Atwater Kent Radios, Parts, Accessories
A. Atwater Kent established his Atwater Kent Manufacturing Works in Philadelphia in 1902 to make electrical products such as batteries and telephones. In 1906 Kent developed an automobile ignition system that became the industry standard. After World War I, he became interested in radio. He produced his first radio components in 1922 and his first complete radios in 1923. By 1925 his company had become the largest maker of radios in the United States, boosted in part by the "Atwater Kent Hour," a program broadcast throughout the country. In 1929 the company reached its peak, with more than 12,000 workers manufacturing almost a million radio sets. By 1931, though, as a result of both the Great Depression and competition from other manufacturers, the average cost of a radio had been reduced from its 1929 high of $128 to $78. Companies such as Philco that focused on more affordable models soon captured the market. Faced with steadily declining sales, the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company closed in 1936.