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Harris selling its broadcast business
- Thread starter cceng1
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Wonder what will happen to the new Flexiva line of transmitters? Rumor was the Flexiva was a foreign design. Nautel has put a huge dent in Harris transmitter sales over the past ten years.
Wonder what will happen to the new Flexiva line of transmitters? Rumor was the Flexiva was a foreign design. Nautel has put a huge dent in Harris transmitter sales over the past ten years.
Hopefully, they will sell their product line to a company with strong customer/product support.
Harris has had horrible support for many years.
Harris has had horrible support for many years.
How to Divest Harris BCD? ...
Q: How should Harris be divested?
A: In "pieces / parts"
Individual parts of Harris BCD (Broadcast Division) should be acquired by (hopefully domestic) companies that have a synergistic fit and therefore a need for the picese/parts of Harris.
For example, Broadcast Electronics would not need a solid state FM or AM transmitter line, as they already have those lines fully developed, so the Harris RF Transmission business would be a perfect fit for Continental, as all Connie has left is the big 3-bay 816 series tube transmitter.
So Harris RF Transmission to Continental ... that makes good sense.
I'm sure there are other synergies like that for the other parts of BCD... what are they?
Q: How should Harris be divested?
A: In "pieces / parts"
Individual parts of Harris BCD (Broadcast Division) should be acquired by (hopefully domestic) companies that have a synergistic fit and therefore a need for the picese/parts of Harris.
For example, Broadcast Electronics would not need a solid state FM or AM transmitter line, as they already have those lines fully developed, so the Harris RF Transmission business would be a perfect fit for Continental, as all Connie has left is the big 3-bay 816 series tube transmitter.
So Harris RF Transmission to Continental ... that makes good sense.
I'm sure there are other synergies like that for the other parts of BCD... what are they?
Re: How to Divest Harris BCD? ...
I'm guessing that Harris will need to break-up the various divisions.
Radio, television, graphics, etc.
There are only a few companies which could absorb the entire Harris product line.
I'm guessing that Harris will need to break-up the various divisions.
Radio, television, graphics, etc.
There are only a few companies which could absorb the entire Harris product line.
Re: How to Divest Harris BCD? ...
Talk about the end of an era! I never thought I would ever see the day when Harris exited the broadcast industry. I know of a few owners that are gambling every second by still running their main 30 and 40 year old Harris transmitters as their mains. I would publicly like to thank everyone in the Harris broadcast division who has ever given me assistance over the years. It was always provided in a timely and friendly manner. Good luck to all of you in the future.
Talk about the end of an era! I never thought I would ever see the day when Harris exited the broadcast industry. I know of a few owners that are gambling every second by still running their main 30 and 40 year old Harris transmitters as their mains. I would publicly like to thank everyone in the Harris broadcast division who has ever given me assistance over the years. It was always provided in a timely and friendly manner. Good luck to all of you in the future.
Indeed. Harris has produced some really great equipment through the years ...... as well as some real clunkers.
The best AM transmitter I ever heard was a Harris MW-50.
The best AM transmitter I ever heard was a Harris MW-50.
Re: How to Divest Harris BCD? ...
Assuming tubes will still be available, I'd think that a 30-40 year old transmitter is far easier to keep on the air today than a transmitter built today will be to keep on the air 30 years from now.
Too many unobtanium parts 30 years from now.
Brian Bowers said:
Assuming tubes will still be available, I'd think that a 30-40 year old transmitter is far easier to keep on the air today than a transmitter built today will be to keep on the air 30 years from now.
Too many unobtanium parts 30 years from now.
Sadly, their improvements in customer support was too little too late. Decades of "What?! That's old and we don't support it" or "That gas discharge tube will be 1200 dollars please." finally caught up with them after they fixed a lot of the problems. Some of the bad taste is in a lot of people's mouths. Now they annouce the sale. That certainly can't help sales until the buyer is found, etc. I certainly would love to see CE's owners buy up Harris and DUMP the tube designs in the ocean. All any of these guys really have left in tubes is high-power. Harris high-powered tubes transmitters are inferior in so many ways to CE. With CE's tube transmitters and Harris' Z/ZX series (and maybe the new Flexiva stuff) along with the tube stuff, you've got a decent company IF the CE guys are running the show. Customer REAL support first....
