Radio Corporation of America
1919-present
The Radio Corporation of America (RC) has manufactured and sold radios, phonographs, televisions, and a wide array of consumer and military electronics products since 1919.
Corporate Timeline for RCA
1919--The Radio Corporation of America was founded in 1919 when General Electric purchased the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America ("American Marconi") at the request of the US Navy. American Marconi, a subsidiary of a British-owned Marconi Wireless, was making equipment for transatlantic transmissions used by the Navy, and it was prudent in the interest of national security to have the assets completely in US hands. On October 17, 1919, GE incorporated the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). On November 20, 1919, RCA acquired the assets of American Marconi and signed a cross-licensing and patent-sharing agreement with General Electric. GE was to manufacture radio equipment, and RCA was responsible for marketing and selling it, and operating the radiotelegraph stations.
RCA was based in Camden, New Jersey. David Sarnoff (1891-1971), a radio operator and later chief inspector for American Marconi, became RCA's commercial manager. He saw the potential market for "radio music boxes" and broadcasts to consumers.
1920--RCA and GE signed another cross-licensing agreement on July 1, 1920 with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T). RCA received AT&T's wireless patents and rights to the triode developed by Lee DeForest. AT&T received an ownership stake in RCA and the use of RCA's and GE's telephone patents.
1921--Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company signed a similar three-way agreement with RCA and GE on June 30, 1921. Westinghouse got a share of RCA ownership in exchange for its radio patents, including that for the Armstrong feedback amplifier, and for the coastal transmission stations (in Belfast, Maine; Siasconset, Massachusetts; New London, Connecticut; Cape May, New Jersey; and New York City) operated by Westinghouse's International Radio Telegraph Company. The United Fruit Company entered into a similar agreement with RCA and GE at a later time.
The upshot of these patent-sharing arrangements was that RCA was at first responsible for marketing and distributing radio equipment made by GE and Westinghouse, but soon could manufacture everything needed for the radio business and operation of its own broadcast stations. The manufacturing arm was named RCA Manufacturing Company in Camden, New Jersey.
1921--Although Westinghouse has credit for setting up the first US commercial broadcasting station, KDKA in October 1920, RCA delivered the first live sports broadcast in the summer of 1921. It was of a fighting match in Madison Square Garden, New York City. In December 1921, RCA set up its first commercial radio station, WDY, which broadcast from Roselle Park, New Jersey at the site of the company plant. After some months, this station was merged with Westinghouses WJZ in Newark, NJ in order to avoid radio interference. In 1923, RCA set up WJZ (now WABC) and WJY in New York City and WRC (now WTEM) in Washington, DC.
1926--AT&T sold its two radio stations (WEAF and WCAP) to RCA, Westinghouse, and GE in 1926. These assets with RCA's stations were organized into a joint subsidiary, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) on September 9, 1926. NBC produced its own programs and sold them to other radio stations across the country, establishing the first broadcast network. The so-called "Red" network reached 25 stations, with WEAF as the flagship operating from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It was inaugurated in November 1926. The "Blue" network with WJZ as its flagship broadcast the Rose Bowl football game on January 1, 1927. This was the first coast-to-coast broadcast.
1929--RCA purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company (incorporated 1901) in March 1929; it was then the world's largest manufacturer of records and phonograph players, including the Victrola line. RCA also acquired the American rights to use as a trademark "Nipper" the dog, featured on phonographs listening to "His Master's Voice." The acquisition was incorporated in April 1929 as a subsidiary called the RCA Victor Corporation of America, and was to act as a sales company of phonograph products manufactured by a firm owned by GE and Westinghouse. In late December, RCA, GE, and Westinghouse agreed to unify all the research into and manufacturing and sales of radios, phonographs, vacuum tubes, and television (which RCA had begun to explore). On December 26, 1929, RCA was accordingly restructured, becoming the RCA Victor Company, Inc. The RCA Radiotron Company, Inc. took over the operation of the GE tube factory in Harrison, New Jersey and the Westinghouse works in Indianapolis.
1932--Although the US government, through the Navy, had encouraged the establishment of RCA in 1919, it became concerned that it had grown too big with all its pooled patents. In 1930 it began an antitrust lawsuit, which was settled in 1932. Under the settlement, the principal owners of RCA--General Electric, Westinghouse, AT&T, and United Fruit--were required to divest themselves of the company and RCA had to repay any debts to the original corporate owners. RCA got to retain all the patents. It became an independent company, and no longer a patent trust.
