05-10-2020, 08:47 AM
Here's a shortened link that doesn't tell the BBC that we arrived at the story from Facebook: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-54376337
While I can't speak for the reporter that put this story together, I wonder if 1922 came from the history on the official company website?
http://www.ekcoaudio.com/history
Obviously, we know that the brand was brought by the International Audio Group, and as such, their history page might have been written by people who don't know the vintage radio scene as well as some - but then, it's possible they might have access to information that we don't? Who knows?
Either way, if someone at Look East found 1922 during their research, they might well have found it on the official Ekco website - or on a press release from Ekco themselves - and we really can't hold that against them.
I see the Clacton Gazzette gave the same date. It's likely that both them and the BBC based their stories on the same press release:
https://www.clactonandfrintongazette.co....eric-cole/
You might also take a look at the description of the book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ekco-Sounds-Sou...B00JF8DAKK
This was published about 6 or 7 years ago.
So, given what my minimal research has turned up, I find it really hard to blame the BBC or any other news outlet that states 1922. If anyone has re-written history - perhaps to align the origins of Ekco with the origins of the BBC - then it's possibly Ekco themselves. If so, it's a great bit of marketing "spin" - can't blame them for that! Either way, why not contact Ekco for clarification? They might actually be unaware of the error - if that's what it is - and would welcome the input, perhaps?
While I can't speak for the reporter that put this story together, I wonder if 1922 came from the history on the official company website?
http://www.ekcoaudio.com/history
Obviously, we know that the brand was brought by the International Audio Group, and as such, their history page might have been written by people who don't know the vintage radio scene as well as some - but then, it's possible they might have access to information that we don't? Who knows?
Either way, if someone at Look East found 1922 during their research, they might well have found it on the official Ekco website - or on a press release from Ekco themselves - and we really can't hold that against them.
I see the Clacton Gazzette gave the same date. It's likely that both them and the BBC based their stories on the same press release:
https://www.clactonandfrintongazette.co....eric-cole/
You might also take a look at the description of the book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ekco-Sounds-Sou...B00JF8DAKK
Quote:At the turn of the 20th century, an exciting new invention had everyone transfixed. The radio brought the world into people’s homes and for young Eric Kirkham Cole it was a chance to experiment, as he built ‘Cat’s Whiskers’ radio devices at his parents’ kitchen table. Never could he have imagined then how his unique talent would be used to defend Britain from Nazi invasion, nor how his small radio set business which he set up in his garden shed in 1922 - the same year the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was formed - would become an international brand designing the must-have gadgets of the day.
This was published about 6 or 7 years ago.
So, given what my minimal research has turned up, I find it really hard to blame the BBC or any other news outlet that states 1922. If anyone has re-written history - perhaps to align the origins of Ekco with the origins of the BBC - then it's possibly Ekco themselves. If so, it's a great bit of marketing "spin" - can't blame them for that! Either way, why not contact Ekco for clarification? They might actually be unaware of the error - if that's what it is - and would welcome the input, perhaps?
