Radiogram (device)

Lore & Background

Originally made of polished wood to blend with the furniture of the 1930s, many radiograms were styled by leading designers of the day. They were expensive instruments of entertainment for the house, fitted with a larger loudspeaker than the domestic radio. The radiogram soon developed features such as the record autochanger, which would accept six or seven records and play them one after another. Certain recordings could be ordered as a box set combining the recorded piece in order to suit an autochanger set-up.

In the 1940s and 1950s, sales of the radiogram, coupled with the then-new FM waveband and the advent of the 45 rpm single and the LP record, meant that many manufacturers considered the radiogram more important than fledgling television set sales. Later models took on modern lines, piano gloss finish, and plastic and gilt trim of the 1960s. Stereogram versions became available to take advantage of stereo records. As tape formats grew in popularity, some later models also incorporated reel-to-reel tape decks, cassette decks, or 8-track tape players, or the ability to connect external tape decks.

As valve radio development ended in the late 1960s and transistors began to take over, radiograms started to become obsolete. By the late 1970s, they had been replaced by more compact equipment such as the hi-fi and the music centre.

Reader's Guide

Radiograms were a significant domestic entertainment device from the 1930s through the 1960s, combining radio and record playback in a single furniture piece. Their popularity peaked in the post-war era, driven by a growing interest in records and the introduction of the FM waveband, the 45 rpm single, and the LP record. Many manufacturers considered the radiogram more important than television set sales during the 1940s and 1950s. The device evolved from polished wood designs to modern lines with plastic and gilt trim in the 1960s, and stereogram versions accommodated stereo records. Later models incorporated tape formats such as reel-to-reel, cassette, or 8-track. The radiogram became obsolete as valve radio development ended in the late 1960s and transistors took over, being replaced by hi-fi systems and music centres by the late 1970s. Despite being manufactured in huge numbers, certain models from manufacturers like Hacker Radio Ltd., Dynatron, Blaupunkt, Braun, and SABA have become collectable.

Did You Know?

• The word 'radiogram' is a portmanteau of radio and gramophone.
• The American English term for a radiogram is 'console'.