You know, I grew up in Santa Barbara and I can remember going into Television City on Milpas Street with my parents when they bought our color television set. It must have been back in 1970 or so. Darryl maintained that set for us for as long as we had it. When it was time to say goodbye to that old set and buy a new one, of course we bought it from Darryl. He has always taken good care of anything we bought from him. My mom and dad always had good things to say about Darryl and now that they are both gone and I am the one making the decisions I can see why they always trusted him. He knows his stuff. He is a great technician and a swell fellow. I have been in his shop on East Mountain Drive and believe me it is something to see. He has several work areas and they are all fully loaded with test equipment which he uses to troubleshoot the problems with all those poor sets that need help. The last time I saw Darryl he told me to invite my friends to see his shop and they will understand why people bring in their sets from far and wide. His reputation has followed him. I have mentioned Darryl to my friends and they all know him or know of him. I guess that when you have been providing TV and audio repair for this area since 1964 the word does get around. So if you are in a position where you either replace your set or have it repaired, you should really give my friend Darryl a call and ask him to advise you on what to do. He is a straight shooter. If your set should be recycled, he will tell you that. If he feels that you would be far better off in keeping your old friend going, he will tell you that, too. I remember something else he told me. He said that they are not making sets the way they used to. Where your TV was built 5 to 10 years ago and now needs some repair, consider that a set being built today will probably last you less than 2 years before it breaks down. That really stuck in my mind. In other words, Darryl feels that it makes more sense to keep the set going that you own. Why buy a new one to fix?

I have lived in Santa Barbara for many, many years. As long as I have lived here I have called on Darryl to keep my tv sets working for me. There have been others shops nearby to go to but why should I change when Darryl has always done very good work for me? If someone asked me who I would recommend for fixing their tv set I would not hesitate in recommending Darryl for the job. They would be very happy just like I have always been. Lately I have taken my sets into his shop on Mountain Dr. His shop looks like something out of a space movie. He has all the equipment that he needs, believe me. I have written other reports for Darryl so you might have read some of them. I like Darryl! He's a nice guy. You will be treated right just like he always treats me right. Ask me if he guarantees his work. It's like that Geico commercial - does a rolling stone gather no moss? The answer is YES! So give Darryl a call and I am very sure you will be happy. And your TV will look like when it was new. You will like that. His phone number is 805-565-5577.

My family has used the services of Darryl Widman and his Television City for many years. We have always been pleased with the work and Darryl even lengthened his warranty for us just because he is a nice guy! Each time he services our sets they look better than we can remember. Wow.

DARRYL WIDMAN'S TELEVISION CITY

After 50 years of experience in owning and operating a Television Service business, Darryl is indeed the fellow you want to take your set to when it doesn't feel well.

Darryl got into electronics quite a while ago. His electronic background began in electric shop at North Hollywood Junior High School in 1952. His interest continued while attending North Hollywood High School. While attending Los Angeles Valley College in 1957 it occurred to him that he should follow his interest and develop a Radio/Television service business because he loved that field and especially loved troubleshooting damaged sets and repairing them. While attending California State Polytechnic College in San Luis Obispo where he majored in Electronic Engineering, Darryl established his service business on campus where he serviced sets belonging to students and the faculty.

In 1964 Darryl and his new bride Diana settled down in Santa Barbara where he established his television repair business which exists to this day.

In the year 1968, Darryl Widman took and passed the difficult Certified Electronic Technician examination thus making him just the 52nd person in the State of California to have passed it. In 1969, he was voted in as President of the Santa Barbara Chapter of the California State Electronics Association. Then in 1971, he was elected as the very first full-time Chairman of the International Society of Certified Electronic Technicians with headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. That office took him to periodic meetings which he conducted all over the United States.

Like a few doctors, Darryl still makes House Calls and enjoys seeing a smile return on the faces of his customers when he solves their problems.

If you want to experience really good service from a fellow who is really hard not to like, Darryl is your man. Call him most any time at 805-565-5577. Either he or Diana will answer and take an interest in your problem.