Indiana Broadcast History Archive

Sarkes Tarzian, born in 1900 in an area of Armenia, now known as Turkey, was the founder of WTTV along with his wife, Mary. In 1907, he came to the United States.

EARLY LIFE

Tarzian’s father left his family and then 9-month-old son, Sarkes, to come to America, rebelling against the Turks inhuman treatment of Armenians. He was a weaver in New England mills and eventually raised enough money to bring his family over to New York on Thanksgiving Day in 1907 by boat. 

Tarzian said his early life was influenced mainly by his grandmother and mother as he did not know his father until arriving in the United States. He was also influenced by inventors such as Dr. Michael Pupin and Nicola Tesla.

The family met Tarzian’s father in Philadelphia. Tarzian worked by delivering papers and in grocery stores. He was the Valedictorian of his class of 120 at Northeast High School. He was the recipient of the Simon Muhr Scholarship which paid all expenses for four years to any college or university in the United States. 

After graduating with an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania with honors, Tarzian went into the radio manufacturing industry. He earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from his alma mater and then worked for Atwater Kent for 12 years, eventually becoming a chief design product engineer.

He married his wife, Mary, in 1930, and they had two children, Thomas and Pat. Mary was also involved in journalism, as a publisher of the Greencastle paper. 

CAREER

In 1937, Tarzian went to Argentina as a chief engineer for RCA-Victor Argentina. He spent three years there doing radio consulting for Centrum Radio of Sweden during the summers.

Tarzian first came to Bloomington in July 1940. He was employed at the time by RCA as a chief engineer for their manufacturing of radios and TVs and remained in the role until 1944. In the two years prior to World War II’s breakout the company produced more than 2 million radios. 

In 1944, he left RCA to found Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. with the encouragement of his wife Mary and funds from previous contract work with the military. The company would eventually hold more than 100 patents for equipment including tuners, portable radios, broadcast equipment and more.  

The company’s main product were tuners, known as the “channel selector” by people who owned a television at the time. Tarzian was able to make them for less than companies like RCA could, which proved to be a key feature in selling them to TV set manufacturers. 

While the company grew, Tarzian looked to diversify his investments and develop Bloomington’s first radio and TV stations. His experimental 200-watt AM station, W9XHZ, in Bloomington began operating in 1946. In 1949, the WTTV television station began operating in Bloomington as well as the WTTS-AM radio station. WTTV curated success when it began broadcasting Indiana University basketball games as well as high school basketball.  

In 1947, the Tarzians opened the first tuner plant in Bloomington. In 1953, it moved to Hillside Drive where it manufactured tuners and magnetic tapes as well as acting as an administrative headquarters and product design center. At its peak, the Hillside plant employed roughly 3,000 people. The company continued to expand into a multidivisional corporation with factories all around the world in countries like Mexico and Taiwan.  

Inflation continually drove the cost of labor upward and unions grew in strength in the 1950’s. Tarzian opened a plant in Jasper, Indiana, looking for new employees. This largely rural area opened up a possibility of additional women workers who were less likely to unionize. Sarkes Tarzian, Inc.’s success began to decline as foreign competitors gained success.  

In the 1970’s, the company’s management had to face reality, deciding to divest its hardware side and focus on software business instead. The Hillside Drive plant closed in 1977, and a year later Tarzian sold WTTV.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In 1959, Tarzian was elected to the Indiana Institute of Technology board of trustees. He was awarded the “American Success Story Award” in 1960 by the Free Enterprise Awards Association. 

Tarzian was involved in the community beyond his passion for journalism. He was the Monroe County GOP Chairman from 1962 to 1965. In 1962, he headed the Bloomington Hospital fundraising campaign. Four years later, he founded The Bloomington Tribune and two years after that he combined it with his recent purchase of the weekly Star-Courier to create The Bloomington Courier-Tribune. 

In 1969, Tarzian was awarded the Bloomington Kiwanis Club Distinguished Service Award. He also received several honorary degrees, including and LL.D. from Indiana University in 1975.

LATER LIFE

Tarzian held the position of chairman of his company until his death. He died on October 8, 1987, in Philadelphia.

Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. still exists today and is currently run by Tom Tarzian, Sarkes’ son. Although no longer the manufacturing giant it once was, it still operates WTTS and various radio and TV stations throughout the country.

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By Luzane Draughon, Krissy Brzycki and Jack Lindner

Edited by Jack Lindner

Information from “The History of Sarkes Tarzian, Inc.” by Delbert C. Miller and CBS4 News

For more information on the life and career of Sarkes Tarzian, watch this video interview with Tarzian from Indiana University Media Collections Online.

Last Edit: February 13th, 2024