Zenith

Zenith

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Post 20

 
                          Let's look back at what has been  written so far!

    Twenty (20)  Posts have been published so far in this Zenith Book weblog.  If you want to catch up to what's been published to date, or review a  published Post, how to do it is shown in this Post 20.

This Post 20 includes a summary of all Posts published to date.  If, after reading the summary, if  any Post attracts your interest, you can easily and quickly access it. Just click on the date printed in red ink that is listed next to the Post number.  Note that  the "later" Post is on "top" of the "earlier" Post, so if you want to read Post 5, Post 6 will first appear.  Then just scroll down to Post 5. 

(Note: You don't have to read the following clarification, but if you want to be "clarified," here is the explanation.  Access is based on the little chart labeled BLOG ARCHIVE  that you see on the right of this paragraph.  All posts are listed by date, from  first to last. The number in parentheses:  (1), (2),  indicates the number of  Posts that have been published for the month listed.  Click on any date and  view what comes up. For example, if you want to review Post 5, just click on the date May 14.  Post 6 will appear. Then just scroll down to Post 5. In short, of the  two Posts listed under that date the later Post  is on "top" of the earlier one.)

                            Summary of  the 20 Posts and Their Content
    
Post 1:  February 2014  When you click on this date, Post 2 will appear.  Just scroll down to view this Post 1.

The story of Zenith Radio . . . its early success and eventual failure . . .  help in writing blog needed from the Zenith Radio Pioneers . . . the two principals: McDonald and Nevin . . . named “the Zenith Radio Book” . . . tentative title: A Requiem for Zenith Radio:  The Story of the Rise and Fall of a Great American Company, and the Lessons to be Learned from its Fall . . . please tell your friends and former fellow employees. 

Post 2.  February 2014  
The birth of Zenith Radio . . . born on “a rainy night” . . . McDonald and Karl Hassel . . . McDonald gets it going . . . the first "Znith" radio sets.
Post 3. March 2014   One Post.      

Reference to the Zenith Radio Book Facebook page . . . McDonald and the Porthole Television set . . . ServiceWorld Magazine . . . the story of the Zenith Radio Distributors . . . the question:  What destroyed the Zenith Radio that we all  knew? . . . the Philip Curtis book described . . .  four  other books about Zenith Radio . . . meet Professor Marianne McDonald . . . a request for comments. 

Post 4.  April 2014    One Post.     
Zenith Radio Declares War! . . .  the two cartels explained  . . .  Party Time! . . .  Gene Polley: how he got started with Zenith Radio . . . Polley's memories of McDonald . . . Polley’s major contribution--a "remote control"  and his reward . . . Robert Adler’s contribution . . . Zenith Radio gets into television  . . . McDonald’s profit sharing system . . . the Mizpah . . . preparations for next Post  . . .  Help! Help! Comments needed!

Post 5. May 2014    When you click on this date, Post 6 will appear.  Just scroll down to view this Post 5.        
Brief summary of the Curtis Book . . . author’s role in relation to the Curtis book . . . ZenithRadio declares war (the first installment)   . . . I Attack! (McDonald) . . . the “fleabag” incident . . . now for something completely different:  the Big Bang! (a nearby Zenith factory explodes) . . . the author apologizes (for calling Robert Adler’s "clicker"  remote control a “gizmo.”). . . reference again to the Zenith Radio Book Facebook page.

Post 6.  May 2014            

Zenith Radio’s First War, Second Installment . . . Curtis describes the high court in London (hilarious!) . . .  a tribute to Chicago’s Judge Michael Igoe . . . two questions:  How many of the readers know the story of Zenith Radio’s First War? . . .  how many have read the Curtis book?
Post 7. This Post was not published until now, and that "now" is November 28!  To view it, click on this date:  November 2014  It is now re-numbered Post 19.

Zenith Radio’s first television set plays again! . . (Photo: Brian Mahronic and Zenith Radio Model 1939) . . .old Zenith Radio TV set is shown . . . Antique Radio Club of Illinois is described . . . Sam Kaplan, inventor of the ChromaColor television picture tube, is introduced . . . Robert Podowski writes an account of the early development of Robert  Adler’s ultrasonic-based remote control unit.

