CB Radio –S9 Magazine

CB Radio –S9 Magazine

We’ve talked about CB radio’s rise to pop culture prominence in the 1970s. However, the use of the Citizen Band for public consumption went back into the early 1960s. This is when manufacturers began to produce lower cost transceivers for the public.

Companies like Hallicrafters, ECI, and Lafayette expanded their advertisements beyond Popular Mechanics. They turned their attention on the increasing amount of business and casual operators. In addition, they looked at CB radio clubs that sprouted up across the U.S.

The Introduction of S9

Enter Sanford R. Cowan. Seeing the growing amount of CB manufacturers and operators turned writers, Cowan established S9: The Citizens Band Journal. Premiering on newsstands and subscriber’s mailboxes in July of 1962, S9 ran for two decades. As early as the first issue, the magazine established itself as the nation’s top platform for CB writers. Some of the authors who produced material during S9’s run included Dan Stoner, Herb Friedman, Lee Aurick, and Len Buckwalter.

The rest of the magazine included editorials, equipment reviews, and club activity listings … and the ads. Not simple quarter- or half-page writeups. Many ads from the earliest issues were two-page documents of the company and what they offered in terms of radios, antennas, or crystals.

The Changing World of Radio for S9

As the CB radio universe changed so did S9. Toward the end of the 70s, the magazine covers became more colorful and featured the header CB RADIO at top. Toward the end of the run, the magazine shifted its focus to all forms of hobby radio. This included police scanners, radar, and car stereos.

You can see this shift yourself. Visit CBTricks.com for a display of S9 covers.