VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012—31
Harris Broadcasting up for sale BY PAUL MCLANE
S
O Harris has put its broadcast communications operation up for sale. Look for lots of speculation about who will take that business
on, as well as questions about what the sale says about the industry. Who will step up to buy? What price will Harris get? We’ll see. But certainly, given the deep roots of Harris in the
broadcast community, this marks the end of a chapter in broadcast technology. While I can’t say I saw the decision to sell coming at this time, I was not really taken aback. Any-
INVESTITURE: From left: Mr. Tony Ojobo, Director Public Affairs, NCC; Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, former EVC of NCC; Mr. Reuben Muoka, Head, Media and Public Relations, NCC during the investiture of Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu (former President of ATCON) as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, took place at the University of Lagos, last weekend.
one in broadcast tech who has been paying attention knows that the big parent company had many priorities and that broadcast seemed to take a lower profile than in the past. Harris sold off its distributor business (the old Allied part of the company) five years ago, and in 2011 it realigned its structure so that broadcast became part of something called integrated Network Solutions. From my perspective, reading Harris quarterly financial reports and talking to industry insiders, the company hungering as all public companies do for consistent growth and investor returns — has been challenged by the relatively mature yet volatile commercial broadcast manufacturing sector, particularly when compared to the government businesses on which Harris relies. Nor is Harris alone in this challenge
among transmitter companies; but the company’s size tends to pull the spotlight toward itself. So the development is understandable. Nevertheless, the news hit a lot of industry folks with a jolt today. Harris entered the TV transmitter market in 1969. It would later acquire Allied Broadcast Equipment Corp., Intraplex and Pacific Research & Engineering (PR&E) an iconic name in consoles. Later acquisitions included TVT, part of Midwest Communications Corp., it is, Louth Automation, Hirschmann Multimedia Communications Network, Question d’Image, Encoda Systems, Leitch Technology Corps, Aastra Digital Video, Optimal Solutions Inc. and Zandar Technologies. My experience that companies tend not to exit industries they feel are strong and growing,
so the question also arises whether the broadcast transmission and studio market in general is still worth investing in. I believe the answer is yes, given the sweeping changes and opportunities that continue to affect all media. But I’m also aware of challenges facing some other transmitter and studio manufacturers, and I know that the answer about the health of the industry would vary for any given company and in any given circumstance. Perhaps we are coming into a period of greater volatility among familiar broadcast brands. That’s speculation on my part. What is not speculation is that, more than ever, well-run, solid suppliers are vital to the successful growth of broadcasting companies. In their search for a buyer I wish Harris and its employees well, as I do all companies that support our industry with investment in infrastructure and employment. I hope that the company finds a buyer that is not only strong and savvy but committed to our historically rich, ever-evolving broadcast technology marketplace. Paul McLane is US Editor-in-Chief of Radio World.