Experimenter Publishing

Experimenter Publishing Company was an American media and publishing enterprise established in New York in 1915 by Hugo Gernsback, his brother Sidney Gernsback, and Milton Hymes. It grew out of Gernsback's earlier electrical-mail-order and magazine activities and became one of the most influential specialist publishers of the early twentieth-century technology era. Its publications addressed electrical experimentation, amateur radio, broadcasting, science, mechanics, and speculative fiction, often combining editorial instruction with practical construction plans and product advertising. The company's roots lay in the Electro Importing Company, founded by Hugo Gernsback and Lewis Coggeshall in 1905 to sell imported radio and electrical components. Gernsback used catalogs and magazines to explain how readers could build and operate technical equipment. Modern Electrics, launched in 1908, provided an early model for this blend of commerce, education, and enthusiast publishing. Gernsback later transferred that title to another publisher so that he could develop Electrical Experimenter, first issued in 1913 and brought under Experimenter Publishing in 1915. Electrical Experimenter initially focused on electricity and practical experimentation, but its editorial scope expanded into science, chemistry, mechanics, and fiction. It adopted the title Science and Invention in 1920. The company also launched Radio Amateur News in 1919, shortened to Radio News in 1920. Radio News became the company's most commercially successful technical periodical, serving amateur radio operators and the growing audience interested in receiving commercial broadcasts. Practical Electrics was introduced in 1921 for a broader and less technically specialized readership, while the company later revived the Experimenter name before merging that magazine into Science and Invention. Gernsback's interest in imaginative but scientifically grounded fiction led to the launch of Amazing Stories in 1926. It is widely regarded as the first magazine devoted specifically to science fiction. The publication helped establish a durable market and vocabulary for the genre, and its legacy is reflected in the Hugo Awards, named after Gernsback. The company also published radio construction books, call books, general-interest titles, and magazines such as Motor Camper & Tourist and Your Body. Experimenter Publishing extended its media activities into broadcasting through WRNY, a New York radio station that began regular transmissions in 1925. The station was used in conjunction with the magazines to promote technical experimentation and radio listening. In 1928, WRNY conducted scheduled experimental television broadcasts using a low-resolution mechanical scanning system. These programs were among the earliest regular television broadcasts in the United States and demonstrated the company's willingness to use its publications and broadcasting operations as mutually reinforcing laboratories for new technology. The combination of ambitious expansion, radio-station operating costs, investment in television equipment, and heavy publishing expenses placed severe financial pressure on the business. Experimenter Publishing entered bankruptcy in early 1929, and the Gernsback brothers lost control. The magazines continued without missing an issue and were quickly sold to another publisher. Hugo and Sidney Gernsback subsequently established new publishing ventures and competed with the titles formerly controlled by their company. Although Experimenter Publishing itself was short-lived, its magazines—especially Radio News and Amazing Stories—had a lasting effect on electronics journalism, hobbyist culture, broadcasting, and science fiction.

Hugo Gernsback's publishing enterprise developed from the Electro Importing Company, which he founded with Lewis Coggeshall in 1905 to sell electrical and radio components by mail order. The company supplied parts as well as explanatory catalogs, helping establish Gernsback's characteristic approach: technical products were accompanied by accessible instructions intended to turn readers into experimenters. Gernsback bought out Coggeshall in 1907 and later worked with Milton Hymes, whose investment helped the business expand. Modern Electrics began in 1908 as a magazine associated with the electrical business. Gernsback used it to discuss electricity, wireless communication, inventions, and practical experimentation. He also published fiction intended to encourage imaginative applications of science. His story “Ralph 124C 41+,” published in 1911, exemplified this interest in technologically themed fiction. Gernsback sold Modern Electrics and its associated publishing operation in order to concentrate on a new periodical, Electrical Experimenter, whose first issue appeared in 1913. Experimenter Publishing became its publisher with the May 1915 issue and was incorporated in March of that year. Electrical Experimenter broadened from a specialist electrical journal into a more general science and technology magazine. In 1918 it carried the subtitle Science and Invention, and in 1920 Science and Invention became the principal title. The company continued to publish fiction alongside articles on science, chemistry, mechanics, and electrical construction. Its editorial style positioned the reader as an active participant rather than a passive consumer. Radio became the company's most important commercial field. Radio Amateur News appeared in 1919 and was renamed Radio News in 1920. It served amateur operators and listeners during the rapid expansion of broadcasting, publishing technically detailed material, equipment information, and practical guidance. Practical Electrics followed in 1921, designed for a broader audience. Gernsback revived the Electrical Experimenter identity as The Experimenter in 1924, but that title was merged into Science and Invention in 1926. The company also participated in book and reference publishing. Through associated operations including Consolidated Radio Call Book Company, later renamed Consrad, it distributed radio blueprints, construction instructions, station listings, and listening guides. The Electro Importing Company increasingly shifted from selling components toward publishing, while the Radio Specialty Company took over the parts business. Experimenter Publishing's wider list included general-interest and instructional titles, including travel, health, and popular entertainment subjects. Gernsback's most enduring publishing innovation was Amazing Stories, launched in April 1926. He had long printed stories that promoted plausible scientific ideas and had devoted earlier issues of Science and Invention to “scientific fiction.” Amazing Stories gave that material a dedicated home and helped define science fiction as a recognizable magazine category. Its influence extended beyond the company's own lifespan and contributed to the later naming of the Hugo Awards. Experimenter Publishing also operated WRNY, a New York radio station whose first broadcast took place on June 12, 1925. The station broadcast from the Roosevelt Hotel, and its programs were promoted through the company's magazines. WRNY became a platform for technical demonstrations, including experimental television. In August 1928 it began regular scheduled television broadcasts using a 48-line mechanical scanning system, providing small, low-resolution images without modern television's sound and picture quality. The broadcasts nevertheless represented an important early experiment in the medium. The company's expansion created substantial financial exposure. Magazine production required large commitments to paper, printing, and distribution, while WRNY and its transmitter facilities generated additional costs. Television equipment and related development added to the burden. By 1927, the company's expenses exceeded its income, and WRNY was reportedly losing money. Experimenter Publishing was forced into bankruptcy in early 1929. Hugo and Sidney Gernsback lost control, but the magazines did not miss an issue and were promptly transferred to another publisher. The brothers soon created new magazines to compete with their former publications. Experimenter Publishing therefore ended as a corporate enterprise, but its editorial and technological legacy continued through Radio News, Amazing Stories, and the wider enthusiast cultures those publications helped build.

