Les Dickson, Author at Canadian Vintage Radio Society

Well, that’s the summer just about in the rear-view mirror, and so its time to start thinking about Fall and Winter pursuits again, including vintage radio, or course!

The Fall 2025 CVRS Newsletter (‘Canadian Vintage Radios’) is due for issue in mid-October. I am therefore appealing to all CVRS members to help me, as Editor, by providing some material that can be turned into articles. This could be points of interest (radio or related topics), news/details about your latest (or upcoming) projects or purchases, workshop activities – tough ‘dogs’, quick fixes and failures, tips and tricks, your personal ‘radio history’ and specialist interests, etc. The ’material’ does not have to be in a finished article form – text and photos in an email would suffice, and I will do the grunt work to shape it into an article.

Looking forward to receiving your ‘stuff’ – hopefully over the next 3 to 4 weeks, as the deadline for publishing will be around October 12.

Many thanks in helping to keep the Canadian vintage radio hobby alive and kicking!

Gerry O’Hara, Editor, Canadian Vintage Radios

The Spring 2025 CVRS Newsletter is now available for members at https://canadianvintageradio.com/resources/magazine/current-issue/.

Good Morning. Just reminding you that the CVRS 2025 AGM Zoom meeting is scheduled for 11:00am (Pacific), on June 1, 2025. To join the CVRS AGM Zoom meeting, you must be logged in. For details on how to join the meeting, please click on this link.

We look forward to seeing you there.

The CVRS is inviting you to the CVRS 2025 AGM Zoom meeting, scheduled for 11:00am (Pacific), on June 1, 2025.

To join the CVRS AGM Zoom meeting you need to be a current member and logged into the site.

The information is available at Annual General Meetings.

The Glass Eye Invasion is a follow-up and prequel of sorts to Steve Kosareff's 2005 book, “Window to the Future”. The Glass Eye Invasion examines in great detail the arrival of the first sets in American homes during a very short period of time, 1948-53. The book is lushly illustrated with double-page colour immersive spreads with original artwork and many never before published photographs. (View sample pages at https://a.co/d/hEvLzta)

It begins with a deep dive with the introduction of commercial television sets at the 1939 New York and San Francisco World’s Fairs. Then a look at how dealers were educated in preparation for television sales after World War II. A favourite postwar story is the 1947 RCA Television Caravan which crisscrossed the United States with 12 men and women in six Jeep station wagons demonstrating television at twenty-two United Department stores. Another favourite is the 1950 Television Manufacturers Association’s “There Are Some Things a Son or Daughter Won't Tell You!” ad campaign which featured the faces of distraught children whose family didn’t own a television set. Did you know a famous children’s educator’s reputation was almost ruined because of his participation? Did you know Eleanor Roosevelt was forced to take a public stance? The story has as many twists and turns as a whodunit.

Next is a revisit of the shady television set dealers and repairmen who were lying in wait for an unsuspecting public. Once a family decided to buy a television set from a reputable dealer the biggest concern it faced was where to place it—which doesn’t seem much of a problem today—but when taken into account that homes and families weren’t designed at the time for permanent home theatres it was a major issue.

Then there is the hoopla that surrounded the introduction of the television set with contest winners; Miss Television contests at fairs and exhibitions; dealer sidewalk “sales;” television set theft and violence (against sets); owners who were concerned their sets were watching them, or worse, receiving signals from outer space; and jockeying by patrons in bars (which owned the first sets) for the best place to view sporting events. Most importantly, the book looks at how people were concerned that television would impact their families’ lives, especially children’s education.

Finally, full circle and back to David Sarnoff—who started it all at the 1939 Fairs—predicting television’s future in the last chapter entitled, “This Is 1965!” You’ll find The Glass Eye Invasion—Television Sets Invade the Midcentury Home a fascinating, informative, and entertaining experience that you’ll return to time and again. Available on Amazon.ca.

Update: (May 13, 2025)

This is part of an Estate Sale over two days in Weyburn SK at 918 4th St (South Hill), .
Items are firmly priced, but may reduce during final hours Sunday June 1
Payment can be made by E-transfer to Marna at 306-536-0661
Shipping is possible at buyer's expense
More information can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19742rBRS8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

May 31 / June 1, 2025

Over 800 vintage Radios for sale

Weyburn, SK

IMG 6586

The 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Canadian Vintage Radio Society (CVRS) will take place by Zoom call on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Details are included in the agenda found on the website under Resources => Annual General Meetings. You must log in and download the agenda.

Members who are paid up as of May 3, 2025 are invited.

The Spring 2025 CVRS Newsletter is now available for members at https://canadianvintageradio.com/resources/magazine/current-issue/.

The Winter 2025 CVRS Newsletter is available now for members.

The Christmas 2024 CVRS Newsletter is available now for members.

Merry Christmas and all the best in 2025!