Joining the growing array of recent
acquisitions is Planar and Runco International, as just today Planar has written a check for $36.7 million to take on the assets of privately-held Runco International, Inc.
Planar, while not a household name in the home theater biz, managed to hold its own amongst competitors in the HT market, and while the majority of its products catered to the mid-range consumer, we suspect that picking up
Runco was the easiest way to launch into the high-end realm. As expected, it looks like the Planar, Runco, and
Vidikron brand names will remain as they are, and just as Planar will continue to sell through its current network of distributors, it sure sounds like Runco will remain a niche offering rather than bleeding over towards the mainstream.
North Carolina-based ATMC Cable has just acquired another local cable company, Tele-Media. The agreement will see "the majority of Tele-Media's cable television assets in Brunswick County" becomes ATMC's, and all areas currently served by Tele-Media (save for Bald Head Island) will soon be served by a new master. That means that just over 1,100 customers in the Bricklanding, Shell Point, Holden Beach / Seashore Road and Sunset Harbor / River Run areas will be affected, but judging by the way ATMC has been rolling high-def options out of late, we don't suspect anyone will complain. As it stands, the deal should close in early July, with another 75 - 90 days before the conversion is complete.
