When Neon Signs Crashed The Wireless

1939’s Strange Neon vs Wireless Battle Looking back, it feels surreal: in June 1939, just months before Britain plunged into war, Parliament was wrestling with the problem of neon interfering with radios. Gallacher, never one to mince words, stood up and asked the Postmaster-General a peculiar but pressing question. How many complaints had rolled in about wireless sets being ruined by neon signage? The figure was no joke: around a thousand complaints in 1938 alone.

Imagine it: listeners straining to catch news bulletins, drowned out by the hum of glowing adverts on the high street. Postmaster-General Major Tryon admitted the scale of the headache. But here’s the rub: shopkeepers could volunteer to add suppression devices, but they couldn’t be forced. He said legislation was being explored, but warned the issue touched too many interests. In plain English: no fix any time soon. Gallacher shot back.

He said listeners were getting a raw deal. From the backbenches came another jab. Wasn’t the state itself one of the worst offenders? The Minister squirmed, basically admitting the whole electrical age was interfering with itself. --- Seen through modern eyes, it’s heritage comedy with a lesson. Neon was once painted as the noisy disruptor. Fast forward to today and it’s the opposite story: neon is the endangered craft fighting for survival, while plastic LED fakes flood the market.

--- So what’s the takeaway? Neon has never been neutral. It’s always pitted artisans against technology. Second: every era misjudges neon. --- The Smithers View. We see the glow that wouldn’t be ignored. That old debate shows neon has always mattered. And it still does. --- Ignore the buzzwords of "LED neon". Authentic glow has history on its side. If neon could jam the nation’s radios in 1939, it can sure as hell light your lounge, office, or storefront in 2025. Choose the real thing.

We make it. ---


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