Transistor radio was bigger than Dallas!
Later generations think of Dallas, as a massive TV show, but in the ’50s it was all about radio.
The transistor radio, to be precise, designed and manufactured by Texas Instruments ( TI).
The transistor itself had only been around since 1947, and TI were faster than J.R. Ewing doing an oil deal to be the first to get radios out there.
Small portable receivers, transistor radios, would swiftly become the most-popular electronic communication device in history – yes, even compared to today’s smartphones and tablets.
Soon, you could use your tranny to listen to the big football match or the latest pop hits, the Queen’s speeches and the shipping forecast.
Billions were made and sold in the ’60s and ’70s, and the big attraction was their small size, letting you tune in anywhere.
Without them, we might never have seen the CD, the Walkman, the MP3 player or iPod.
Small was cool, and ease of use was a must.
In the world of guitar amplifiers, using valves was, and still is, the big thing.
When valves heat up, they impart a beautiful warmth to the tone of your Fender or Gibson, and guitar heroes swear by them.
With ’50s radios, however, the new-fangled transistor was where it was at, as they were relatively light, uncomplicated and wouldn’t burn themselves out any time soon.
They also required far less power, so a small battery would do the job, whether you were listening in from the kitchen while doing the cooking or relaxing on some faraway island.
The Regency TR-1 was what they called that first one in 1954, although they couldn’t persuade RCA, Philco or anyone else to make them – they were among the major radiomakers of the day, and for some reason didn’t fancy this new gizmo.
A man named Ed Tudor did, thankfully. President of Texas Industrial Development Engineering Associates, he predicted sales of 20 million radios in three years.
Alas, while many other companies would jump on the bandwagon and produce their own transistor radios, the TR-1 had a rocky time.
They reckon just one in five of the early ones worked properly, and as they cost $446 in today’s money, they weren’t cheap, either.
TR-1 sold about 150,000 units, while within a year or two, you could get a tiny one, small enough to fit on your wrist, from other makers.
Japan, meantime, was more than catching up, designing them cheaper, smaller and better-looking.
Some things never change!