Here are some photos I took of the TV display at Kellogg's Cereal Factory in Battle Creek Michigan. We toured the factory while on a family vacation to the West side of the State last July. Sadly, Every TV seems to be gutted or a least had the CRT removed. The tall display of tv's could be operated by large push buttons on 2 chairs in the room. The remote would change photos on all the screens with each push of a button. Anyone recognize any of the sets?
Jim

Anyone recognize any of the sets?

*sigh* Yes...

To my untrained eye, that blond console appears to be a mercilessly butchered CTC-5. This display gives one a whole new appreciation for the work of Harry Poster.

The table model on the top Right in the 'whole room' photo is a 17" Hoffman, which is sitting on a Zenith console. Sadly, I agree on the RCA color set, but it could also be a CTC-7. And worse, that original base is more rare than the TV itsself.

Charles

I thought that was a CTC-5 but was hoping it was only a B/W set in a similar cabinet. If I remember right it didn't have it's original back but a painted plywood back cover. You'd think a company with so many historical displays & info would have been more sensitive and caring with these vintage sets.

*sigh* Yes...

To my untrained eye, that blond console appears to be a mercilessly butchered CTC-5. This display gives one a whole new appreciation for the work of Harry Poster.

I just puked in my corn flakes. :puke:

I believe if it were a color set it would have the three color bars in the center of the RCA V.

polaraman

That console that Tony the Tiger has his filthy paws on... Is that a Sylvania Halolight?

I thought that was a CTC-5 but was hoping it was only a B/W set in a similar cabinet.

It looks quite similar to my B&W RCA set:
http://www.geocities.com/wa2ise/radios/rca21t8395.jpg

Except mine is a restored orginal (but with a weak CRT with brightner)

I say the blonde was a bw. I have a similar set in mahoghany finish, metal cabinet with a base like that. What polaraman says about the color bars is the clincher. That is particulary chintzy the way they did away with the mask and just stuck a square screen in there. Ashame since a lot of effort went into the display overall.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the first picture i'd love to know how they retrofitted that RCA 17PD that's dead center, not really any room inside that case and the masking is thin.
The Turquoise GE looks like it was done pretty well also.

The worst thing about this is visitors go home with bad ideas about what to do with that old TV in the basement.

I had the black & white version once upon a time (blonde and all) and the Kellogg's set cabinet sure looks awfully deep in comparison.

I had the black & white version once upon a time (blonde and all) and the Kellogg's set cabinet sure looks awfully deep in comparison.

YES... That's why I (sadly) still think it's a 5 or a 7. Were it a B&W, it wouldn't be near that deep. :no:

Charles

One should think that a huge company like Kellogs would do a better job, preserving this TVs on their display. By any standard, what they done is horrible. Particularly the TV on the 3rd and 4th photos...seeing that made me wanna puke. Disgusting.

YES... That's why I (sadly) still think it's a 5 or a 7. Were it a B&W, it wouldn't be near that deep. :no:

Charles

My B&W set like that one, as seen a few posts above, looks to be the same depth. The CRT neck does not extend past the TV back (no shroud on the back, like later TVs mostly had). The Kellog's TV looks like they "should have" used a color TV one sixe bigger. Well, they should have restored the orginal...

Saw an **art display** similar to that a few years ago at Brooks Museum in Memphis. Tied my stomach in knots seeing it.

The blond set has the channel selector window on the top, did any of the 5s or 7s have that?

I checked Ed Reitans site and couldn't find any color sets that matched that configuration so hopefully this was a B&W set.
Also all the color sets seem to have "pencil boxes" in the front which the Kelloggs set doesn't have.

I found a few more photos of those poor Televisions. I forgot they also had vintage radios on display, Nothing rare and they didn't appear to suffer mutilation like the TV's.
Jim

Some of those sets look to have still image paintings where the CRTs should be. Specifically the one with the "snap crackle pop" character, and the one with the raison bran Sun character. Of course, if you saw these images changing, then of course they can't be paintings.

With the amount of money Kellog's must make converting a few cents of farm crop into breakfest cerial that sells for $4 a box, they could have afforded proper restorations....

The photos on the screens didn't change in this room, Only on the tall display of TV's. Obviously the wide console TV(With Tony above) has a modern TV set inside. That TV plays Kellogg's videos all day.

Is this place called Cereal City?
If so it's closed!

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=23D57BAB-35B5-4F28-B23B-52BB92543A6D,AB9421F2-21A4-4908-84F4-6E490B854D7A,8FB59C54-BD48-4962-A3E8-FB4123C68BA1&t=m21&f=06/64&p=&fg=&GT1=8921