When was transistor radio

The Regency TR-1 radio was a slim, five-inch high, plastic box with a large round radio dial and a smaller volume dial. Regency sold the transistor radios in a variety of colors, and consumers snapped up the radios within a few months. American radio companies were slow to adopt these radios into mass production, however.

A Japanese company by the name of Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo filled the transistor radio production vacuum. Changing their name to the more pronounceable Sony, the company dedicated its entire production to creating transistor radios for the American consumer. The transistor radio made news, information and music instantly mobile. The tiny radio fit perfectly into the pocket and the American society was primed for the transistor radio: prosperity and disposable income grew to exponentially high levels after World War II, and the population explosion and interest in faster and more efficient appliances and devices grew with it.

While the Regency sold out everywhere, it didn't stay on the market. Texas Instruments caused the sensation it wanted and then moved on to other things. But over in Japan, a tiny company had other ideas.

A tape recorder manufacturer called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo had also decided to make small radios. In fact, they were going to devote their whole company to commercial products like that. Tsushin Kogyo was close to manufacturing its first radios when it heard that an American company had beaten them to the punch.

But they kept up the hard work, eventually producing a radio they named the TR The only problem was that the company name was unprouncable for Americans.

They needed a new name. Your email address will not be published. The Powerhouse acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the ancestral homelands upon which our museums are situated. We respect their Elders, past, present and future and recognise their continuous connection to Country.

Inside the Collection. Share: Email this. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Follow Us. Related The conservation of a transistor radio.