Philo worked for Philco and they ruled!

In the 1970s a Philco television was a cheap tv that appliance sellers didn't even promote. The old radio in the garage missing a knob covered in dust was probably a Philco. The name signified cheap and easily replaced.

Turns out Philco was a major brand that revolutionized electronics! They weren't just a small company that produced crap, they were the BEST for a long time.

The story of Philco starts early in the last century. Helios Electric Company made batteries. Radio became the big medium for information and Helios got into that field. They became Philco and produced radios. 

Ever see those movies that take place in the 1930s? They have that tabletop radio with the rounded top and the big switch in the front? Guess who made it. The Philco cathedral radio was the radio to own in the 1930s. 

Philo Farnsworth invented the cathode ray tube that made television possible. I always thought that Philco stood for Philo (Farnsworth) Company shortened to Philco. No. Philco was around before Philo, actually Philo worked for Philco.

Philco becomes the radio to own, television maker and in 1939 remote control radios. That last one doesn't take off and they get out of that by 1941. The first commercial television set for consumers came out in 1948. It had a ten inch screen and cost $395. The average salary at that time was $3600.  That would make average weekly income around $69 before taxes. 

Philco will produce the Philco Playhouse on tv, an anthology series from 1948 to 1955.

People love cars. To listen to radio you had to have your radio where it picked up reception and sat there Radios were stationary in the house. Philco will invent the technology to have radios in cars. Now your radio can get reception while in movement.

Philco can't lose. They produce air conditioners, refrigerators, home freezers, electric ranges, laundry machines and dryers. 

They have a government contract to produce a computer in 1953. Transac, a computer used in fighter jets, made by Philco. In 1960, NASA starts the Mercury program of space exploration. Philco made the network tracking software. 

With this high the company was prized by investors and that's when it fell apart. Ford bought out Philco to get the exclusive for their cars. Consumer tastes change and the big console radio wasn't as popular. America wanted the smaller transistor radio produced in Taiwan. Radio shows gave way to television so families didn’t sit by the radio to listen to stories. 

Philco got out of appliances and in 1974, Ford sold Philco to GTE. 

It lead to a slow decline to where Philco was the junk television and radio.