[QuadList] OT: Harris Quits broadcast equipment- more detail

[Ted Langdell]

While Harris didn't manufacture video recorders... it's long history in broadcasting makes it worthy of noting.

There's more here:

http://blog.devoncroft.com/2012/05/01/harris-corporation-to-divest-broadcast-business/

with links to previous stories Devoncroft has covered that shed some light on the recent past.

There's also been a change in the Chairman/CEO position between the two quarters, so that may have something to do with the decision.

If the Broadcast division is for sale... obvious questions are:

How much?
What products are included?
Revenue?
Profit?
Who'd be interested?

I remember rotating knobs and moving switches on a variety of Gates and Harris consoles... beginning with a Dualux used to control an AM and an FM pair.  Right for AM, left for FM.

And a Harris "ATC"  (*Automatic Transmitter Control) system kept me employed doing a full-time transmitter watch at a Sacramento FM for several hot summer months... exactly what the box was supposed to eliminate. 

They never did figure out why the ATC kept losing its hexadecimal programming. Due to failsafe regulations, would shut the station down at inopportune and costly time periods, hence the 24/7 transmitter operators.  Not exactly what you'd expect to see happen in the mid-1980's.

Good exercise riding 16 miles a day each way to work, though. I don't think I've been in as good a shape since :(

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary

On May 1, 2012, at 10:55 AM, C. Park Seward wrote:

> They were billing almost a half billion a year. But not enough profit. 
> 
> Best,
> Park
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 818-535-2747 cell
> (541) 476-6657 hm
> 2" and 1" video transfers
> 
> On May 1, 2012, at 10:17 AM, lee williams <lasvegastvengineer at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
>> Just got word from the Harris rep.
>> I know it's off subject, but Harris had it's finger in most everything in Broadcast in the last couple of years.
>>  
>> http://www.rwonline.com/article/harris-will-sell-its-broadcast-business/213205 
>>  
>> I can remember working on old Gates Transmitters built in the early 70's.
>>  
>> Maybe Apple was not so crazy after all for abandoning broadcast?
>>  

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