What's so great about RCA?

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by kx250rider

From an ethical standpoint, RCA should be shunned, as David Sarnoff was basically Russian mafia man, ... and he was responsible for the suicide of Edwin H. Armstrong, and would crush any smaller company who might have had a better idea than his.

Story I heard had it that Sarnoff, at the time friendly with Armstrong, asked him to develop a noise free radio receiver. Armstrong came up with FM, not what Sarnoff had in mind, as FM would require all new transmitters in a new radio band. Sarnoff wanted a noise free AM receiver (he was the CEO, not an engineer...). And Sarnoff saw this new FM radio system as a competitor to has baby: Television. Maybe if Armstrong mentioned to Sarnoff that if television used FM for the sound, Sarnoff and RCA would have a killer app. But this is Monday morning quarterbacking... Anyway, Sarnoff was mad when the FCC mandated FM for TV sound, as he didn't want to pay patent licensing to Armstrong. Armstrong's widow eventually prevailed in the lawsuit, but Armstrong suicided before then. Not a high point in RCA corporate history...