22
June, 1930
PREST 0-T I M E S
of directors of the Radio Manufacturers Association,
and its appeal to the public so widespread that it
will always stage a snappy comeback from any period
of depression.
"Any new industry encounters rapid changes in its
early stages," Mr. Bloom says, "but none has ever
equalled the pace set by radio in the seven years of
its commercial existence. Improvements followed
one another so rapidly that the manufacturers would
hardly incorporate a change before a new one would
come along. This made it difficult for the public as
they had no standards on which to base a purchase.
"Today it is safe to say that the fundamentals of
radio have reached the point where refinements will
be in order rather than radical changes. The person
who buys a set today may feel reasonably sure that
it will be just as useful and efficient in five years as
at present.
"The broadcast companies are giving wonderful
programs with the greatest artists. That they are
appreciated is reflected in the fact that the sales of
radio in 1929, in spite of the disastrous stock market
crash, were over eight hundred million dollars."
Five Million Sets Made in 1929.
"In 1929 approximately 5,000,000 sets were made."
said Morris Metcalf, treasurer of the American Bosch
Magneto Corp., Springfield, Mass. "At least 10 per
cent of this amount were made by companies who are
no longer in business. However, all new industries
pass through definite stages of exploitation, overpro-
duction, mortality and stabilization. I believe the
radio industry is approaching the latter. If so, radio
is well on the highroad to success.''
Fine Cabinets.
"We have contended from the beginning that ulti-
mately a radio cabinet would be a piece of furniture
and therein would lie contained the phonograph, radio
and loud speaker," said David E Kahn, president of
the Federal Wood Products Corp., New York. "Since
we believe this year is the year for this development,
we have directed our staff ot engineers to design cab-
inets which are authentic reproductions of period
furniture."
Prices Due for Upswing.
"The public as a whole wants to teel. and should
feel, that a set purchased today represents a stable
value that will give satisfaction and pleasure for a
long, long time." said B. J. Grigsby, chairman of the
board Grigsby-Grunow Co., Chicago.
"The greatest message, in my opinion, that can be
given to the American public right now, as regards
radio, is that weak and faulty methods of manufac-
ture have fallen of their own weight—that if a radio
set is purchased today from a reliable store and
bears the name plate of a reliable nationally known
manufacturer, it represents a value greater in relation
to purchase price than is obtainable in almost any
other type of industry. Prices of quality radio re-
ceivers are unquestionably due for an upward swing."
Reproducing Phonographs.
"Public interest in combination radio sets and elec-
trical reproducing phonographs should be even
greater this year than last." said Joseph L. Ray, vice-
president of the RCA-Victor Corp., Inc. New York.
"The public is just beginning to realize the immense
improvements in electric recording and in electrical
reproduction over the old-type phonograph, and to
appreciate the satisfaction of being able to have the
music they want when they want it."
Facing Future with Confidence.
Herbert II. Frost, president of the Utah Radio
Products Corp.. Chicago, said: "Conditions within
the radio industry during the last six months have
brought about drastic changes and only those found
to be fit have survived. The radio industry as it
stands today, including manufacturers, jobbers and
dealers, has completely recovered and faces tlie fu-
ture with great confidence."
"I have no doubt about the future of radio," said
A. Atwater Kent, president of Atwater Kent Mfg.
Co.. Philadelphia. "My belief in its future, which
impelled me to expand my production facilities, is
stronger than ever. The outstanding feature in 1928
was the all-electric receiver. Nineteen twenty-nine
saw the introduction and adoption of the screen-grid
principle. This year will bring many refinements
and improvements. The number of radio users is
increasing."
Got Rid of Straw Men.
"During its comparatively brief existence," said
M. F. Flanagan, executive secretary of the Radio
Manufacturers Association, "radio has carried more
straw men than the proverbial camel carried single
straws, and yet its backbone is as rigid as ever.
True, it has been necessary to shake off the 'excess
baggage,' and in so doing, there naturally had to be
little whirlwinds of chaff flying around getting in
people's eyes. But the great bulk of the industry has
always been ahead of this dust storm."
Sound-Proof Demonstrating Rooms.
Rooms had been built of sound-proofing material
along the outer walls oi the big auditorium, in order
that the receivers might be demonstrated without
RADIO'S GREAT SHOW AT
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J.
