Broadcast Facilities, Inc. (“BFI”), a media services company owned by private equity and investment firm Wasserstein & Co., LP and management, has acquired the Satellite Services Division of Crawford Communications, Inc. (“Crawford”) to create a market leading provider of outsourced broadcasting solutions for major broadcasters and media companies.  Terms were not disclosed.

The transaction combines BFI’s primary asset, the Andrita Media Center (“Andrita”), the largest independent HD/SD network origination, production, post production and digital media facility on the West Coast, with Crawford’s highly complementary East Coast business, which includes television network origination, teleport, satellite uplink trucks, Internet, production services, and media services to government clients. BFI will now have greater scale and resources to provide mission-critical services to leading broadcasters, media companies, and other clients.  The combined company’s diversified client base includes ABC, NBC Universal, DIRECTV Sports Networks, Hallmark, NFL Network, Game Show Network, ESPN, NASCAR Media Group, and MGM, as well as government entities including the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and the CDC.

  The acquisition significantly enhances BFI’s scale by broadening its core 24/7 origination and transmission services for linear cable TV channels to also include a growing media services business with the U.S. Government, central casting 24/7 origination and transmission services for local TV stations, and occasional-use satellite services.  Crawford’s Atlanta facility and BFI’s Los Angeles media center will offer mirrored disaster recovery and the ability to quickly launch HD/SD networks.  The combination will also give clients access to a unique footprint for the backhaul of both domestic and international sporting events and to quickly roll out central casting services for TV stations throughout the U.S.