1933--RCA occupied its landmark building, the RCA building at Rockefeller Center in New York City. NBC followed later in the year. Rockefeller Center became known as "Radio City."
1939--RCA demonstrated a black-and-white television system at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The Federal Communications System authorized the start of commercial broadcasts on July 1, 1941, but World War II slowed adoption. After the war, RCA began selling TVs.
1943--The NBC radio networks were broken up by the FCC after an antitrust lawsuit. The "NBC Blue" radio network was sold to Life Savers candy magnate, Edward J. Noble, and in 1946 became the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). RCA retained ownership of the "NBC Red" network and the name NBC.
1953--RCA's electronic color television system was adopted as the standard for American TVs, now known as the NTSC (National Television System Committee) after the group that approved it. In 1954, RCA brought to market the first consumer color television.
1957--RCA Studios opened in Nashville, Tennessee, where top artists recorded their RCA Victor albums.
1958--RCA launched its first communications satellite, SCORE (Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment). It became a military and aerospace contractor, developing not only radar, sonar, and military sensing equipment, but also missilie guidance and detection systems. In 1958, RCA was the primary contractor on the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), a chain of radar stations across the Arctic. It set up both an Astra-Electronic Products Division to produce satellites, and a Missile Electronics & Controls Department.
1964--RCA was a subcontractor for the Ranger 7 lunar probe satellite, having developed relatively high-resolution cameras that could transmit photographs of the Moon's surface.
1968--NASA selected RCA cameras for the Apollo 7 and 8 program flights. This was the Model RCA Vidicon Monochrom type SSTV (Slow-Scan Television System). RCA color television went to the Moon on Apollo 15, 16, and 17 in 1971-1972.
1969--Radio Corporation of America changed its name to RCA Corporation.
1972--RCA demonstrated its first color video recording systems.
1986--RCA Records was acquired as a subsidiary of the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). In 2004, it became part of Sony BMG Music Entertainment through a merger. In 2008, RCA Records was fully acquired by Sony Music.
1986--the RCA Corporation was acquired by General Electric in June 1986.
Corporate Timeline for RCA
1919--The Radio Corporation of America was founded in 1919 when General Electric purchased the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America ("American Marconi") at the request of the US Navy. American Marconi, a subsidiary of a British-owned Marconi Wireless, was making equipment for transatlantic transmissions used by the Navy, and it was prudent in the interest of national security to have the assets completely in US hands. On October 17, 1919, GE incorporated the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). On November 20, 1919, RCA acquired the assets of American Marconi and signed a cross-licensing and patent-sharing agreement with General Electric. GE was to manufacture radio equipment, and RCA was responsible for marketing and selling it, and operating the radiotelegraph stations.
RCA was based in Camden, New Jersey. David Sarnoff (1891-1971), a radio operator and later chief inspector for American Marconi, became RCA's commercial manager. He saw the potential market for "radio music boxes" and broadcasts to consumers.
1920--RCA and GE signed another cross-licensing agreement on July 1, 1920 with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T). RCA received AT&T's wireless patents and rights to the triode developed by Lee DeForest. AT&T received an ownership stake in RCA and the use of RCA's and GE's telephone patents.
1921--Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company signed a similar three-way agreement with RCA and GE on June 30, 1921. Westinghouse got a share of RCA ownership in exchange for its radio patents, including that for the Armstrong feedback amplifier, and for the coastal transmission stations (in Belfast, Maine; Siasconset, Massachusetts; New London, Connecticut; Cape May, New Jersey; and New York City) operated by Westinghouse's International Radio Telegraph Company. The United Fruit Company entered into a similar agreement with RCA and GE at a later time.
The upshot of these patent-sharing arrangements was that RCA was at first responsible for marketing and distributing radio equipment made by GE and Westinghouse, but soon could manufacture everything needed for the radio business and operation of its own broadcast stations. The manufacturing arm was named RCA Manufacturing Company in Camden, New Jersey.
