At the dawn of radio, they were expensive pieces of equipment.
Even basic crystal sets were beyond the working man's budget, as the technology improved and mass production started, radio prices came down and sales went up.
Radio sales & repair was big business, from swanky showrooms to small cycle shops, it was certainly a boom period.
The same thing happened when the Television service started in 1936.
After the war when the Television service restarted in 1946, sets were an expensive luxury for the privileged few, but by 1950 prices had come down to affordable levels with sets like the 9" Pye & Bush models being made in large numbers.
The trade was again in a real boom period, it was not uncommon to have four or five retail/repair firms in one town.
The introduction of independent television in 1955 was yet another shot in the arm for the trade.
By 1960 things were not looking so rosy for sales, but the repair business was still brisk.
The 1960's saw the introduction of a third channel on the new 625 line UHF service and the start of colour in 1967, the early 70's saw another boom period thanks to the uptake of colour TV.
Something like 75% of colour sets were rented, so rental outlets like DER & Visionhire were expanding rapidly.
The rental boom continued into the 1980's with the introduction of video recorders, Teletext & Nicam stereo.
By the end of the 90's the rental business had more or less collapsed due to set prices going down & reliability going up, nearly all sets were now imported.
The early 2000's were the beginning of the current throwaway culture.
Just look at how prices have dropped, the first flat screen sets cost over £1,000, now you can buy a 32" set for £120!
Attitudes have certainly changed, no longer do people bother repairing anything, apart from their mobile phone!
Long gone are the days when people valued their sets & were happy to have them repaired.
It is very sad to look back at the death of the British TV industry, the loss of jobs in both the manufacture & repair business.
The once famous and respected brand names are now just a badge stuck on a generic Chinese set with a life expectancy of two or three years
I guess that is why we love restoring vintage sets that were hand made by people, designed to be repaired, made of wood & metal, not made by a robot & encased in plastic!
Mark