BW Broadcast resumes business

Founded in 1997, the U.K.-based technology manufacturer had gone through an uncertain time after the death of its founder Roger Howe in 2020 and the subsequent death of CEO Scott Incz in 2021. A period of litigation and a temporary cessation of manufacturing followed.

But when I found out recently that Illinois-based Progressive Concepts had been named the sole U.S. dealer and service center for BW, I figured there must have been a lot happening behind the scenes, so I reached out to the company, which is located in Croyden in south London.

In a conference call with BW’s new leadership team, I learned that Tina Tucker, sister of the late Roger Howe, had emerged from probate as sole owner and now is its CEO.

The firm’s directors also include her husband David Tucker, who serves as operations director and whose background is in airport operations, facilities management and electronics; and engineer Nick Gratwick, a longtime colleague of Howe’s.

They told me that Tina and David Tucker had attended the IBC Show in Amsterdam last year hoping to get a sense of whether there was interest in the market for BW Broadcast to continue. They said they were overwhelmed with the positive response. Tina attributes that not only to a strong brand but to a personal affection that she said many clients felt for her late brother.

“Roger was quite special to a lot of people,” she told me.

But this new team needed to get BW’s gears moving again. “We had a building and a great name,” said Legal Manager Leo Valls, “but we had no staff.”

So over the past year or so, the manufacturer has been working its way back. It has been rebuilding its staff — it now has a dozen employees — and it has resumed manufacturing of the product line, which includes FM transmitters and translators (power levels ranging from 10 watts to 1.1 kW), modulation monitors, RDS encoders, audio processors and related gear.

Dennis Noe also returned to BW after a stint with Chemigraphic Ltd. and was named its chief engineer; he is leading development work on new products. Leo Valls said BW aims to have an exhibit at next year’s IBC Show; meanwhile the company’s leadership will attend this year’s IBC Show and welcomes requests for appointments.

To emphasize its commitment to the market, the company recently announced that new product purchases are now covered by a four-year warranty. Radio World