TBT It was 35 years ago this month that RCA closed its east-side record plant. The announcement meant 700 employees would be out of work.
The plant, which began pressing records in 1939, was the largest of three plants operated by RCA. However demand for vinyl records had plummeted in the mid 1980s thanks to the rise in popularity of cassette tapes and compact discs.
“I find CDs to be much more convenient,” said one customer. “CDs are higher priced, but I think it’s worth it in terms of the quality of the sound.”Former WRTV Reporter Gerry Dick took an in-depth look at the compact disc frenzy just a few months before the closure was announced.“I haven’t had to look for a job in 20 years,” RCA employee Lonnie Compton said.The RCA plant closing was one of several gloomy economic stories near the Shadeland Avenue corridor.
The closures were a broken record of sorts for manufacturing on the city’s east side. Mayor Bill Hudnut said Indianapolis was caught between the industrial and information ages.