THE MARKET of innovations throughout the 1950s, Americans love to be entertained, and including the industry’s first wireless they look to consumer electronics as the remote controls and 21-inch, three- primary source of that entertainment. gun rectangular color picture tubes. For more than 80 years, Zenith Elec- Zenith introduced its first color TV tronics Corporation has established a sets for consumers in 1961 and quickly proud heritage of leadership in con- established itself as the leading brand. sumer electronics products to provide The 1969 introduction of the revolu- an entertainment experience that sur- tionary “Chromacolor” black-matrix passes all others. As digital technolo- negative guardband picture tube dou- gies such as HDTV, DVD, and flat-panel bled the image brightness of color tele- displays gain momentum in the United vision and established a new standard States and around the world, Zenith of performance for the entire industry. is committed to helping consumers The “EFL” (extended field length) “Digitize the Experience” by making electron gun in 1976 and “System 3” digital more affordable and modular TV chassis in 1978 also con- widely accessible. tributed to Zenith’s continued strength in color television during the 1970s. ACHIEVEMENTS From “Zenith Radio” to “Zenith A pioneer in electronics technology, Electronics.” Mounting competitive Zenith has invented countless industry- pressures in its core consumer electron- leading developments, including the ics business led Zenith to use its broad first wireless TV remote controls, the engineering and marketing expertise to first portable and push-button radios, diversify in the late 1970s when the and the first high-definition television company entered the components and (HDTV) system using digital technol- products businesses. ogy. In fact, Zenith developed the dig- In 1979, for example, Zenith acquired ital transmission system adopted by the Heath Company, the world’s largest the Federal Communications Commis- manufacturer of build-it-yourself elec- sion (FCC) for HDTV broadcasts. Today, tronics kit products for hobbyists. together with its new parent company, Capitalizing on Heath’s entry into per- global consumer electronics giant LG sonal computers, Zenith formed Zenith Electronics, Zenith is paving the way Data Systems (ZDS) in 1980. Zenith’s for the digital TV age. The young company’s early accomplish- management built the computer business into a ments included the world’s first portable radios, billion-dollar operation by the late 1980s and sold HISTORY the first home radio receivers to operate on house- the Heath and ZDS businesses in 1989. Zenith’s story began in 1918 when two wireless- hold current, and in 1927 the first automatic By the mid-1980s, Zenith Cable Products radio enthusiasts set up a “factory” on a kitchen push-button radio tuning (when Zenith’s famous (later known as Zenith Network Systems) was a table in and began making radio equipment slogan, “The Quality Goes In Before The Name leading supplier of set-top boxes to the cable indus- for other amateurs. Over the next decade, the infant Goes On,” was first used). Zenith also pioneered try and a pioneer in cable modem technologies. The radio industry began to grow as did the business, developments in shortwave and multiband radios 1990s saw this business evolve into a supplier of dig- which sold radios under the name “Z-Nith.” In such as the famous Trans-Oceanic, first intro- ital set-top boxes for wired and wireless networks. 1923, Zenith Radio Corporation was born. duced in 1942. Zenith was on the leading edge of Zenith sold its Network Systems division in 2000. AM and FM radio broadcasting — including the The company changed its name from Zenith invention of the stereo FM radio broadcast sys- Radio Corporation to Zenith Electronics Corpor- tem used worldwide — and played a key role in ation in 1984, while remaining committed to audio developing broadcast standards for black-and- engineering related to television. Zenith engineers white and color television. co-developed the multichannel television sound Television Pioneer. Early television develop- (MTS) transmission system adopted by the indus- ments included some of the first prototype televi- try for stereo TV broadcasts in 1984, and the com- sion receivers in the 1930s and experimental TV pany received an Emmy for pioneering work on broadcasts, which began in 1939 and, at the development of MTS stereo TV in 1986. request of the FCC, continued during World War A major Zenith advance of the 1980s was II. Zenith launched the world’s first subscription the patented “flat tension mask” technology for television system in 1947 and introduced black- high-resolution color video displays with perfectly and-white TV sets in 1948, followed by a series flat screens, glare-free viewing, and superior

140 High-profile partnerships such as the Sundance Film Festival and the New Museum of Con- temporary Art also reflect the company’s focus on bringing digital technology to technol- ogy-savvy consumers. Building on the success of its 2001–2002 marketing program (Zenith’s first major national advertising campaign in 15 years), Zenith is further expanding its advertis- ing presence in 2003 to reclaim its birthright in HDTV.