Large Attendance, Numerous Exhibits by Pushing Manufacturers Who Show
Latest as Well as Standardized Products, and Keen Interest Taken
Latest developments and standardized products
both received keen attention at the Sixth Animal
Convention and Trade Show of the Radio Manufac-
turers' Association, held in the Civic Auditorium,
Atlantic City, June 2 to 6 inclusive. While the attend-
ance was not so great as at Chicago last year, it was
large, and it gave the East a chance to have a con-
vention without traveling so far to the great central
city of the continent.
Atlantic City is a very attractive place, especially
in the bathing season, hut Dame Nature took a
freakish notion to furnish cool weather most of the
week—actually chilly in the evenings, visitors from
as far notrh as Milwaukee said—and that put a set-
hack on the swimming.
In the exhibits, one of the foremost trends notice-
able was the preponderance of electro-dynamic speak-
ers and screen grid tubes.
In circuits, the screen grid tuned radio frequency
principle is this year, without exception, the most
popular, a good many sets using five tuned radio
frequency circuits.
In the audio end. push-pull
amplification seemed to be still the most popular.
In cabinets, the highboy seemed to he the most
popular, with quite a few lowboys and a large num-
ber of semi-highboys. Woods of contrasting shades
make all cabinets a striking improvement over the
radio cabinets of years gone by. Almost every man-
ufacturer is making a radio-phonograph combination.
The number of new improvements and refinements
shown was large, particularly tone control, automatic
volume control, provision for remote tuning control
and some method for quickly and easily identifying
the station when it readies the peak of reception as
the dial is being turned.
Also, for the first time at an RMA Trade Show,
television receivers were shown, both as complete
receivers and in kit form for home assembly.
OFFICERS ELECTED
Morris Metcalf of Springfield, Mass., vice-presi-
dent of the Bosch Magneto Corporation, was elected
president of the Radio Manufacturers' Association
to succeed H. B. Richmond. Mr. Metcalf, a graduate
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been
with the Bosch organization for seven years, follow-
ing a long career in the industrial field.
Other officers of the Radio Manufacturers' Asso-
ciation also elected are as follows:
First Viee-President—Joseph L. Ray of New York,
vice-president of the RCA-Victor Co.
Second Vice-President—B. G. Erskine of Empo-
rium, Pa., president of the Sylvania Products Co.
Third Vice-President—Arthur L. Walsh of Orange,
N. J., vice-president of Thomas A. Edison, Inc.
Treasurer—E. N. Rauland of Chicago, president of
the Rauland Corp., 3341 Belmont avenue, Chicago.
Additional members to the board of directors, to
serve a three-year term, were elected as follows: H. S
Hyde, Radio Master Corp.; R. W. Jackson, Bruns-
wick Radio Corp ; Ernest Kauer, Ceco Manufacturing
Co.; A. C. Klockner, Webster Electric Co.; James M.
Skinner, Philadelphia Storage Battery Co.
Banquet and Fun.
The big banquet of the RMA on Wednesday night,
June 4, was attended by between 2,000 and 2.5C0 per-
sons. Sixteen acts of vaudeville and other work of
stage stars kept the diners together until almost
1 a. m.
Proposes Exchange of Patents.
H. B. Richmond, president of the Radio Manufac-
turers' Association, talked in favor of interchange of
patents among radio manufacturers, and urged this
method as a solution of the patent problems that are
causing worrisome contentions today.
"Acuteness of the radio patent problem," said Mr.
Richmond, "arises from the lack of Central control of
radio patents. It is the decentralization of patents,
rather than antagonistic patent control that disturbs
the industry at the present time. I predict that if
some solution is not found for this patent problem
before long the majority of manufacturers of radio
products will find themselves forced out of the busi-
ness. Once a patent interchange plan is effective and
a suitable central patent bureau established, the indi-
vidual manufacturers would never again be con-
fronted by the necessity of investigating or contesting
a vast number of patents annually."
Console Cabinets Dominate.
The console cabinet with dynamic loud-speaker was
the dominating factor this season at the radio exhibit,
according to Orrin E. Dunlap, Jr. Several of the
large manufacturers have abandoned the table-model
receiver. More of them are including the phono-
graphs in combination with the radio set.
MAJESTIC CHICAGO CARAVAN.
