As is often the case with some of these vintage electronics-themed comics,
you need to be privy to the mindset of the readership of the era. The 1948
Radio News magazine audience of electronics technicians and servicemen had
a wide variety of experiences dealing with finicky customers and equipment.
In-home service calls were as commonplace as family doctors making house calls
(I'm old enough to remember both doctor and TV repair visits to our house in the
1960s). 1948 was only a couple years past the end of World War II, a time when
the electronics field was burgeoning with new technology and domestic products
that seemed magic and miraculous to the layman. High quality radios and the
rapidly growing number of broadcasters gave anyone living near even a medium
city a seemingly unlimited number of stations from which to choose. Many of the
shows were still at least partly live, with music and entertainment shows
conducted in the studio. Then, as now, listeners griped about the number and
length of commercials interrupting programs. One of these comics addresses that
topic. Another imply how reliable modern equipment was by expressing boredom
even in the presence of what some guys would consider a benefit justifying the
situation. I'm not sure how the toaster comic fits the electronics theme, other
than maybe because a lot of TV and radio repair shops also serviced and sold
household appliances.
Comics
"We gotta qet it fixed by noon, Charlie, or we'll have to eat
lunch without music!" (January 1948, Page 100)
June 1948 Radio News
[Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early
electronics. See articles from
Radio & Television News, published 1919-1959. All copyrights hereby
acknowledged.
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"We call this one our polite model!" (June 1948, Page 106)
"... and now a word from out sponsor!" (June 1948, Page
150)
"Sometimes I get so bored I wish I were back in radio servicing
again!" (June 1948, Page 158)
"Ah! I see a signal from the control room!" (June 1948,
Page 159)
Posted January 7, 2022
These Technically-Themed Comics Appeared in Vintage Electronics Magazines. I
personally scanned and posted every one from copies I own (and even colorized some).
245 pages as of 11/13/2024
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