Tektronix Stopping Rohde and Schwarz Distribution

In its Third Quarter Results Press Release, Tektronix said it would stop distributing Rohde and Schwarz products after June 1, 2004. Rohde and Schwarz will begin selling its products in the U.S. and Canada directly. Rick Wills, Tektronix Chairman and CEO, said, "This relationship has been mutually beneficial, one that enabled Rohde and Schwarz to develop a presence in the United States and helped Tektronix develop customer relationships and a direct sales force in support of our strategy to expand our RF product offerings. While this will impact revenues next year, we do not expect it to have a negative impact on earnings."

Tektronix remains committed to RF test equipment. It recently announced its new RSA series of real-time spectrum analyzers with measurement capabilities able to work with new RF technologies ranging from RFID tags to sophisticated radar applications. On the broadcast RF side, the commitment is not as clear. Tektronix no longer shows the Rohde and Schwartz analog precision demodulator it sold under the Tektronix name in its on-line catalog. The only over-the-air demodulator for U.S. standards currently shown on the broadcast RF Modulation Web site is the DS1001.