1921--Although Westinghouse has credit for setting up the first US commercial broadcasting station, KDKA in October 1920, RCA delivered the first live sports broadcast in the summer of 1921. It was of a fighting match in Madison Square Garden, New York City. In December 1921, RCA set up its first commercial radio station, WDY, which broadcast from Roselle Park, New Jersey at the site of the company plant. After some months, this station was merged with Westinghouses WJZ in Newark, NJ in order to avoid radio interference. In 1923, RCA set up WJZ (now WABC) and WJY in New York City and WRC (now WTEM) in Washington, DC.
1926--AT&T sold its two radio stations (WEAF and WCAP) to RCA, Westinghouse, and GE in 1926. These assets with RCA's stations were organized into a joint subsidiary, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) on September 9, 1926. NBC produced its own programs and sold them to other radio stations across the country, establishing the first broadcast network. The so-called "Red" network reached 25 stations, with WEAF as the flagship operating from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It was inaugurated in November 1926. The "Blue" network with WJZ as its flagship broadcast the Rose Bowl football game on January 1, 1927. This was the first coast-to-coast broadcast.
1929--RCA purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company (incorporated 1901) in March 1929; it was then the world's largest manufacturer of records and phonograph players, including the Victrola line. RCA also acquired the American rights to use as a trademark "Nipper" the dog, featured on phonographs listening to "His Master's Voice." The acquisition was incorporated in April 1929 as a subsidiary called the RCA Victor Corporation of America, and was to act as a sales company of phonograph products manufactured by a firm owned by GE and Westinghouse. In late December, RCA, GE, and Westinghouse agreed to unify all the research into and manufacturing and sales of radios, phonographs, vacuum tubes, and television (which RCA had begun to explore). On December 26, 1929, RCA was accordingly restructured, becoming the RCA Victor Company, Inc. The RCA Radiotron Company, Inc. took over the operation of the GE tube factory in Harrison, New Jersey and the Westinghouse works in Indianapolis.
1932--Although the US government, through the Navy, had encouraged the establishment of RCA in 1919, it became concerned that it had grown too big with all its pooled patents. In 1930 it began an antitrust lawsuit, which was settled in 1932. Under the settlement, the principal owners of RCA--General Electric, Westinghouse, AT&T, and United Fruit--were required to divest themselves of the company and RCA had to repay any debts to the original corporate owners. RCA got to retain all the patents. It became an independent company, and no longer a patent trust.
1933--RCA occupied its landmark building, the RCA building at Rockefeller Center in New York City. NBC followed later in the year. Rockefeller Center became known as "Radio City."
1939--RCA demonstrated a black-and-white television system at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The Federal Communications System authorized the start of commercial broadcasts on July 1, 1941, but World War II slowed adoption. After the war, RCA began selling TVs.
1943--The NBC radio networks were broken up by the FCC after an antitrust lawsuit. The "NBC Blue" radio network was sold to Life Savers candy magnate, Edward J. Noble, and in 1946 became the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). RCA retained ownership of the "NBC Red" network and the name NBC.
1953--RCA's electronic color television system was adopted as the standard for American TVs, now known as the NTSC (National Television System Committee) after the group that approved it. In 1954, RCA brought to market the first consumer color television.
1957--RCA Studios opened in Nashville, Tennessee, where top artists recorded their RCA Victor albums.
1958--RCA launched its first communications satellite, SCORE (Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment). It became a military and aerospace contractor, developing not only radar, sonar, and military sensing equipment, but also missilie guidance and detection systems. In 1958, RCA was the primary contractor on the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), a chain of radar stations across the Arctic. It set up both an Astra-Electronic Products Division to produce satellites, and a Missile Electronics & Controls Department.
1964--RCA was a subcontractor for the Ranger 7 lunar probe satellite, having developed relatively high-resolution cameras that could transmit photographs of the Moon's surface.
1968--NASA selected RCA cameras for the Apollo 7 and 8 program flights. This was the Model RCA Vidicon Monochrom type SSTV (Slow-Scan Television System). RCA color television went to the Moon on Apollo 15, 16, and 17 in 1971-1972.
1969--Radio Corporation of America changed its name to RCA Corporation.
1972--RCA demonstrated its first color video recording systems.
1986--RCA Records was acquired as a subsidiary of the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). In 2004, it became part of Sony BMG Music Entertainment through a merger. In 2008, RCA Records was fully acquired by Sony Music.
1986--the RCA Corporation was acquired by General Electric in June 1986.
"RCA Corporation records," Hagley Museum and Library, http://findingaids.hagley.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/2069.xml (accessed 06/19/2015)