The Rise of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA)

Before the 1920's General Electric and Westinghouse Electric were two giant component and equipment manufacturers. They also manufactured vacuum tubes and radio sets. Because of their broad product range, they needed a distribution network to specialize in wireless products and maintain dominance in the US and international market. In 1919 they formed the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Eventually RCA would become a spinoff of these two giants and David Sarnoff, a Russian immigrant who started as a messenger boy at RCA, worked his way up to become the head of RCA. Over the years RCA would acquire Victor Talking Machines and that's where the Nipper (dog listening the grammaphone) logo came from. Under Sarnoff with his technological wizard Edwin Armstrong, RCA would lead in radio technology and guarded their patents with an army of lawyers for years. If you look at many non RCA radios they would have to acknowledge the RCA patents somewhere on the cabinet or radio chassis. RCA would later have its own electronic development divisions and labs where it would design new products that were their own and not GE or Westinghouse. Sarnoff would get into radio then TV broadcasting with the formation of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). RCA would develop the standard of TV transmission and reception, which would later evolve to color television. RCA became the largest producer of radio and television sets in the world and be heavily involved in military and space electronics. Sarnoff basically ran RCA almost until the day he died (retired 1970 and died 1971). Interesting, General Electric, who help spinoff RCA would acquire it in the 1990's as a hostile takeover. GE would only keep NBC and sold everything that made RCA as they once advertised "The Most Trusted Name in Electronics!".