Evening star., 1933-06-25
MODERNISM HITS
RADIO DESIGNERS
Cabinets, However, Chief
Beneficiary of idea-SmaII
Sets Win Public.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

r XCEPT for fancier cabinet de-
- signs. particularly the note Of
modernism being introduced
IL into the small low-priced mod
els. the radios to be offered on
the market this Fall and Winter are
just about the same kind of sets being
sold now. Unlike previous years. this
month Of June has brought with it no
great radio trade shows for prelim-
mary displays to dealers Of the new
models to BE- marketed during the
forthcoming season. although plans are
afoot for the usual public shows in
New York and other cities this Fall
Nor are the Set-makerS trying to
outdo one another these DAYS in their
claims for this gadget or that. The
simple fact seems to be that the aver
age radio of today. excluding the ex-
ceedingly cheap set that cannot pos
sibly be engineered to embrace the
tone ranges and reproduction of mod
ern broadcasting. is well-engineered
product Of high standard Of quality.
Still Room for Changes.
Not that the ultimate in radio re-
ceivers and reception has been achieved.
Far from l. Television is yet to come,
and with il an entirely new makeup
in the te.evisiol laboratories is we'll
kro,n ID insiders Indeed certain
leaders of the industry aver that form
Of televiSion probably would be ready
for the market today if it were not
for general business conditions
Those who have seen the expert
mental television broadcasts particu-
larly on the newly harnessed ultra
short waves that allow for more wave
lengths and better delineated repro
ductions Of moving images insist that
television today is just about at the
same stage that crystal radio reception
was about a dozen years ago. They
predict faster development and &C
ceptance Of television than of sound
broadcasting, once it emerges from the
laboratory
To the credit Of the leading tele-
vision experimenters it should be added
that they insist upon pursuing their
researches quietly and in such way as
not to arouse false expectations for the
immediate future. Government radio
authorities. in the meantime. have re-
peatedly warned the public against
wildcat" speculation in television
stocks. which are still being offered in
some parts Of the country by promoters
who have not even been licensed by
the Federal Radio Commission to eX-
pertinent with television wave lengths.
Industry Fairly Stable.
If the manufacturing of radio sets
and tubes is a sadly depressed indus
try, it is at least a relatively stable
one today. The radio makers are
hoping, along with nearly all other
inoustrialists. for the business recovery
that will bring greater purchasing
power to the masses. In the mean
time they have found fair market in
replacement sets and tubes. extra small
sets for the home and automobile ra-
dios.
Oddly enough. almost as many ra-
dios are being sold today as were sold
, during the boom years which made
radio an S850000,000 business in 1929.
employing more than 100000 workers
in hundreds OF plants throughout the
country. Interest in broadcast recep-
ton apparently is not on the wane.
But the demand is not fo- quality re-
ception, albeit the techni-a cu2iitv of
broadcasting performances he's achieved
high state.
Small Sets Popular.
BY far the prepondecance of pur-
chasing Of radio sels is concentrated
on the small models. vGr:o,Gly styled
in the trade as midgets. cigar box or
peWee models Fully IS per cent Of
the sets now bring sold fetch the re-
taller less than $50; some sell as low
as So Sometimes these cheap sets
replace high-priced but obsolete cabi-
net models bought in the days when
people had money to spend. Hundreds
of thousands are being bought as aux
iliary sets for the bed room or the
spare room.
1t is estimated in the trade that
fully 100000 radios will be sold this
year. But no one ventures to assert
that the tiny sets can be accepted as
permanent fixtures.