Mystery Acetate Label: Air-Tone

On the label it says Air-Tone Sound & Recording Co. The 78 rpm box is checked and typed on the label are the three words "Junior League Follies." The disc itself is missing. I found the label at the bottom of a bin of junk vinyl. So I have no matching disc to give it any context. 

I found a listing for a similar label on a 78 rpm, aluminum-based 12 inch acetate. This type of disc was mostly phased out in the 1950s. I suspect it was a radio program because of the name, and the numbering. A "1" is probably one in a series, as opposed to the standard Side A/ Side B terminology. The 1527 Chestnut St, Philadelphia address on the label is now a burger joint. Old documents indicate it has been home to both private residences and business: Trademan's Trust Co., Bonschur & Holmes, Chas H. Elliott Coal, Newton Coal, and A. Pomeranz & Co. Anybody know anything else?

UPDATE!!!

I posted the above way back in 2007. Just this last January Richie Piggott posted a disc to match. [LINK] His is dated 1949, and is attached to a 16" disc. As far as I recall there were no 16" discs in the bin where I found my label. Richie seems to have confirmed my suspicion that it was a radio program as his disc can be connected to Philadelphia DJ Wilfred Michael (‘Will’) Regan. He also posted the audio!  I'll quote Mr. Piggot's post:

"After WW2, he joined the station WDAS in Philadelphia as a radio announcer. It was at WDAS that Regan hosted the Irish Dances at the Crystal Ballroom, in Upper Darby, which were often broadcast live with Regan as the emcee. He was with WDAS announcing Will Regan’s Irish Hours program until 1967, when he joined WVCH in Philadelphia. He retired in the early 1990s. "

Will died in 1995 and his long running Irish Hours radio program was taken over by Michael Concannon. That station is WJFP-AM today and airs mostly ultra-conservative talk radio. He was still there in 2009. [SOURCE] He's still posting the program on his website today. [LINK]

With the expansion of the internet in the last decade I did find more information on Air-tone. In an issue of House and Garden I found ad for Carol Grey costume jewelry in 1946 puts a bracket on the start date.  The earliest print reference to Air-Tone is in 1948 in Radio Electronics Magazine. It's a list of retailers selling "Fen-Tone Audiophile components."  

In multiple 1950 - 1952 issues of Audio Engineering Air-Tone ran advertisements selling Magnecord Recorder & Amplifier, Electrovoice Speakers and Newcomb Amplifiers. A 1952 issue of Audio Magazine lists Air-Tone making their own branded Applause Meter. In 1955 in CQ magazine they ran ads for Motekl tape decks.  One of the latest dated entries was an ad for Air-tone dated to 1954 in Bucks County Traveler Magazine. A single issue of Audio Magazine, (Nov 1950)  names just one person at Air-Tone: Gene Hessel. 

 

Gene Hessel also appears in a 1952 issue of Broadcasting described as the President of Air-Tone. In 1954 Gene wrote an article on PA systems for the Radio-Television Service Dealer magazine. [SOURCE] But this is all I can find about Gene, so a bit of Mystery remains.