Broadcast van with a wood gas unit, 1940s.

Art & Design History

·2 min read

The state-of-the-art futurist design of the Finnish Suomen Yleisradio national radio station operation circa 1927-1956.

Indoor view of Pori short wave station, 1954.

Yle is Finland’s national public broadcasting service. Suomen Yleisradio (Finland’s General Radio) was founded in Helsinki on 29 May 1926. By 1928 Yle’s broadcasts became available to the whole country. After this the broadcasting network was developed and by the beginning of the 1930s, 100,000 households were able to listen to Yle programmes.

Cut to the 1950s and Yle Suomen Yleisradio were cutting edge, pushing radio and design boundaries.

Welcome to the obscure world of Yleisradio c. 1930-1950.

Radio House in Fabianinkatu, Studio 3, 1935.

A live rooster in the studio, 1930s.

A radio drama studio during Finland’s Continuation War, 1944.

Equipment for making sound effects in the studio, including door and wind machine. 1940.

Radio House in Fabianinkatu, Orchestrastudio. 1930s.

Radio House in Fabianinkatu. 1930s.

Radio House in Fabianinkatu, Orchestrastudio, 1934.

Radio House in Fabianinkatu, anteroom for orchestra. 1930s.

The Finnish Broadcasting Company in 1927, “The Small Studio” at the Aleksanterinkatu . On the left the first condenser microphone. Plus other microphones and devices.

Radio House in Fabianinkatu, green room for orchestra, 1935.

The synchronous clock Syncro-Clock and an oscilloscope made in Yleisradio’s workshop, 1944.

Control room and radio studio in Fabianinkatu headquarters of Yleisradio, ca 1938.

Radio House in Fabianinkatu, control room D, 1934.

A low voltage board destined for Turku broadcasting station in the courtyard of Fabianinkatu radio house, ca. 1939.

The Finnish Broadcasting Company 1927-1934, radio announcing studio at the Aleksanterinkatu 46 premises.

Melodic time signal device for radio, 1930s.

Broadcast van with a wood gas unit, 1940s.

Engineers on the roof of a broadcast van, Helsinki, 1937.

Moving a television antenna onto the Stadium Tower in Helsinki, 1956.

A low voltage board destined for Turku broadcasting station, ca. 1939.

Broadcast van for sound with a wood gas unit, 1939.

Device for airing films on tv and technician Jorma Rautakallio, 1958.

Engineer Eero Frantsila beside Telefunken transmission equipment in Lahti radio station, 1930’s.

Radio House in Fabianinkatu, appliances in the laboratory, 1938.

Technician recording a radio programme by a broadcast van for sound, 1939.