When Neon Signs Crashed The Wireless
When Neon Crashed the Airwaves
It sounds bizarre today: in June 1939, just months before Britain plunged into war, MPs in Westminster were arguing about neon signs.
Gallacher, never one to mince words, demanded answers from the Postmaster-General. Was Britain’s brand-new glow tech ruining the nation’s favourite pastime – radio?
The figure was no joke: around a thousand complaints in 1938 alone.
Think about it: the soundtrack of Britain in 1938, interrupted not by enemy bombers but by shopfront glow.
Postmaster-General Major Tryon admitted the scale of the headache. But here’s the rub: shopkeepers could volunteer to add suppression devices, but they couldn’t be forced.
He promised consultations were underway, but admitted consultations would take "some time".
Translation? Parliament was stalling.
Gallacher pressed harder. People were paying licence fees, he argued, and they deserved a clear signal.
From the backbenches came another jab. Wasn’t the state itself one of the worst offenders?
The Minister squirmed, 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. Neon Dreams London was once painted as the noisy disruptor.
Fast forward to today and it’s the opposite story: the once-feared glow is now the heritage art form begging for protection.
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Why does it matter?
Neon has never been neutral. From crashing radios to clashing with LED, it’s always been about authenticity vs convenience.
In truth, it’s been art all along.
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The Smithers View. When we look at that 1939 Hansard record, we don’t just see dusty MPs moaning about static.
That old debate shows neon has always mattered. And that’s why we keep bending glass and filling it with gas today.
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Don’t settle for plastic impostors. Glass and gas are the original and the best.
If neon could jam the nation’s radios in 1939, it can sure as hell light your lounge, office, or storefront in 2025.
Choose the real thing.
You need it.
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