BRAND VALUES Beginning with the advent of radio, the Zenith name has been synonymous with quality and innovation. The company’s lightning-bolt logo is one of the most recognizable trademarks in the country, evoking feelings of trust, security, and familiarity in generations of Americans. With performance, which earned the company a techni- offers for the home and professional markets one these core values as a foundation, and backed by the cal Emmy in 2001. Other noteworthy Zenith tel- of the industry’s broadest arrays of digital televi- technological resources and marketing muscle of its evision innovations include TV receivers with sion technologies. They include direct-view and parent company, Zenith has repositioned its famous “Sound by Bose” in 1986 and “Dolby Surround rear-projection HDTVs, plasma display panels brand as the digital leader. Sound” in 1988, as well as the first TVs featuring and liquid crystal displays; digital set-top boxes; built-in closed caption decoders (1991), electronic DVD, MP3, and CD players; and VCRs and other program guides (1994), and track-ball-operated products designed to digitize and enhance the THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT remote controls (1995). viewing experience for American consumers. ZENITH

THE PRODUCT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ❍ Zenith has been a leader in HDTV, or high-definition By the mid-1990s, Zenith was seeking a global Zenith invented and introduced TV remote television, for 15 years, setting the stage for the partner with complementary strengths that could controls: “Lazy Bones,” the first wired TV broadcast revolution currently under way. As one of help lay the groundwork for leadership in the remote in 1950; “Flash-Matic,” the first HDTV’s earliest proponents, Zenith developed a digital age. The company found that strong partner wireless TV remote in 1955; and “Space number of key digital technologies, most notably the in LG Electronics Inc. (LGE), which acquired a Command,” the first practical wireless remote VSB (Vestigial Side Band) digital transmission sys- majority interest in Zenith in 1995. In 1999, after control (1956), based on ultrasonic tech- tem that the FCC adopted in 1996 as the centerpiece completing a broad financial and operational restruc- nology used throughout the industry for the of the U.S. digital television broadcast standard. In turing, Zenith became a wholly owned, independ- next quarter century before being replaced 1997, Zenith earned a technical Emmy for pio- ent subsidiary of LGE. in the early 1980s by infrared remotes. neering developments behind the digital standard. Ushering in the new millennium, Zenith began ❍ Zenith invented the first baby monitor. Today, as the transition to digital TV broad- to reposition its famous brand by building on its dis- “The Radio Nurse,” introduced in 1937, casting continues to gain momentum — with tribution and technology strengths and the vast which allowed parents to hear sounds from local TV stations using Zenith’s patented VSB resources of its new parent company. The transfor- their children’s rooms. technology to transmit HDTV programming to mation into the digital leader accelerated in 2001 as ❍ Other little-known developments from more than 90 percent of U.S. households — Zenith Zenith dramatically reduced its analog product Zenith’s laboratories over the years included offerings and introduced a comprehensive family of innovations in hearing aids (the only Zenith digital television products. By 2002, consumer products built during World War Zenith had established the industry’s most II when production was devoted to com- aggressive approach to digital television, munications devices for the war effort), as with a product line comprising more than well as night-vision, laser discs, and sub- 80 percent digital products — reflecting scription TV, to name a few. the powerful combination of Zenith’s long time leadership in HDTV and LGE’s dis- ❍ Zenith pioneered the technology behind play technology strengths. today’s perfectly flat picture tubes for high- definition and conventional television—earn- PROMOTION ing 137 U.S. patents for core research in flat Calling on consumers to “Digitize the CRTs for television and computer displays. Experience®,” Zenith’s broad-based ❍ Zenith has more inductees in the Consumer branding campaign is introducing Zenith Electronics Hall of Fame than any other to a new generation of consumers. Armed company. with its broad digital product lines, an ❍ updated version of its famous lightning- Zenith is a major supplier of to bolt logo, and an aggressive new mar- hotels, hospitals, schools, military installa- keting campaign, Zenith is targeting a tions, and correctional institutions. younger, more affluent target audience.

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