How expenisve was a black and white tv set in late '70's and early '80's

[centralradio]

$60 to $200.12 inch sets were $60 to $130 bucks at dept stores like Kmart,Caldors and other dept stores then.More money at the local TV dealers as usual ..Smaller sets like 9 inch and under were more money like around $160 and up if they have a radio and cassette built in the set.

Cant recall the prices on the larger B/W 19 inch sets were here..Still have my Motorola 19 inch all tube set here which was my bedroom set up to the late 1970's..Probably made in the 1960's..

I love watching the old 1970's 80's Price is Right with Bob Barker when they have the TV's on the show..

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

So it was hard for a family in 1974-1978 to get a second tv set in the house?

Not really, but for the most part, most had one color TV and if they had a second or third set(s), most often, black and white. I had a 12 inch RCA in my room and if the color ever needed fixing, it did double duty as a backup set. Some other families might have had 2nd color, most often 17 or 19 inch vs the 23 or 25 they have.

Well, at that time, a small 9 to 12 incher, you could have for $100, sometimes on sale for $75 or $80, Mom got the RCA for me at around $80 ot $88. Bigger sets like 17 or 19 inchers, maybe $120 to $150.

[rwagoner]

I remember buying a 12" Midland black and white set in about 1977 for about $70. Can't remember the year, but a Sears color 13" set in around 1983-85 or so (I worked for Sears so it HAD to be sometime between 1979 and 1989 and I THINK I was in college, so before 1986) was $239.99. Why I remember that I do not know. Sears set was made by Sanyo.

[Electronic M]

There were probably a decent number of people that had big screen consoles as second sets. Back then the cabinet style of a console was picked to match the furniture. If a family finished an unfinished basementor garage to turn it into a family room and they had a 10 year old Color TV and furnishings in the living room but also wanted a TV in the basement they might buy a new TV and furniture for the basement family room, or refurnish the living room and move the old TV and furniture to the new basement family room...
There were many styles of furniture that didn't last more than a decade and if you redecorated every 7-15 years you'd probably have to buy a new TV to match. If you didn't trade the old set in and it still worked then a living room color console would probably be moved to a bedroom, family room or rec room... I'm sure many did.