about the station's technical and commercial advantages with its 500-kilowatt broadcasts. During World War II, WLW resumed its powerful, 500-kilowatt transmissions in cooperation with the U.S. government. The 500-kilowatt transmitter was crated for shipment to Asia, but the war ended before it was shipped. WLW's engineers also built high-power shortwave transmitters on a site about north of Cincinnati. Crosley Broadcasting, under contract to the U.S. government, began operating the Bethany Relay Station, which was dedicated on September 23, 1944, to broadcast "Voice of America" programming. The relay station's broadcasts continued until 1994. Crosley's broadcasting company eventually expanded into additional markets. The company was experimenting with television broadcasting as early as 1929, when it received an experimental television license from the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), which later became the FCC. Crosley Broadcasting did not go on-air with regular television programming as WLWT until after Crosley sold the company to Aviation Corporation (Avco) and he had become a member of Avco's board of directors.. Appliance and consumer products manufacturer In the 1930s Crosley added refrigerators and other household appliances and consumer goods to his company's product line. Crosley's "Icyball" was an early non-electrical refrigeration device. The unit used an evaporative cycle to create cold, and had no moving parts. The dumbbell shaped unit was "charged" by heating one end with a small kerosene heater. Crosley's company sold several hundred thousand Icyball units before discontinuing its manufacture in the late 1930s. In 1932 Crosley had the idea of putting shelves in the doors of refrigerators. He patented the "Shelvador" refrigerator and launched the new appliance in 1933. At that time it was the only model with shelves in the door. In addition to refrigerators, Crosley's company sold other consumer products that included the "XERVAC," a device purported to "revitalize inactive hair cells" and "stimulate hair growth". Crosley also introduced the "Autogym," a motor-driven weight-loss device with a vibrating belt, and the "Go-Bi-Bi," a "rideable baby walker," among other products. Baseball team owner and sportsman In February 1934, Crosley purchased the Cincinnati Reds professional baseball team from Sidney Weil, who had lost much of his wealth after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Crosley kept the team from going bankrupt and leaving Cincinnati. He was also owner of the Reds when the team won two National League titles (in 1939 and 1940) and the World Series in 1940. Crosley was also a pioneer in