Inventor of the remote control dies
Cory Bergman February 18th, 2007
Robert Alder, who co-created the remote control at Zenith in 1956 — and by extension, helped name this website — has died at the age of 93. You could argue the remote (history) brought the biggest technological change in television’s history until DVRs and the internet came along. Much like today’s new technology, it empowered viewers to control their own experience — they flipped channels at will instead of watching the same channel for an extended period of time, which had a profound impact on programming and promotion. In fact, the remote has influenced the industry more than the change from black and white to color or film to video — just like DVRs and the internet today are having a much bigger impact than the switch from standard def to high definition.
Adds Safran in comments: “Alas, our website’s spiritual Godfather…. Adler was the first disruptor. He allowed us to say ’screw you’ when the TV people said ‘don’t touch that dial’ during intrusive commercial breaks. Thank you, sir. We have lost our remote ancestor.”
6 Comments Add your own
1. Howard Owens | February 18th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
When I was a kid, my parents had a remote much like the one in the picture. I used to play with it. Flying it around the room. Pretending it was a shuttle from the USS Enterprise.
2. Safran | February 18th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Alas, our website’s spiritual Godfather.
Also the reason so many people still call it the “clicker.” Those things clicked - and in a very satisfying, unmistakable that it had clicked kinda way, too. Bostonians over about 40 will forever call it the “clickah,” with the plural being “clickizz.”
Adler was the first disruptor. He allowed us to say “screw you” when the TV people said “don’t touch that dial” during intrusive commercial breaks. Thank you, sir. We have lost our remote ancestor.
3. unknownsoundman | February 19th, 2007 at 7:45 am
This just in!- The inventer of the Remote Comtrol has just passed - Just Now, I’m being told “We’re Going Remote…”
4. inventedmedia | February 19th, 2007 at 8:16 am
i said a short prayer for this old boy as i went to sleep last night. i recalled the old black and white that you’d have to climb out of a warm bed at night to shut off lest it run past sign-off and the static startle you awake after midnight when you’d have to climb out of bed anyways.
as i said: “rest in peace”, i chuckled.
5. Chip Mahaney | February 19th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Whew! For a moment I thought the creator of “Remote Control” (the classic MTV game show) had died.
Good thing Ken Ober is still with us on this planet, but has anyone seen him lately?
6. Anonymous | February 19th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
isn’t he at least a little bit responsible for obesity in America?
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