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Technology Stocks : Zenith - One and Only -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: flickerful who wrote (4299)	2/1/1998 2:48:00 AM
From: Ricstar	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6570

Randy - had a similar experience today. Went to Circuit City and into the "big screen" (35 inches and larger) section. The only way to describe Zenith's presence was both sad and pathetic. Among the refined Sony, ProScan and Hitachi models, was a large, cumbersome Zenith 60 inch model. Needless to say, there was no comparison (appearance or quality wise) and during the twenty minutes I was in that section, I was the only one to pay any attention to the poor Zenith model. Even my ten year old abandoned me and watched the Hitachi model. (This is a Northern California reaction. Perhaps the Zenith brand is treated with more respect in other parts of the country, but assuming it isn't....) Let's face reality. The real money for Zenith is going to come from royalties associated with HDTV and for making products, such as converter boxes, etc., that are desired by big name companies such as INTEL. Under the existing conditions, Zenith has no hope of successfully competing in the U.S. television market. The Zenith brand name has no attraction for the under fifty consumer. Zenith is the Norma Desmond of the television world. It had its time, that time has past and it has done nothing to adapt to the present. (The only possible consolation is that since Zenith is a known U.S. name, the best bet for the company would be to try to market the Zenith name overseas. There can be that American brand name attraction in foreign countries. Look at Jerry Lewis, nothing here, big in France!) On the homefront, the focus should be on the INTEQ line or some other line that does not emphasize the Zenith name. Superior quality, competitive pricing, and appearance should be the goals. The launch of HDTV can be the new beginning - a starting point for rolling out the new line of televisions. I truly believe that Zenith has the ability to produce the best product on the market. But, at least in making of televisions, this is a company that must come to realize what is going on and what public perception is about their product. As I said before, I hope that the new CEO has the foresight and direction to lead this company out of the proverbial ashes and into the "cashes." P.S. In knew I should have went to see "Titanic" instead. At least that would have kept me out of the electronics stores.