Radio Days

"Radio Nation," an exhibition on view at the Oradell Public Library through March 17, 2012, explores the early days of radio which began in 1920 when the first broadcast stations went on the air and ready-built radio sets became available.
Showcased are numerous radios, radio components and advertising displays made available by local collector Harvey Daniel Rieff, who hopes the educational display will be seen by students, radio enthusiasts and history buffs.

Included among the six radios are a Mickey Mouse Radio painted by Walt Disney artists, an Emerson Wheat Radio made out of "repwood", an RCA “Book” Radio manufactured for the South American market, and an Atwater Kent Model 12 Breadboard Radio invented by the industrialist and radio inventor Atwater Kent, which measures in at a meter in length. Additionally, there are several crystal radios, a fascinating wireless device that many people will be seeing for the first time.

On Wednesday, February 29th at 2 - 4 p. m. and 6 – 8 p. m., and Saturday, March 10th at 12 noon – 3 p. m., Mr. Rieff will be available to answer questions from library visitors.  Groups who are interested in visiting the library should contact Information Services Librarian Gabriella Radujko at (201) 262-2613 to schedule an appointment.

This display has been made possible through the generosity of Harvey Daniel Rieff of New Milford.  Mr. Rieff was a printing major from Rochester Institute of Technology who worked in the printing industry for 25 years, manufacturing printing ink used for perfume boxes and ink used in annual reports for Fortune 500 companies.  In the early 1990s,  he owned a state-of-the-art audio and home theatre boutique in the Tribeca section of New York, working with radio enthusiasts such as John F. Kennedy Jr., John Burroughs, and Bruce Barnes.  He owns over 12,000 recordings in both analog and digital format.  Rieff is also an acoustic guitar player and master cabinet craftsman. In the end, he says, "It’s all about the music."