[8E45E]

The Philco Transitone (which of course has tubes, not transistors) was/is a very nice table radio. I still use my grandmother's Philco Transitone, but mostly to listen to ball games on AM.

You could have also got a Transitone for your Studebaker: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ght=transitone

Craig