Charese Fruge’ @MCMediaonline Talks To Diamond Tyleir

She started the Instagram page @Womenonair, which is now a full-blown organization for the advancement of women in the industry, and she is currently the nighttime personality for Summit Media Urban WBHJ (95.7 Jamz)/Birmingham. Diamond Tyleir is the first female to host this position on the station. She also produces imaging and voice commercials outside of her shift for the station.

“My passion for radio comes from it being there for me growing up,” says Tyleir. “My mom would enter contests, and she would listen to the radio while getting ready for work or dropping me off at school. I just remember radio being a big part of the good times in my life and I’ve always loved it.”

“My desire to pursue a radio career started when I was the Managing Editor of my college newspaper. I love to write, and I love to network with people, so one day I was working a story for the paper and met the personalities from the radio station and started an internship at 19 years old. While in college, I interned for three different radio stations in Atlanta, and I learned quickly about air checks and how to get a potential job in the field,” explains Tyleir. “About four months after crossing the stage at Georgia State University, I entered a contest for the night show at WJWZ/Montgomery, but I did not get the job. Then, two months after my audition, I received a call from the PD, who offered me their open midday slot, which eventually led to the place I am now.”

@WomenOnAir is a big passion project for Diamond as its community continues to grow and provide a safe space to encourage and highlight women in the industry. It was created as a digital networking platform for all women working in television & radio broadcasting. Its goal is to encourage and enhance cohesiveness and promote inclusivity and representation within the distinct circle of women operating in a male-dominated industry.

“When I started @Womenoniar, it was intended to be a fun Instagram page,” says Tyleir. “I wanted to see how many women in the industry I could get in one space. When I realized that the platform could grow and women we’re excited about it and the content, I decided to start a brunch tour where I’ve hosted networking brunches in different markets across the country.”

Besides @Womenonair, one of the most exciting things for Tyleir in the business has been the opportunity to move to new places. “I’ve always been an adventurous person and I love to be in different settings,” she says. “One of my strengths is adapting to my target audience so being able to connect with people no matter where I move is amazing. And now, I have been promoted to a position where we don’t see many women, so that challenge is exciting for me as well.”

“I believe that ‘working your way up the ladder’ is a major challenge for anybody. I always feel like I’m great at what I do and equally I feel that I have so much to learn. So that constant climb will forever be a challenge that thrills me. The best way to handle that is be kind, be tactful, and be intentional in your pursuit.”

Great advice for tackling one of the biggest challenges of the industry to date: the need to capture, engage and grow the audience among younger demos, to keep the business alive. “Loyalty and engagement are super important when it comes to the next generation and the current one,” says Tyleir. “I believe that with capturing loyalty, you have to be genuine in what you give them. I think that we and they are very smart and can see through things, so if it’s not relatable nor genuine, you will lose the Millennials and Gen Z.”

Tyleir is confident and excited about the future of the industry when it comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She feels like we as an industry have moved the needle. “I absolutely believe that things have changed for the better in the industry, especially for women,” she says. “I believe that it’s a constant process, and that while we have setbacks as a community, we also move forward just as much.”

What keeps Diamond up at night? “I’ve noticed that my energy is great, and I have a lot of ideas at night, so planning is something I like to do at night. Besides that I am always watching some type of YouTube video or Googling something, so those things keep me up at night,” she says. But she does find balance. “What works for me, is keeping notes and I am obsessed with writing things out whether it be an idea or a to-do task, because if I don’t write it out of my head, I can get overwhelmed.”

The main priorities for Tyleir for 2023 are to continue to “work her way up the ladder” at 95.7 Jamz,” and of course, pull off another successful @Womenonair Pop-Up Brunch in March. Follow Diamond on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn @diamondtyleir and diamondtyleir.com.