While Tannoy is widely used as meaning a generic public address system it is in fact a trade mark belonging to Tannoy, a Scottish-based manufacturer of loudspeakers and Public Address systems, first established in 1926.
However, the first working PA system was invented in the united states by Edwin Jensen and Peter Pridham. In 1915, their company, Magnavox, created the first ever dynamic loudspeaker. Prior to that, PA systems were in effect, just a funnel or bullhorn without any form of electronic amplification.
Amplified PA systems underwent rapid development during the Second World War. In the UK, Tannoy became a household name. These days, the word Tannoy is synonymous with sound, appearing in the dictionary as: ‘a communications system with loudspeakers, used for making announcements in public buildings.’ The phrase ‘Over the Tannoy’ is universally used to describe a PA announcement.
Contribution to Retail History
As supermarkets and retail outlets expanded and developed enormous footprints, the deployment of PA (or ‘Tannoy’) systems in stores became standard. Amplified sound enabled management to direct operations. For example, additional staff to occupy checkouts, clean spillages or report to another member of the team could be called so that the supervisor didn’t have to travel the entire shop floor. The system also enabled the introduction of piped ‘muzak’ throughout the retail environment, creating a more convivial shopping ambience. The PA’s potential as a communication media for tactical promotions was also quickly seized upon, enabling announcements regarding special offers and sampling opportunities to be broadcast to every customer at once, irrespective of their location within the store.