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Forward - The History of Roberts Radio by Richard Roberts (Published 1987)
In 1932 Harry Roberts, founded the Roberts Radio Company in partnership with Leslie Bidmead, and they quickly established an excellent reputation for their high-quality portables. Financed entirely from earnings, the Company's growth has been steady rather than spectacular, yet today in almost two thousand radio shops and department stores you will find Roberts portables prominently displayed, and discreetly showing one of their Royal Warrants.
In the early days Roberts never went in for conventional advertising, preferring to do things that were sufficiently newsworthy as to receive free media coverage. As an example, to promote the idea that a portable radio could express its owner's taste and discrimination, they produced a number of "specials". Some were unashamed stunts, like the one with the solid-gold case, which appeared in newspapers all over the world. More down to earth, but a highly cost-effective exercise in publicity, were a few sets covered in shades of leather-cloth that would have looked more appropriate on deck chairs in colours not normally used for radios. These were sold through Harrods at standard price as 'limited editions'.
The most valuable publicity came simply from demonstrating how good the product was. A request from St John's College, Cambridge, in May 1959, asking whether a compact, battery-powered short-wave set could be provided for the Cambridge Colombian Expedition, which was sailing in a little over a fortnight's time; was received with great excitement. A mention in the expedition's general report was offered in lieu of payment and an RT1 transistor set was hurriedly modified to include short waves, and won high praise by performing impeccably throughout the expedition despite being buffeted about on a pack-mule and exposed to extremes of altitude, temperature and humidity.
The story of this small, family-run business is straightforward enough but worth recounting, both as an example of a company which epitomised the heyday of Britain's broadcast-receiver industry, but also one which survived the industry's subsequent decimation. The fundamental policy of reinvesting profits for growth enabled them to weather the storm. Another important factor was in operating with a small but very loyal and stable work force. The company benefited from having specialised from the outset in a product for which there has been a steadily increasing demand Latterly they have been more active in developing new technologies and products in order to maintain their leading positions within the industry.
Harry Roberts who died in 1969 and those who knew him remember a man
with unusual warmth and integrity engendering respect and affection.
"The History of Roberts Radio" was initially published in 1987 as a
tribute to Harry Roberts adn his wife who had also made a significant
contribution to the company.
