Ads tout Tv features

File This ad from The Rock Island Argus of June 27, 1950, was typical of TV ads or the day.

The distance a television sat from a transmitting tower was important in 1950.

Although cable television and satellite dishes have solved that problem for many modern viewers, it was a concern for TV buyers in the early days of television.

A special edition of The Rock Island Argus from June 27, 1950, promoting the debut of WHBF-TV, offered tips on how to buy a television and warnings that television was not harmful for children's eyes.

It also offered plenty of advertisements, though nowhere in the advertising copy are the words cable, digital or remote control.

Many early televisions offered AM-FM radios, and even record turntables.

The black-and-white televisions offered long-lost terms like ``rotoscope'' and ``dyna-power,'' as well as black tubes for greater contrast, ultra-fidelity and mahogany veneer.

Early televisions also had names. Models like the ``Guilford,'' ``Hanover,'' and ``Putnam'' were offered by one company, while another company sold ``Glenwoods'' and ``Hampdens.''

Early television may have offered glamorous names and technology, but sometimes, good ol' fashioned ingenuity could not be beat.

The Argus special section offered one particular product that enhanced viewing technology -- venetian blinds. The advertising said they ``give you the best daytime television reception.''