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Around the office we've recently been reminiscing about oddly shaped mics like those used on TV by Bob Barker and Gene Rayburn. This ad from Broadcast Engineering in January 1969 shows that because of its shape, this Electro-Voice RE55 took some convincing: The ad says, “The more you listen, the better it looks.” The RE55 was cased in steel with a satin nickel finish, had a wide-range, omnidirectional dynamic and featured an exclusive Acoustalloy diaphragm that could provide “undistorted output in sound fields so intense as to cause ear damage.” But, the ad also states that the mic's long design is merely a convenience factor. Its diameter of ¾" fits nicely in the hand and is great for interviews. So maybe there isn't such huge significance to it's shape, but mics like this sure made the Barkers and Rayburns of our time look good.

Do you have interesting radio ads from the past? Tell us about it at radio@RadioMagOnline.com.

The man in the middle of this photo is Lord Kelvin, an Irish mathematical physicist and engineer who died in 1907. He is most famous for inventing the Kelvin scale of temperature measurement, but later in his career he also invented and engineered the electrical telegraph. This photo is one of many featured in Inecom Entertainment Company's DVD release, Westinghouse, due out April 8. The video focuses on the life and legacy of George Westinghouse and his partnership with Nikola Tesla. Westinghouse was a pioneer in broadcasting and founded KDKA, the first commercial broadcast radio station in the country.

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According to the Consumer Electronics Association, sales of in-vehicle consumer electronics will grow at a rate of 13 percent in 2008 to more than $12.8 billion. The study also reports that the typical American spends nearly 17 hours a week in his vehicle. That's a lot of technology usage! Here is a look at the growth trends over the past five years.

Source: U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast, Consumer Electronics Association, January 2008

Note: 2007 data is estimated, 2008 data is projected