Elenos S.R.L. moves to acquire Broadcast Electronics (BE): An Inside Conversation

Interview by Jeff Wilson, Director of US Sales and Marketing, Broadcast Electronics.

On December 20, employees of BE and Elenos, our customers and broadcasters throughout the world, the city of Quincy, Illinois USA, and vendors and partners everywhere were shocked to learn that Elenos is acquiring BE. Since that announcement, there have been many emails, calls, and questions regarding this acquisition. In an attempt to try to answer some of these questions, I have had a conversation with Leonardo Busi, Elenos Group President and Tom Beck, President/CEO of BE. Here is the text of the conversation.

Wilson: A lot of people worldwide were surprised to hear that Elenos is acquiring BE. Does this reaction surprise you?

Busi: “Although this may be surprising news, the end result will be great news for all. I know all at Elenos and Itelco are very excited about it.”

Beck: “I agree. I think many would view us as enemies in the marketplace as we have both been manufacturing and both of our companies have sold thousands of transmitters throughout the world since the late 1970’s. But, I see great synergies between our companies and I think the end result, as Leonardo says, will be great news for broadcasters everywhere. We will have the ability, with our feet planted in our respective locations, to be in the best position to serve our customers now and well into the future”.

Wilson: Leonardo, why do you want to purchase Broadcast Electronics?

Busi: “I have admired BE for many years and BE has been a great company for a long time. I have known BE to have a great reputation and I know they have designed quality products and are respected by many all over the world. I am truly excited about the future for our companies.”

Beck: We have also watched Elenos through the years and we see one of the few companies that today continues to invest heavily into next generation technologies to provide the equipment that broadcasters need. These are things like energy efficiency and the total cost footprint at time of purchase and for the lifetime of the equipment. I think that our product and support philosophies will continue on our side and that jointly we will have the opportunity to ensure the best options for broadcasters everywhere.”

Busi: “Always most important is the people. I am excited about working with the people at BE. This is most important for our future success together.

Wilson: The release on December 20 spoke about television products. Can you explain how this fits into this acquisition?

Busi: “I see at BE the ability to expand into television, and we will be investing in this. For the past few years, we have revived the Itelco brand and there is an opportunity to bring our TV options in a bigger way to the US.”

Beck: “Again, I agree. We will have the ability to provide US manufacturing, customer service and support from right here in Quincy. We can provide and support a solid option for consideration for TV broadcasters in the US and all of the Americas.”

Wilson: Is there anything else that should be mentioned to broadcasters worldwide?

Beck: “Although I am very thankful for our transmission products, there is more to BE than our FM and AM transmitter product lines. We have a very large installed base of AudioVAULT customers and Marti Electronics continues to be the most trusted STL and RPU products for radio broadcasters. We will continue to focus on our loyal customers and the future of these products as well.

Busi: “Yes, yes, radio automation is not my company’s area of expertise, but I know that AudioVAULT is a very big part of the BE story and this must continue. I am excited to learn more, but I can see that AudioVAULT must continue to develop. My sales teams in Europe will be able to show my broadcasting friends how great AudioVAULT is. I see great opportunity with AudioVAULT and with Marti, too. Everyone knows the name Marti.”

Beck: “In the broadcasting market today, this should be viewed as positive and hope people will see this. This acquisition will strengthen both of our companies and I believe we can better plan for the future together. We will need to prove this and I’m confident we will.”

Established in 1959, BE is the world’s leading radio-only equipment manufacturer and currently provides award winning FM and AM transmitters, AudioVAULT studio automation, Marti Electronics STL and RPU solutions, and Commotion™, a social media, advertising, and listener interactive solutions company.

Established in 1977, Elenos has been a world-leader in the design of FM transmitters with a focus on compact design, reliability, and quality. Elenos transmitters provide best of class energy efficiency with over 40,000 transmitters installed in over 100 countries.

Established in 1962, Itelco has been providing state-of-the art TV Transmitters in IOT technology and solid-state technology with both liquid and air-cooled options. Itelco also specializes in providing turn-key solutions for scientific, military, aerospace, and medical applications.