[NJARC] See-thru KTV-brand TV at InfoAge

[john ruccolo]

Hi Folks,

Anyone who has visited the NJARC/NBHOF museum recently
has seen the great new display created by Harry
Klancer and Ray Chase (and Al Klase? Others?).

It features a modern, solid-state color TV set in a
clear, see-thru cabinet, next to a large, working,
mid-30's RCA console chassis with a mirror mounted
underneath so that visitors can get an idea what's
inside those classic old radios. The display allows
visitors to compare a modern, printed-circuit chassis
with a classic vacuum-tube point-to-point hand-wired
chassis.

Oh, BTW, the RCA console is housed in a nice
plexiglass cabinet to protect visitors from
electrocution.

Anyway, I have found the reason for the see-thru
cabinet on the KTV TV. While visiting family in South
Jersey yesterday, I attended a local flea market.
Someone had the identical TV for sale! It had these
interseting orange-and-black "Evidence" stickers on
it. So I asked the seller about it. It turns out that
they are *prison* TVs, and they're clear plastic so
that the inmates can't hide anything inside the TV (or
remove anything). If the "Evidence" seals are broken,
the TV is confiscated. I asked the seller if he was a
correctional officer (dumb question). He said no, he
had "done time" in a minumum-secutiry prison and this
was *his* TV.

He said that the inmates had to buy their own TVs. I
think he said the set was $110 (it's about a 20-inch
CRT set). However, all the cable channels were
provided free -- including premium channels like HBO,
Showtime, Cinemax (he specifically mentioned those).
Ahhh, our tax dollars at work!

Just wanted to pass this little story on.

PS -- I just Googled "KTV see-thru TV" and, sure
enough, there's a lawsuit between KTV and some other
outfit regarding see-thru TV cabinets for prison use!

This is starting to sound like yet another article
that I need to write for the Broadcaster.

Regards,

John


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