Radios from the 1950s
The 1950s were years of huge changes for radio. Television quickly edged out radio as the preferred medium for storytelling. Although a handful of old-time radio shows lingered into the early fifties, most stations went to an all-music format. Radio introduced the nation to the excitement of rock-n-roll and birthed the Top 40 record hit list.Although the invention of the transistor led to the proliferation of tiny radios that people could carry in their pocket and listen to anywhere, standard tube radio sets continued to sell. Many were in plastic or Bakelite now instead of wood, and small tabletop models that could be moved from room to room became the norm.
The radio sets from the 1950s reflect the same space-age design sensibilities as the tail-finned cars of the time -- and most of those cars were themselves radio-equipped. Ultra-modernity was the rage. For the collector, the range of radio models from this era is truly astounding, and there are still a huge number of 1950s sets available, many at quite reasonable prices.
 |
