BREAKING NEWS: Harris to sell Broadcast Business

[BroadcastDoc]

Harris wants out of the broadcast business. The company announced this morning that it plans to sell off its struggling division that makes automation systems and other tech equipment for radio and TV stations.

http://www.insideradio.com/

[RFWarrior]

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

[BroadcastDoc]

There goes my next job!

[PID_Stop]

Great... just great. Harris has spent the last few years buying up established television infrastructure manufacturers like Leitch (which had itself had just bought up Videotek and DPS) and Inscriber. Who on earth is going to buy and successfully operate such a divergent collection of properties, on top of the obvious RF products? Who is going to provide support for all of this Harris stuff we've just bought in the last several years?

I'm having a nasty flashback to just over twenty years ago, when Tektronix bought Grass Valley just months after we took delivery on a brand new 300-3AN production switcher. Roughly a year later we got a notice that it was end-of-life and that parts would shortly become unavailable. We just decomissioned that switcher last January... and we're very fortunate that none of the proprietary ceramic hybrid ICs in the thing failed. Everything else was fairly generic parts, or I could re-engineer failed stuff to work with more contemporary parts.

Arrrrrrgh.

-- Jeff

[Deep Thought]

Here's the email I got...draw your own conclusions...

May 1, 2012
Dear Mark Mueller,
Today, Harris announced its decision to divest the Broadcast Communications business. I fully support this decision and believe that the timing is right for both Harris and Broadcast Communications.

Harris has supported us by investing in our business, allowing us to develop some of the market’s most innovative, solution-based technologies. However, over time the Broadcast Communications business has become less aligned with the Harris core businesses and long term strategy.

Operating independently or as part of a broadcast or media-focused enterprise will provide us with strategic investment, increased competitive flexibility, and customer focus to lead the continuing transformation in this competitive marketplace.

The decision to divest in no way reflects the quality of the work Broadcast Communications performed in support of our customers and our company. Harris simply determined that Broadcast Communications could provide higher value and operate more effectively under a different ownership model.

In the interim, Broadcast Communications will continue to be a part of Harris Corporation and operate business as usual. Our valued relationships, both longstanding and new, remain our top priority. The global Broadcast Communications team will continue to work diligently to ensure our commitment to our customers and partners remains steadfast, our execution to fulfill commitments is flawless, and our progress against strategic objectives remains focused.

Please feel free to contact any of the global team, including me, should you have any questions regarding this announcement.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Harris Morris
President, Broadcast Communications Division
Harris Corporation
9800 S. Meridian Boulevard, Suite 300
Englewood, CO 80112

[RGORJANCE]

Interesting email, Deep.

My question is who has the kind of loot it's going to take to buy that division, it's liabilities, real estate and infrastructure in Quincy? That's going to be some pretty large amount of money.

Hey, maybe Google will buy it! The best prospective buyer is - -- wait for it - - - Bill GATES~

Fossil

[boiseengineer]

Remember Allied Broadcast Equipment?
That too got absorbed by Harris and was never seen again.

[NECRAT]

(which had itself had just bought up Videotek and DPS)

I know it's little consolation, but Steve Denny still supports the entire DPS line.

[Bill DeFelice]

But what do you think the real impact will be? Lately many of the radio station sites I've been to have limited Harris gear, mostly older than would be consider current. I suppose this would squeeze owners who need spares or module repairs but it seems I see alot more Continental and BE boxes out there.

[Dale H. Cook]

... it seems I see alot more Continental and BE boxes out there.

I see more Nautel transmitters than anything else these days, and clients who have purchased new transmitters in recent years have overwhelmingly purchased Nautel.

[NECRAT]

Nautel has really cornered the market

As far as new rigs i've seen:

High Powered Stations
Nautels
Harris (I've seen a few new HPX series out there)
BEs (but NOT many of them. VERY few new ones in-fact)

Low Powered Stations
Nautels
Crowns
BW
Armstrong

I haven't seen a new Continental install anywhere. And I have it on good word that they haven't sold any rig to any US broadcaster in quite some time.

[RGORJANCE]

Nautel is doing it right!

Here's how you destroy customer loyalty.

1) Announce that you no longer support equipment older than X years
2) Institute a minimum dollar order amount
3) Put people with no technical background to work in the parts department who have direct contact with the engineers at the stations
4) Get rid of all your documentation on the older gear so that nobody can effectively communicate with the person with broken equipment
5) Put everything on computer so you absolutely have to have the 10 digit part number or they can't help you at all.

I blew a ceramic cap in a DA two years ago and called for a new one. Yup-no part number, like the old "no tickee, no washee" scenario. I even gave the 3 digit family number but that was no help at all.

Stepping off soapbox............

Fossil

[brandonb959]

Nautel has really cornered the market

As far as new rigs i've seen:

High Powered Stations
Nautels
Harris (I've seen a few new HPX series out there)
BEs (but NOT many of them. VERY few new ones in-fact)

Low Powered Stations
Nautels
Crowns
BW
Armstrong

I haven't seen a new Continental install anywhere. And I have it on good word that they haven't sold any rig to any US broadcaster in quite some time.

Continental is probably not selling any new transmitters because people are probably finding it far cheaper to just repair their old ones, plus IMO the 816 "b's" were a better design than the "c's." I don't know anything about Nautel, but I've had one solid state transmitter of another brand and I've had plenty of problems with it. Also I'm in Mississippi where we have a ton of lightning and a box full of transistors as opposed to a tube just doesn't seem like a good idea

[Dale H. Cook]

I don't know anything about Nautel, but I've had one solid state transmitter of another brand and I've had plenty of problems with it.

That is probably because it is not a Nautel. I've had problems with other (less expensive) solid state transmitters, but not with the many Nautel AM and FM transmitters that I've installed or worked with in the last decade.

In this business you get what you pay for. If you buy a Yugo you can't expect it to perform like a Benz.

[RFWarrior]

Also I'm in Mississippi where we have a ton of lightning and a box full of transistors as opposed to a tube just doesn't seem like a good idea

Hey Brandon - where in Mississippi? I'm in New Orleans after wrapping up the LAB/MAB and headed to Kentucky this weekend, then down through Tennessee into Alabama next week, but I'll be coming back through Mississippi for a flight to Minneapolis from New Orleans on the 9th... if you're around on the 8th, I'll buy dinner and we can shoot the breeze on how it can be made to work - I'm always happy to talk transmitters and lightning protection

Best,

Jeff