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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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101689
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10168900.017
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1990-09-19
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BUSINESS, Page 58TV or Not TV?Zenith drops out of computers to concentrate on the tube
Given a choice between two product lines, one thriving and the
other struggling, most companies would have no problem deciding
which one to embrace. But for Zenith, the decision was painful.
The suburban-Chicago company surprised the high-tech industry last
week by agreeing to sell its prosperous computer division to
France's Groupe Bull for about $635 million. In doing so, Zenith,
the last major U.S. maker of TV sets, decided to stake its future
on that risky and supercompetitive business.
Heavily in debt, Zenith has reported losses in three of the
past four years. Says Chairman Jerry Pearlman: "We are a highly
leveraged company in two very tough businesses. We really felt we
couldn't do either of them appropriate justice." Pearlman had tried
to sell the company's TV division, but no buyers were willing to
pay the reported $400 million asking price.
Zenith had expanded into computers to reduce its reliance on
TVs, a business that low-cost foreign producers were beginning to
dominate. The company bought the electronics-kit maker Heath in
1979 and expanded the division to include a line of laptop
computers. Zenith's machines are now among the world's best
sellers, bringing in about 60% of the company's revenues of $2.7
billion. With this deal, Bull will become the largest
European-based computer maker.
The sale will virtually wipe out Zenith's debt and enable the
company to invest in new technologies, including high-definition
television. While HDTV is probably a decade away, Zenith is
developing flatter, sharper TV screens that may keep the company
-- and the U.S. -- in the race with Asian manufacturers.