MIDDLE ROW - Projection Screen Television

Projection Screen Television
Philco Corporation
Donor: David Kolodzieyczyk

When this television was manufactured, the size of the TV screen was dictated by the size of the picture tube. The larger the tube, the larger the image. However, a large picture tube didn’t fit well in a television cabinet, so Philco developed a system that used a small tube, focusing lens, and reflective mirror to create a nice large picture for family viewing.

Television in Progress

Although some of the earliest experiments with television took place in the 1880s, it was not until 1929 that Vladimir Zworykin, who worked for RCA, developed the modern television picture tube. The development of the television was delayed by the Depression and World War II, but after the war, television became increasingly popular.

A Little Local Station

The Kolodzieyczyk family of Kalamazoo purchased this set in the early 1950s when there were only two TV stations in west Michigan. The first television station in Kalamazoo (WKZO) began broadcasting in 1951. John E. Fetzer, who started Kalamazoo's first radio station in 1931, also owned the TV station. Area residents could also pick up television broadcasts from Grand Rapids beginning in 1949.