MultiDyne COO Bob McAlpine Retires After 46-Year Career

MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Solutions has announced the retirement of Bob McAlpine, effective immediately, following a 46-year career in the broadcast industry. While retiring from his role as MultiDyne’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), he will join MultiDyne’s newly formed Board of Directors, and remain active as a consultant focused on MultiDyne’s continued growth.

McAlpine joined MultiDyne as COO in September 2019 following the company’s acquisition of Census Digital, which he facilitated as President of Black Pearl Management Group. He will continue to operate Black Pearl Management Group, advising MultiDyne and other industry vendors on mergers, acquisitions and global growth strategies.

McAlpine launched his broadcast career in the early 1970s, gaining valuable experience in varied operations and engineering roles before transitioning to the supplier side. He joined PESA in 1987 as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, a role he maintained for 17 successful years. He subsequently took on VP and C-Level positions with QuStream, MultiDyne (in a previous role), Telecast Fiber Systems, and Cobalt Digital, where he was elevated to CEO in 2016.

He formed Black Pearl Management Group in 2018, leveraging his depth of experience and strong industry relationships to help broadcast suppliers drive more efficient and profitable business operations. This led him back to MultiDyne where, following the Census Digital acquisition, he expanded the company’s international presence and market share as COO. He quickly appointed in-region business development leaders and channel partners in APAC and EMEA, while restructuring the company’s global sales, engineering and marketing operations. He also worked closely with engineering to diversify MultiDyne’s product portfolio, bringing a new range of compression products to market that introduced the company to a broader customer base.

“Bob was a friend to MultiDyne and a mentor to me well before he first joined the company in 2007,” says Frank Jachetta, CEO, MultiDyne. “Bob would bring industry press and prospective customers by our 10×10 booth at NAB many years ago and take us out to industry events in the evenings. He has continued to be a mentor to everyone at MultiDyne since returning, and his contributions have been essential to our evolution as a company. He will continue to play an active and important role in our evolution, including some key growth initiatives that we expect to announce later this year.”

While McAlpine will continue to operate Black Pearl Management Group, he will do so on his time — a more than reasonable objective for a man that dedicated much of his life to military service, business travel and long working hours in key executive-level roles.

“My time at MultiDyne as COO was without question my final full-time position, and I now have the opportunity to spend more time with family while remaining active in the industry on my terms,” says McAlpine. “Very few completely detach from the broadcast industry after spending decades within it. I look forward to working with MultiDyne in a limited capacity, and helping other companies in the industry grow and prosper.”