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Charese Fruge’ (@MCMediaonline) Talks To Heather Birks
May 23, 2023
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Heather Birks is Executive Director of the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). She builds strategic alliances with corporate and academic organizations to help educators promote research and get tools, techniques and contacts needed to teach and train future media professionals. She is essentially the backbone of the future of the media industry. It’s a critical role right now while the world is introducing technology like AI to the industry, broadcast companies are consolidating and reducing the workforce, and the overall industry is fighting the battle of trying to keep the younger generation interested in the growth and continuation of traditional media outlets.
Birks has been in her role as Executive Director since 2006. As important as this role is to the overall growth (and survival) of the industry, her team is a staff of three full-time employees and dozens of volunteers. “Since we are a small staff, I am everything from the CFO to social media manager, and convention planner to head of strategic partnerships, and board of directors ex-officio member to membership director,” she explains. “We work regularly with NAB, RAB, RTDNA, state broadcast associations, Library of American Broadcasting Foundation and as an association executive, ASAE.”
Before taking on her current role, Birks worked for over 10 years at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), in the Government Relations Department, membership and event planning for the Television Department and finally in the NAB Education Foundation, now NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF). In the six years she worked at NABLF she helped build, manage, and produce the ‘Service to America Awards’ and helped launch and run the Broadcast Leadership Training Program, a 10-month executive MBA-style program for broadcasters interested in learning the art of assessing, acquiring, and running successful radio and television stations.
How did it all start for Birks? “I answered a Washington Post ad for the NAB Government Relations Special Events Manager- it was a traditional newspaper job ad in a fall "Mega Classified Edition" of the Post. I religiously listened to the radio growing up, so getting the job at NAB was a dream come true.”
“Being involved with the development and production of the ‘Service to America Awards’ and the NABLF's Broadcast Leadership Training Program were two of the most pivotal parts of my career. I met lifelong friends and colleagues through both, and learned skills I use daily,” says Birks. “However, managing BEA through COVID was my biggest accomplishment. When we came back from COVID in April 2022, for our in-person event, we needed attendees and members to feel comfortable being together again – and we were cautious but wanted it to feel like a celebration. COVID was such a tremendous storm for a small association to endure, and not only did I want us to get through it, but I wanted us to be standing strong when we came out the other end. And we were.”
“We had to cancel our April 2020 convention four weeks before it was set to take place for obvious reasons. It was a huge challenge. One of the biggest of my careers,” explains Birks. “Once we got over the shock and sadness (which wasn't easy), we knew we had to do a virtual convention. Sitting back and not taking advantage of an opportunity to connect with our members was not an option. We had no idea where to start, what it would look like, and if people would participate. We have 250+ sessions and events at our in-person convention so pulling off a virtual platform was intimidating. We used the online convention program and created links in Zoom - and manually added links in each session description and just made it happen. It was heartwarming, and alarming, how personal the virtual convention felt. Everyone needed some way to bond, and we were honored they did it at BEA2020.”
Since Birks is actually working on the front line with educational outlets and corporations to help train and provide tools for the younger generation to learn about the industry, I wanted to get a realistic look at what we as an industry are up against. Can we get them excited about radio at all?
“We know they don't have actual radios, but they listen to music, sports talk radio, entertainers, social media, influencers - everything ‘radio’ has,” she says. “Talk to them about all the opportunities within radio: how it connects people, supports communities, and is a way to make their voices heard, and in the digital space, seen as well.”
“It's about connections with people. Any radio station staffer, and that's anyone from a CEO to a marketing assistant, is so personable. Find ways to meet Millennials and Gen Z through in-person events: at college football games, concerts, conventions like BEA, and career fairs.”
“We do a program called the RAB Student Scholar Program at our convention in Las Vegas every year. RAB board members support 150 college students to attend by giving them a registration and a $150 stipend. The students accepted to the program attend small group sessions with radio execs and they walk away inspired by the broadcasters. We need to get them in front of more broadcasters, it works.”
As far as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Industry, if the needle is looking at BEA student members, Birks says, without a doubt, “Yes, we are moving the needle and making strides! The students that come to our convention are from all kinds of schools and backgrounds. We have over 275 colleges and universities as members and over 2,000 students. In the past 3 years we have met with over 45 HBCUS and MSIs - talking about the industry, and how BEA and its members can help faculty and students with professional development and how to learn more about the business.”
They say success starts at the top, and more importantly “in the beginning.” That’s where having someone like Birks in this position is so important. In the good ole days of traditional radio, all that really mattered was “experience.” And the only way to get that was to somehow get your foot magically in the door at a radio station and start by answering phones and working your way up. Now, getting a solid, well-rounded education and some actual training will help prepare the next generation of radio for what’s to come, and it will ensure that the future of the industry is not only a representation of the world we live in, but also one that we can all relate to. Gone are the days of the whacky DJ’s. Today it’s all about making a solid connection. One that will make us all willing to engage in it. That’s a little bit of pressure, but I’m sure Birks can handle it.
What keeps Birks up at night? “Too Much!” she says. “It could be related to revenue, registration numbers, that I have to update the employee handbook, or hoping my boys are having a good day.” But she manages to find balance. “I make sure I visit each of my kids at their colleges at least once a semester. Seeing them grounds me.”
Follow Heather Birks on her journey to help bridge the gap between a growing and challenging industry and those who will lead us into the future:
heather@BEAweb.org
www.BEAweb.org
www.BEAweb.org/Festival
Twitter: @BEAwebtweets
Instagram: bea.web
Facebook: (20+) BEA - Broadcast Education Association | Facebook -
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