October 15, 2020

Broadcast engineering and management expert will oversee all functions within the company’s headquarters, and drive launch and growth initiatives for its new in-house studio operations

St. Petersburg, Florida, October 13, 2020 — CP Communications, a leader in innovative solutions and services for live event productions, has appointed Lowell Beckner as General Manager, effective immediately. Reporting to CEO Kurt Heitmann, Beckner will focus on growing CP Communications’ in-house production business for broadcast and AV projects at its St. Petersburg, Florida headquarters, anchored by the new company’s soon-to-launch Red House Streaming Studios. He will oversee the final stages leading up to the studio’s launch in November, and create a cohesive operations entity to ensure continued business growth.

Beckner joins CP Communications with more than two decades of engineering, sales, and management in the broadcast industry. His experience in broadcast engineering and military communications provides him with extensive knowledge of RF and IP technologies and systems, the latter of which is a core part of the Red House Streaming Studios workflow and infrastructure. He will also oversee all general St. Petersburg functions, and serve as the primary interface for CP Communications’ executives across sales, engineering, IT and operations.

“CP Communications has been the leader in live content acquisition and event production for sports and live events for many years,” said Beckner. “The opportunity to lead the company’s new in-house production initiatives and general business operations is an exciting opportunity for an engineer that values technical innovation, and understands the importance of strategic direction to ensure growth and success. I’m looking forward to working with the entire CP Communications team up through the executive level, and establishing a roadmap for future expansion.”

Beckner’s broadcast career began in the military with tours at the Joint Special Operations Command and the White House Communications Agency while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He spent the next 20 years as a broadcast engineer with TV stations in the southeast and with broadcast media network groups, taking on roles of increasing responsibility with Media General, Cox Media Group and E.W. Scripps. He shifted his focus toward IP networking in 2017 as Product Manager, IP Systems for Integrated Microwave Technologies; and as Regional Sales Manager, Live Production for Vislink. His valuable hands-on experience across the entire broadcast ecosystem includes engineering creative solutions for newsroom, playout, transmission, and IP/bonded cellular systems.

“Lowell brings a uniquely diverse and rich background to CP Communications that will drive organization across all key business operations – an integral responsibility of the General Manager position,” said Heitmann. “Lowell will provide day-to-day guidance and decisions that harmonize our teams and initiatives as we work toward the launch and future success of Red House Streaming Studios, and grow our business into interesting new directions. We welcome Lowell to the CP Communications team.”