The Board of Directors of The John Bayliss Broadcast Foundation announced that the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) has been selected to administer the Bayliss Radio Scholarship Fund. The announcement says the move is designed to ensure the perpetuation of the Foundation’s educational mission to support students preparing for a career in radio.
Bayliss Foundation Executive Director Kit Hunter Franke will transfer the administration of the scholarship program and funding to BEA on November 1.
BEA has been awarding scholarships to aspiring broadcasters since 1961. It is the professional association for professors, industry professionals and students interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises. There are currently more than 1,500 individual and institutional members.
The Bayliss Foundation’s Board of Directors has appointed a liaison committee to work with BEA. Committee members Bishop Cheen of Wells Fargo Securities, David Kennedy of FlyCast Inc. and Larry Patrick of Patrick Communications will operate under this new structure until industry conditions permit a return to a self-governing independent entity. The Bayliss Foundation had suspended its main fundraising venture, an annual black-tie roast, due to the recession. Under the new setup the scholarships will be selected by BEA’s Scholarship Committee currently chaired by Pete Orlik, Central Michigan University.
“It is an absolute honor to have been selected as the new home for the Bayliss Radio Scholarships,” said Heather Birks, Executive Director of the Broadcast Education Association. “John Bayliss shared our mission to educate the next generation of radio broadcasters. We will continue to recognize college students with the grace and dignity established by The John Bayliss Broadcast Foundation.”
The Foundation was created in honor of John Bayliss, a 25-year radio industry veteran who generously shared his appreciation for the medium by encouraging college students to pursue a career in radio. Since 1985, the Foundation has distributed more than $1.2 million in scholarships to 345 exceptional students. These students were selected to receive the Bayliss Radio Scholarship because of their academic achievement and extracurricular radio activities, their passion for radio and their desire to contribute to the overall advancement of the radio industry.
