Charlie Vogt

The list of gear and technologies expected to command broadcasters’ attention and wallets next year includes the transition from SDI to IP infrastructure using clouds; transmitters and other RF gear to handle station migration to new channels; ATSC 3.0; plus a lot of activity involving cameras, bonded cellar, multichannel workflow and virtual sets.

The Gores Group, owner of the media tech company, is committed to its strategy of leading the media’s transition to software-based IP production and distribution, say the newly named CEO Tom Cotney and man he replaced, Charlie Vogt, who will join Gores and look to expand Imagine’s “product set” through mergers and acquisitions.

In more than four years at the helm, Vogt (left) was unable to convert his IP strategy into steady growth, according to industry sources. The Gores Group, which owns Imagine Communications, has hired former high tech exec Tom Cotney (right) to replace Vogt.

Charlie Vogt, CEO of Imagine Communications: “In the past few years, the conversation around transitioning from SDI to a hybrid or pure IP environment has shifted from ‘should I’ to ‘at what pace and what does my path look like.’ The data-agnostic nature of IT-based infrastructures has emerged as a must-have attribute for media companies that can no longer afford the wholesale replacement of purpose-built equipment with each incremental change in technology or video quality enhancement.”

Charlie Vogt, Imagine Communications’ CEO, says TV is inevitably moving from broadband to IP. He talks about his company’s strategy for enabling that transition, Imagine’s recent acquisitions and how it will be affected by the upcoming spectrum auction. He also emphasizes the importance of moving to the next-gen transmission system ATSC 3.0.

At IBC’s opening panel this morning, David Abraham, CEO of Britian’s Channel 4, describes how his company over the past eight years has successfully built a hybrid TV viewing experience around the convenience of mobile and over-the-top that augments its linear broadcast channels. And he outlines how it will reframe its digital platform with the rollout next year of All 4, a single destination that will hold all program content at one digital location.

The CEO of Imagine Communications (formerly Harris Broadcast) says the company will “out-innovate” its chief rival, Belden’s Grass Valley. Charlie Vogt says Imagine “is moving into a very dynamic software environment and I’m not sure that that is in the DNA” of Belden. He also says Imagine will be “bold and agressive” in acquiring smaller companies that round out its product line.

Harris Broadcast, looking to make a splash in the TV everywhere and over-the-top sector of the media industry, acquired San Diego-based Imagine Communications, the company announced today. The acquisition allows Harris to update its Selenio product with adaptive bit rate transcoding, a neccessity in the OTT and TV everywhere space.

Steve Reynolds previously was senior vice president of consumer premises technology at Comcast. The company also announced Skip Sorenson as its new chief financial officer. Both executives will report to CEO Charlie Vogt. “Steve’s software and IP pedigree, most recently at Comcast, bring a cutting-edge customer perspective that is ideal for guiding our product direction, while Skip’s financial acumen spanning public and private companies aligns with our long-term goals and objectives,” Vogt said.

Quincy Broadcasting is upgrading its seven-year-old centralcasting setup with an infusion of new technology from Harris Broadcast that’s expected to improve the group’s workflow and cut down costs. Hub stations can now distribute syndiacted programming, and the group has plans to use the technology for new tasks in the coming year.

Charlie Vogt, who was named CEO of Harris Broadcast in July, has brought in a colleague from his last employer, GENBAND, to lead the company’s global sales efforts. Vogt has also hired a former senior analyst from Texas Pacific Group, an investment firm that specializes in distressed companies and turnaround situations, to head global operations.

Charlie Vogt, who replaced Harris Morris as CEO of Harris Broadcast this week, says he’s eager to learn the company and the broadcast industry and ready to shape Harris’ strategy. “Clearly, we’re going to invest the dollars where we feel like the market is trending to. The team has got to be very thoughtful and really smart about where we want to place our chips, and what bets we want to double down on,” Vogt says in an exclusive interview with TVNewsCheck.

Less than a week after letting its CEO go, Harris Broadcast has a new leader. The Denver-based broadcasting giant named Charlie Vogt CEO effective today. Vogt brings 25 years of IT and telecom experience to Harris. He formerly served as president and CEO of GENBAND, a maker of IP-based software and infrastructure products for mobile and cable network service providers.