One of the most impressive and progressive of the
large groups was the Grigsby-Grunow crowd of offi-
cials and workers—more than fifty of them—from
Chicago, whose arrival at the Hotel Ambassador as
the Majestic Chicago Caravan, accompanied by the
Majestic Hand, created a sensation. All arrangements
for their accommodation and programs had been made
by James Davin and Earl L. Hadley, of the Grigsby-
Grunow offices.
The work for the press was taken care of by Duane
Wanamaker, vice-president in charge of advertising
and his assistants, M. W. Thompson and A. C. Mac-
Mullan. Mr. Wanamaker announced the first half of
the Sunday night Majestic Hour program, the other
half being announced at the Studio in New York city.
President W\ C. Grunow was present in person at
the convention, busy and pleasant. A host of others
prominent in the Grigsby-Grunow Co. were present,
including H. B. Young, of the executive committee;
James Bristol, credits and finance; Ray Erlandson,
educational and American School of the Air; H. E.
Kranz, engineering; H. J. Scheel, export; Lee Sey-
mour, Majestic Theater of the Air; George Cook,
public relations; George Burke, railroad traffic man-
ager; H. E. Kranz, refrigeration; F. A. Delano,
Majestic Sales School; George Burke, transportation;
Ed. Reidel, tubes; Vince Corcoran and Verne Trem-
blett, Voice of the Air. Of the district sales man-
agers in attendance the reporter noticed Milton Bar-
rett, C. B. Corbin, J. D. Dalton, G. P. Ellis, L. E.
Hilduser, J. P. Miller. J. O. Mueller, T. S. Orr. P. W.
Peck, VV. T. Vollborth.
Playing for Crippled Children.
The crippled children of Atlantic City were enter-
tained in a special program on the Board Walk by
the Majestic Band, and the attendance of onlookers
was immense. Then th.ere were a number of the
crippled little folks who were not in shape to come
out of doors, so the band went into the hospital and
played its program all over again for these less
fortunate ones.
Majestic Distributors.
Some of the Majestic distributors who were quar-
tered at the Ambassador Hotel were: Air Ola Radio
Co., Inc., Huntington, VV. Va.; Harry Alter Co., Chi-
cago; Badger Radio Corp., Milwaukee; Benwood-
Linze Co., St. Louis; Capital Electric Co., Atlanta;
Capital Electric Co., Indianapolis; Cooper-Louisville
Co., Louisville; Detroit Electric Co., Detroit; J. E.
Dilworth Co., Memphis; Eisenbrandt Radio Co., Balti-
more; Forbes Radio & Refrigerator Co., Birming-
ham, Ala.; Hamburg Bros., Pittsburgh: Harbour
Longmire Co., Oklahoma City; Hieb Radio Supply
Co., Des Moines; Intermountain Majestic Co., Den-
ver; Kimball-L T pson Co., Sacramento; Majestic Dis-
tributing Co., Seattle.
Majestic Dist. Corp. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati;
Majestic Distributing Corp., Tampa; Majestic Dis-
tributing Corp. of Cleveland, Cleveland; Majestic Dis-
tributors, Inc., Boston; Majestic Distributors, Inc.,
New York; Majestic Products Co., Inc., Albany;
Majestic Wholesalers, Inc., Buffalo; Nevada Auto
Supply Co., Reno; North Ward Radio Co., Newark;
Thomas J. Northway, Inc., Rochester; Peirce-Phelps,
Inc., Philadelphia; R. S. Proudfit Co., Lincoln. Neb.;
Radio Equipment Co., South Bend; Radio Equip-
ment Co. of Texas, Dallas.
Radio Sales Co., Memphis; Roberts Toledo Co.,
Toledo; Roycraft Co., Minneapolis; Shaws, Inc.,
Charlotte, N. C ; Southern Hardware & Bicycle Co.,
Jacksonville, Fla.; Specialty Service Co., Brooklyn;
Sterling Radio Co., Kansas City; Thompson &
Holmes, Ltd., San Francisco; Ungar & Watson, Los
Angeles; United Electric Supply Co., Salt Lake City;
Woodhouse Electric Co., Norfolk, Va.; Woodward-
Wight Co., New Orleans; Rogers Majestic Corp.,
Toronto.
Trade to Be Better.
Interviews with prominent radio men at the con-
vention disclosed that it is generally felt that the
low point of the present depression has been reached
and that from now on the keynote will be "onward
and upward."
The fascination of radio is so great, according to
Nat P. Bloom, president of the Adler Manufacturing-
Co, of Louisville, Ky., and a member of the board
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