The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Early Television As Auxillary For Radio

The August 1939 issue of Popular Mechanics, posted on Modern Mechanix, included this little item about a television receiver that used an AC radio as a speaker.  According to the article, the TV plugged into the radio set "in the same manner that you would connect a record player."  Funny story.  I bought an old, 1940's era floor radio in the Summer of 2010, and it had a button labelled "Phono/Tele" for just such a purpose.  Here is the funny part.  The connection for that 1940's era phonograph or television is the same RCA/phono connector used today on many modern audio/TV systems.  Result:  I can listen to my downloaded swing music using my MP3 player, a cheap connector cable, and this old radio.  No modifications necessary.  Priceless.
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