An Early RCA TV Model The 1939 World's Fair tuned us toward the intrigue of television. In 1939 RCA had two TV sets with sound available - a 9 inch and a 12 inch screen. The price ran about 600 dollars. There were not many TV shows and not many people owned a TV set. At the end of 1947 there were 12 TV stations, that's the year that Howdy Doody premiered. In 1948/1949 there were some big shows such as The Lone Ranger, The Milton Berle Show, Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. By the early Fifties there were more shows on TV. And there were more television set brands available for purchase. There was RCA, Philco, Teletone, Hoffman, Andrea, Crosley, Westinghouse, National, Dumont, Bendix, Capehart-Farnsworth and more - about 100 different brands. 1957-1958 TV Prices: 14 inch portable TV $129; 21 inch color TV Console $750. |
Early 50's Hoffman TV