Right when Harris was improving customer support response, Harris is getting out. Love their friendly staff and their transmitters as a rule have been very good. I would love to see Continental get the Harris Broadcast line and continue on with that great tech support Continental is known for.
Now THAT is what is was trying to say in my prior. PLEASE, please Lone Star CRA Fund (the ultimate parent of the present Continental), seriously evaluate the acquisition of at least the Radio side of the Harris Broadcast Transmitter Business.
You could take the TV transmission too, but it might be better off with a TV company (a poor-er synergy to CEC's core competencies).
The radio transmission FIT is just perfect. Dump the Harris HT Series or whatever it is called now, the Harris high power tube transmitters and bring in the solid state FM and AM lines to sell along side the 816R! Brand them as Continental.
CEC's parent, Lone Star CRA Fund, should be actively pursuing acquisition of the Harris solid state transmitter lines for AM and FM. That's a pieces / parts divestuture made in heaven.
And you do have all of that unused floor space at 4212 Buckner Blvd in Dallas.
Anyone got Adila's phone number?
Lone Star CRA Fund & C.E. should get right on this.... NOW!
The best of the best really... Yes! I would dearly love Buckner Ave. in Texas to be the parts warehouse for the whole company. It seems that CE has a much easier time getting something to someone off-air via the airplane ride than Harris does.
And THAT is a good point. Very good. Quincy, IL is a 3 hrs ground trip just to get to St Louis, MO - where the airport & air freight shipping point is located.
Continental in Dallas is what, at best, an hour or less from DFW airport. Continental's geographic location provides it with natural strategic advantage over Quincy, IL, for parts distribution.
Just one of advantages of Dallas based operations.
Continental in Dallas is what, at best, an hour or less from DFW airport. Continental's geographic location provides it with natural strategic advantage over Quincy, IL, for parts distribution.
Just one of advantages of Dallas based operations.
There's only two companies selling AM/FM transmitters in any real numbers domestically these days. CE and BE are no longer in that group. BE is on life support and CE is focused on... Well, who knows what but it isn't about developing new radio technology. Face it , the radio transmission sector isn't a huge growth market. Afterall, some of you guys run these boxes for 30+ years and expect ongoing free support 24/7 forever. That's not exactly wall street's idea of a good business.
It's down to the Canadians and Team USA at 3200 Wismann Lane. Don't be surprised if you see the name GATES in the trades down the road.
It's down to the Canadians and Team USA at 3200 Wismann Lane. Don't be surprised if you see the name GATES in the trades down the road.
In management theory there is something called "the rule of 3"; for example, only 3 main competitors usually survive in any domestic market.
In cars, the 3 boiled down to Ford, GM, and Chrysler.
We were at three domestically with BE, CE, and Harris. And it sure does seem like Nautel has replaced or displaced one of the three.
With Nautel firmly entrenched in the US market, it does seem like Harris+ ??? (one of the existing two) would reduce the domestic market back to three. CE is the only fit for radio transmission, and they need the solid state products - they compliment their core business.
In fact, it might be possible to view ERI, Jampro, and Shively as the 3 in FM antennae.... Dielectric is the odd company out in FM antennae.
Honestly, I always thought that SPX would announce divestiture of Dielectric to one of the 3 previously mentioned companies. Would have thought that Dielectric would have been spun off way before Harris BCD.
In cars, the 3 boiled down to Ford, GM, and Chrysler.
We were at three domestically with BE, CE, and Harris. And it sure does seem like Nautel has replaced or displaced one of the three.
With Nautel firmly entrenched in the US market, it does seem like Harris+ ??? (one of the existing two) would reduce the domestic market back to three. CE is the only fit for radio transmission, and they need the solid state products - they compliment their core business.
In fact, it might be possible to view ERI, Jampro, and Shively as the 3 in FM antennae.... Dielectric is the odd company out in FM antennae.
Honestly, I always thought that SPX would announce divestiture of Dielectric to one of the 3 previously mentioned companies. Would have thought that Dielectric would have been spun off way before Harris BCD.
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