Post 8. June 2014    When you click on this date, Post 9 will appear.  Just scroll down to view this Post 8.

 This Post 8 features engineers, executives and others . . . the Hall of Fame in electronics . . . Robert Adler and Carl Eilers are among those listed . . . Carl Eiler’s achievements . . . odd Zenith Radio products:  the Jack-in-the-Box Television Set;  the Batwing Clock Radio; the Roach Motel Cable Box . . . Zenith Radio’s early radio station in Mt. Prospect, Illinois . . . Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago . . . McDonald’s philanthropies . . . photo of Marianne, McDonald’s daughter . . . Help!  Request for comments from readers of the blog.
Post 9.  June 2014
Unhappy announcement: the Zenith Radio breakfast meetings are no more . . . photos of the Medinah banquet meeting hall and five of the attendees  . . . a tribute to Richard and Barbara Alfano who produced the breakfast meetings for ten  years . . . remembering Joseph S. Wright . . . a review of the book “dangerous crossings”--the adventures of Commander McDonald in the Arctic . . .a plea to encourage readership of the blog, and a request for comments.

Post 10. July 2014        When you click on this date, Post 11 will appear.  Just scroll down to view this Post 10.          
Call this Post “Nostalgia” . . . awful pun . . . the Zenith Radio Distributors . . . What does a distributor do? . . . J. S. Williams Company . . . George. H. Lehleitner & Co. . . . name of McDonald’s wife . . . the radios and televisions of Zenith Radio have not been forgotten . . .  Radio Attic . . .  Antique Radios Club . . .. . Grunow Mansion . . . Lost Chicago . . . Florsheim Shoes. . . American Flyer . . . Zenith Radio logo . . . Zenith Radio Stratosphere radio . . . Commander McDonald and the book “dangerous crossings” . . . please encourage readership . . . an apology . . .  Mizpah!

  Post 11. July 2014            

The “epitome”  issue . . . first epitome: a servicing dealer-- Porter Barnes of Evansville, Indiana   . . . a  dealer who sells to Zenith Radio customers . . . a  “mom and pop” operation . . . the largest servicing dealer in Evansville . . . running a small business . . . the importance of advertising . . . the need for support . . . the role of management . . . the importance of the proper location . . . in retrospect . . . a tribute to long-time Zenith Radio engineer Joseph Graziano . . . announcement of  RadioFest . . . the managers of Zenith Radio:  McDonald, Kaplan, Wright, Nevin . . .  Philip Curtis  . . .  Nevin’s career at Zenith Radio . . . Radio Station WEFM . . . profit-sharing  changed . .  . introduction  to Lansdale picture tube factory debacle. 

 Post 12.    August 2014    When you click on this date, Post 13 will appear.  Just scroll down to view this Post 12.

Readers express doubt -- is a Zenith Radio “Book" possible? . . . a dual betrayal . . .  Zenith Radio and the Curtis book . . . two authors of the book-- Curtis and Clarke . . . Lansdale! . . . the brochure . . . the “pitch” for Lansdale.  . . Gene Kinney pitches it world-wide . . . “Let’s turn off the heat” . . . Lansdale now junk . . . What would the Commander have done?

Post 13. August 2014      
The special products of Zenith Radio . . . the special products division . . . description of facilities . . the prime  purpose of the division . . . special products catalog . . . radio set PRR-15(z) based on TransOceanic . . . used in the Cuban Missile Crisis . . . Bell Boy Paging Receiver . . .  more special products . . . the Zenith Radio Uniscope . . . Zenith Radiocon 1 . . .all gone now . . .  Zenith Radio ChromaColor! . . . the patent suit . . . description of the ChromaColor patent . . . a page from the Zenith Radio magazine ServiceWorld . . . the banner of a Zenith Radio publication--"ZTAC News."

