A REAL-LIFE television epic comes to an end next month.
Reeder Television, of Lindley, is to close its doors after almost 45 years of serving the viewing public of Huddersfield.
And it will be a sad day for owner David Furness, wife Maureen and shop manager Colin Hirst.
They have worked in Lidget Street since the early 1960s, when British TV viewing was a little more restricted than it is now.
In 1960, there were just two channels - BBC Television and Granada.
Now viewers can tune into literally hundreds of channels, courtesy of satellite and TV companies.
But Mr Furness believes the biggest change in the industry has been the mass production of equipment and its subsequent drop in price.
"A television used to be a luxury item. Now you can go into any supermarket and pick one up alongside the cereals and the bread.
"They are now so cheap that no-one bothers asking us to repair one. They can get a new set for only a little more than the price of a repair.
"But we are going to miss our customers. I hope they will miss us. We have provided a service over the years, doing little jobs for them without charge and helping wherever we can."
On leaving school, Mr Furness joined his father, Donald Furness, in the family electrical business in Northgate, Huddersfield, where it was established in 1937.
In 1961 he joined Reeders, then at Fartown, as a trainee TV engineer. He subsequently took over as the companies merged.
Mr Hirst has worked as shop manager for many years. And Mrs Furness was a familiar face behind the counter of the premises in Lidget Street.
"We close on June 30 and it will be a sad day," said Mr Furness. "But we have had many happy years and I hope people will remember them."