• 1929

  Bankruptcy and loss of control

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  Experimenter Publishing entered bankruptcy, and the Gernsback brothers lost control of the company and its magazines.

• 1928

  WRNY scheduled experimental television

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  WRNY began regular experimental television programming using mechanical scanning equipment.

• 1926

  Amazing Stories launched

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  The April issue established the first dedicated science-fiction magazine.

• 1925

  WRNY began radio broadcasting

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  The company's New York station WRNY made its first broadcast from the Roosevelt Hotel on June 12.

• 1921

  Practical Electrics introduced

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  A new magazine targeted readers seeking more accessible electrical and technical material.

• 1920

  Science and Invention became the primary title

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  Electrical Experimenter evolved into Science and Invention as its coverage expanded beyond electricity.

• 1919

  Radio Amateur News launched

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  The company entered radio publishing with Radio Amateur News, renamed Radio News the following year.

• 1915

  Experimenter Publishing incorporated

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  The company was incorporated with Hugo Gernsback, Sidney Gernsback, and Milton Hymes as officers.

• 1913

  Electrical Experimenter introduced

  [1]Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org

  Hugo Gernsback launched Electrical Experimenter, initially through the Electro Importing Company; it later became a central Experimenter Publishing title.

A technology-led enthusiast publisher that connected practical electrical and radio experimentation with mass-market magazines, broadcasting, and scientifically oriented fiction.

• Technology magazine · 1913

  Electrical Experimenter

  Introduced in 1913, Electrical Experimenter presented electrical science, radio, mechanics, construction information, and scientifically oriented fiction. Experimenter Publishing assumed publication with the May 1915 issue. Its scope broadened over time, and the magazine adopted the Science and Invention title in 1920.

• Science and technology magazine · 1920

  Science and Invention

  Science and Invention was the expanded successor to Electrical Experimenter. It covered general science, chemistry, mechanics, electrical technology, and imaginative science fiction, and remained one of the company's principal periodicals until its later merger with The Experimenter.

• Radio magazine · 1919

  Radio News

  Initially published as Radio Amateur News in 1919, Radio News served amateur radio operators and listeners during the growth of commercial broadcasting. Its technically detailed articles, equipment information, and construction guidance made it the company's most commercially successful magazine and the title continued under later ownership for decades.

• Science-fiction magazine · 1926

  Amazing Stories

  Launched in April 1926, Amazing Stories was devoted specifically to science fiction and helped establish the genre's magazine market. Hugo Gernsback's role in creating the title later led the World Science Fiction Society to name its annual awards the Hugo Awards.

• Radio station · 1925

  WRNY

  WRNY was Experimenter Publishing's New York radio station. It broadcast programming from the Roosevelt Hotel and was used to cross-promote the company's magazines. In 1928 it also became an early outlet for scheduled experimental television transmissions.

• Electrical magazine · 1921

  Practical Electrics

  Practical Electrics was introduced in 1921 to reach readers who wanted a less specialized entry point into electrical technology. It complemented the more technical Radio News and the earlier Electrical Experimenter.

• 1929

  Bankruptcy and divestiture of the magazine portfolioOther

  Background

  Publishing costs, radio-station losses, transmitter facilities, and television investment caused expenses to exceed income.

  Action taken

  Experimenter Publishing entered bankruptcy; the Gernsback brothers lost control and the magazines were sold to another publisher.

  Aftermath

  The publications continued without missing an issue, while Hugo and Sidney Gernsback founded competing magazines.

  Source

• 1928

  Expansion into experimental televisionProduct launch

  Background

  The company used WRNY and its technical publications to explore emerging television systems based on mechanical scanning.

  Action taken

  WRNY began scheduled experimental television broadcasts in cooperation with Pilot Electric Manufacturing.

  Aftermath

  The broadcasts demonstrated an early publishing-and-broadcasting approach to new media, although the company soon faced severe financial difficulties.

  Source

• 1926

  Creation of a dedicated science-fiction magazineProduct launch

  Background

  Gernsback had been publishing scientifically themed fiction in technology magazines and wanted a periodical centered on the form.

  Action taken

  Experimenter Publishing launched Amazing Stories with the April 1926 issue.

  Aftermath

  The title helped establish science fiction as a distinct magazine category and became the company's most enduring cultural legacy.

  Source

1. 1Experimenter Publishingen.wikipedia.org