Post 14.   September 2014  When you click on this date, Post 15 will appear.  Just scroll down to view this Post 14.
Reviewing the cable box . .  . typical cable box .  . . latest remote control . . . coaxial cable . . . those caricatures again . . . Vito Brugliera . . . ZTAC News . . . example of a cable box circuit  . . . Andy Bellavia teaching . . . Dick Kemp . . . Bill Cohn . . .  the Quality had gone in, but-- . . . sold to Motorola . . . Let’s lighten the mood . . . Zenith Radio in Mt. Prospect in 1925 . . . TV antennas . . . the quarter-horse legal case . . . suspicious television sets . . .  cut to the chase . . .  hold your hats for Post 15!

 Post 15. September 2014

Let’s “cut to the chase”—Once more: the story of Zenith Radio Radio’s First War . . .  the Zenith Radio Stratosphere 1000 radio. . . cost of the $tratosphere 1000, then, and now . . . the Robot Dial . . . four books about Zenith Radio. . . Tom Argy and his invention . . . welcome to the Raulanders . . . how to view previous posts of this blog . . . a review of the contents of the blog (what you are reading now!) . . .  explanation of "Mizpah."
Post 16.  October 2014   When you click on this date, Post 17 will appear.  Just scroll down to view this Post 16.     

Welcome to the Raulanders! . . .  the second installment of Zenith Radio Radio’s First War . . . The loss of Zenith Radio Radio’s Second War, and its effect . . .  a letter from Marco van Beek about his uncle, Pieter van Beek . . .  the story of Helmut Cermak . . . the name “blog” is now “weblog.”

Post 17. October 2014      
Welcome to the new visitors! The readership is growing! . . . meet Gerald Hosier, the richest patent attorney in history …  meet Gerald Lemelson,  the prolific inventor . . . Hosier and  Lemelson join . . .   the prize “machine reading” . . .  the Lemeson Foundation . . . Meet the Commander’s grand-daughter—Bridget Brigitte McDonald . . . a poster from  the 10th and final Zenith Radio Reunion . .  Wayne Bretl provides link to photos of reunion . . . intro to Rauland Melrose picture tube plant . . . repeat of description of the Lansdale Picture Tube Plant . . .  notice:  Zenith Radio idles Rauland Melrose—somebody turned off the heat at Lansdale—total loss! . . .  some Errata . . . Zenith Radio Radio’s “immortal” products--radios . . . a “plug” for Wikipedia . . . how to contribute to Wikipedia . . . Russ Miller’s new mystery, Death of a Spycatcher.

Post 18. November 2014   
Format change! . . .  Post 18 summary . . . feeding the web crawlers . . . the Rauland Picture Tube Plant in Melrose Park, Illinois . . . E. Norman Rauland . . .  the Rauland Borg Corporation  . . . .Norman Kidder and William Krucks . . . . a letter from Howard Lange . . . Sir Isaac Newton . . . Death of a Spycatcher . . . Biography of Edward R. McDonald, Jr. . . . spread the word!  Mizpah. 

Post 19. November 2014

Zenith Radio’s first television set plays again! . . (Photo: Brian Mahronic and Zenith Radio Model 1939) . . .old Zenith Radio TV set is shown . . . Antique Radio club of Illinois is described . . . Sam Kaplan, inventor of the ChromaColor television picture tube, is introduced . . . ChromaColor and its loss to Zenith Radio . . .  Sam Kaplan, the President of Zenith, and Revone  Kluckman, another president, both R.I.P . . . early Zenith incredible stock profit . . . description of Zenith’s Plant 2. . . Ed Brown and Dr. Ellett .  . . McDonald  and product quality . . . photos of Frank Crotty and Philip Curtis . . . Karl Horn, R.I.P  . . . Mizpah!

Post 20.  December 15

There isNo summary of Posts in this Post! --because you are reading a summary of all the Posts to date.  To see what Post 20 has summarized, just look back over the summaries of the 19 Posts to date, from February through November. 

Now let’s pause in this weblog because  . . .  “It’s Christmas, Ebenezer!”—which is what Mr. Fezziwig said to the young clerk Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Then they set to exchanging presents and dancing. And they all got Christmas Day off--the whole day!  

So may you have a Most Merry Christmas.  AND—watch for Post 21 on January 15 of the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Fifteen. So it will be another month before another Post appears, and it be Post 21. (I have stuff to do in the interim. I bet you do, too.)


                                                                           
 
Mizpah!