Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains167,818 pages of information and247,161 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Mains Radio Gramophone, radio and television makers, of Bradford

1929 Private company.

1945Radio Rentals acquiredMains Radio Gramophone Ltd, a manufacturing company, in order to ensure the supply of radio sets for its rental business.

1948Mains Radio Gramophone began to produce television sets.

1960Radio Rentals acquired theBaird Company and changed the name of its manufacturing subsidiary in Bradford,Mains Radio Gramophone, toBaird Television, to emphasise its position in the manufacturing of televisions.^[1].

1961 Radio and television manufacturers. 900 employees.^[2]

By 1965-66 The Baird division of Radio Rentals was making very few radio sets.

1966 Radio production finished.

1968Baird employed about 2,400 people making black and white and colour television sets and components at its main works in Bradford.

1967 the Bradford factory was extended by the purchase of an adjoining factory and two other factories were acquired, one at Shipley and one at Batley, making sub-assemblies and components.Baird manufactured a substantial and increasing proportion of its component requirements and tooksome of its loudspeaker requirements from the associatedGoodmans division.

1968Baird produced about 140,000 television sets of which about 10,000 were colour sets.

1967Radio Rentals took about three-quarters ofBaird's output.

1968Thorn Electrical Industries took overRadio Rentals and merged their radio/television activities.

See Also

Sources of Information

• Competition Commission report[1]