The Pre-War Fight Over Neon Signs And Radio

When Neon Crashed the Airwaves

Strange but true: in the shadow of looming global conflict, Parliament was wrestling with the problem of neon interfering with radios.

the outspoken Mr. Gallacher, demanded answers from the Postmaster-General. Were neon installations scrambling the airwaves?

The figure was no joke: the Department had received nearly one thousand reports from frustrated licence-payers.

Think about it: listeners straining to catch news bulletins, drowned out by the hum of glowing adverts on the high street.

Major Tryon confessed the problem was real. The difficulty?: the government had no legal power to force custom neon Signs London owners to fix it.

He promised consultations were underway, but admitted consultations would take "some time".

In plain English: no fix any time soon.

Gallacher shot back. He said listeners were getting a raw deal.

Mr. Poole piled in too. Wasn’t the state itself one of the worst offenders?

The Postmaster-General ducked the blow, saying yes, cables were part of the mess, which only complicated things further.

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Seen through modern eyes, it’s heritage comedy with a lesson. Back then, neon was the tech menace keeping people up at night.

Jump ahead eight decades and the roles have flipped: neon is the endangered craft fighting for neon signs London survival, while plastic LED fakes flood the market.

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What does it tell us?

First: neon has always rattled cages. It’s always pitted artisans against technology.

In 1939 it was seen as dangerous noise.

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Our take at Smithers. We see proof that neon was powerful enough to shake Britain.

That old debate shows neon has always mattered. And it still does.

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Ignore the buzzwords of "LED neon". Authentic glow has history on its side.

If neon could shake Westminster before the war, it can certainly shake your walls now.

Choose glow.

We make it.

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