Truly one of the kings of the farm radio, the Philco Model 34 was introduced to the market in 1935 as a high end, multi-band radio for those customers who still lived in areas that had yet to be electrified. While much of the country continued to wait for the REA (Rural Electrification Administration) to connect them to the electric grid, especially the rural areas, the desperate economic conditions brought about by the collapse of the financial markets in 1929 had finally bottomed in 1933. Though conditions were still dismal, 1935 showed marked improvement over the preceding five years with increased demand for most manufactured goods. Thus a window opened for radio producers to design more powerful radios for those customers who had a little more cash, and demanded greater performance. The Philco Model 34 was targeted for that slim market segment, and was at least near, if not at the top, of a very short list of high-end farm radios available.
