RCA Music
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| Fate | Acquired by GE in 1986, various divisions liquidated |
|---|---|
| Successor |
GE RCA (trademark) (owned by Technicolor) |
| Founded | October 17, 1919 as Radio Corporation of America. Name changed to RCA Corporation on May 9, 1969. |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
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Key people
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Owen Young, David Sarnoff, first general manager |
| Products |
Radios Vacuum tubes Phonograph records Electric Phonograph RCA Photophone Televisions Videodisc Satellites |
| Divisions |
RCA Records NBC RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video |
| Website | www |
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric (GE); however, in 1932 GE was required to divest its control as part of the settlement of an antitrust suit.
At its height as an independent company RCA was the dominant communications firm in the United States. Beginning in the 1920s it was a major manufacturer of radio receivers, and also developed the first national radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). It had a leading role in the introduction of black-and-white television in the 1940s and 1950s, and color television in the 1950s and 1960s. During this time the company was closely identified with the leadership of David Sarnoff, who was general manager at its founding, became company president in 1930, and remained active, as chairman of the board, until the end of 1969.
In the 1970s RCA began to falter, suffering major loses in the mainframe computer industry and other failed projects such as the CED videodisc. In 1986 it was reacquired by General Electric, which over the next few years liquidated most of RCA's assets. The RCA trademarks are currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment and Technicolor, which in turn license the brand name to other companies including Voxx International, Curtis International, and TCL Corporation for their various products.
RCA originated as a reorganization of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America (commonly called "American Marconi"). In 1897, the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company, Limited, was founded in London to promote the radio (then known as "wireless telegraphy") inventions of Guglielmo Marconi. As part of a worldwide expansion, in 1899 American Marconi was organized as a subsidiary company, holding the rights to the use the Marconi patents in the United States and Cuba. In 1912 it took over the assets of the bankrupt United Wireless Telegraph Company, and from that point forward it had been the dominant radio communications company in the United States.
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Wikipedia