Lies and Corporate Excuses

Описание: The world's first shirt-pocket size transistor radio was the Regency TR-1, made in the USA in 1954. After that, American radio makers flooded the market with these cute little shirt-pocket radios, right? Well, no.... No? Why not? Because--these companies later said-- "nobody wanted a pocket radio." Poppycock. Balderdash. Hooey.

What that is, besides poppycock, is an excuse. It is the American corporate excuse for why they were asleep while foreign competition was about to take over the entire consumer electronics industry in America. And they had another excuse, that foreign makers unfairly undercut them in the market with lower prices. I still hear gullible folks today trotting out those same corporate excuses. As you'll soon see, both of these excuses are "dog ate my homework" excuses. In other words, they're.. lies.

It's obvious the public wanted shirt-pocket radios. The Regency proved that. Even though with only four transistors it wasn't a great performer, people still wanted that radio that fit in a pocket. When the Japanese makers began offering radios that fit in a pocket in 1957, their sales success gave Japan a foothold in the American market, which would prove..devastating to the American companies then still asleep.

At those American companies there is no doubt that some of the engineering types were saying to management, "hey, you know, we could do this. We can build them as small as the Japanese can." And no doubt some in the marketing department at those companies were telling management, "Look, we need SMALL radios to sell--give us a pocket-size model. Not just the big honkin' radios that you make us CALL quote/unquote 'pocket size'.. but a real shirt-pocket size radio."

But all though 1955, and 1956, and 1957, and 1958 the CEOs of those companies said "who'd want a pocket-size radio?" Doesn't everyone have servants to carry their radios for them? Yes, I know. I'm guessing that the CEOs of yesteryear were just as out of touch with the needs and desires of real people as they are today. But along about 1959 these CEOs and the corporations they ran could deny the sales numbers no longer. They finally began to feel it. In their wallets--where their feelings are.

And so starting with this model from RCA, an American radio maker was at long last beginning to make a shirt-pocket 6 transistor radio to compete with the Japanese. Other American brands followed suit, like Admiral.. and here's their first shirt-pocket radio. And the first Zenith shirt-pocket, released, like the Admiral, in 1960. What we're featuring today is another 1960 radio, General Electric's first shirt-pocket model, the quite beautiful P-830 and 831 models. This GE was issued in a nice blue color as seen in this book on American Shirt-Pocket Transistor Radios. And this understated gray color, here shown as purchased in its original box. I imagine the lettering on this box would have been more visible when it was new but, hey, it's 65 years old. It says "6 Transistor Radio -- General Electric." As with the RCA, which was sold in an individual box, or as part of a gift set which included an earphone and carrying case, the GE was sold in this individual box and also in a gift pack as shown in this ad.

This elegant little radio sports an underpainted dial--a technique not seen much on American transistor radios, with the exception of those made by the Emerson folks in New Jersey--they loved underpainting at Emerson. And this General Electric has an interesting grille pattern, not just holes, but slots that pick up the design motif of the dial.. AND this grille has an interesting pattern of overlapping circles to boot.. which catch the light in different ways as you turn the radio. Inside, this GE mostly contains American-made parts with the notable exception of the tuning capacitor, a plastic encased Mitsumi made in Japan as was seen in many, if not most Japanese radios. The transistors are by GE itself and are shaped like little top hats and little ovals--two characteristic shapes of their early transistors.

The warranty registration card asks a lot of questions. I can understand most of what they're trying to get out of you with these questions, but some are, well, beyond me. What they expect to learn by asking you what you did with your old radio, I can't imagine.

The Owner's Manual proudly proclaims this "Shirt Pocket Radio" to be the "Smallest General Electric Radio Made." One feature noted is the 2-1/2 inch speaker which they say is, quote "40% larger than in many similar 'pocket' radios." Endquote. Well, with this they're trying to have it both ways with a claim that this radio is both small enough for you, and large enough for you. A neat trick if you can make it stick. ...And over here's the warranty-- a 90 day warranty on parts and a one year warranty on the cabinet. The owner's manual continues with more details about the "Conelrad Dial Insignia," Cabinet Care, and still more talk about Product Service...