The Broadcasters Foundation of America: Lessons in Giving

(By Mike McVay) Tomorrow the annual Broadcasters Foundation of America Breakfast will be held on the final day of the NAB in Las Vegas. I am honored to be among those receiving this year’s BFoA Leadership Award. The list of luminaries who have received this award in past years reads like a Who’s Who of media types.

Magnifying its’ importance to me is that I will receive recognition alongside some amazing leaders who have excelled in and for this industry. I’m not sure that my contributions to our business warrant this recognition, but I am proud of the acknowledgment and appreciative of the opportunity to join this year’s honorees. Thank you, Broadcasters Foundation of America.

Those being honored include Don Bouloukos who is best known as a Radio Executive with ABC and CBS. Traug Keller has served as President ABC Radio Networks and as the SVP/ESPN Radio. Today he is the President of America Media. Kathy Kirby is a Partner at Wiley and Co-Chair of their Telecom, Media & Technology Practice. Frank Comerford serves as Chief Revenue Officer/President Commercial Operations for NBCU Local. John Rouse is the EVP/ABC Affiliate Relations for Disney Platform Distribution. Erica Farber, the outgoing President of the Radio Advertisers Bureau, will be the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting award. 

Receiving the BFOA Leadership Award means a lot to me because of the recognition of career accomplishments, but even more so because of the organization behind it. The Broadcasters Foundation of America has a mission to aid and assist men and women in broadcasting who fall on hard times. Be that from illness, severe accident, natural disaster, familial crisis, or other crisis situation.

They raise money through creating social, educational, networking, and formal events. All of the money goes into the cause to help those among us who need help. Recipients receive either Monthly Grants that support broadcasters who are no longer able to work or Emergency Grants for those in immediate crisis. 

During that time that I worked as a member of a corporate leadership team at one of the major broadcast companies, I saw it firsthand. The company stepped in to help support those who lost their homes during a hurricane along the Gulf Coast. Additionally The Broadcasters Foundation of America stepped in to provide significant support.

I’ve been to BFoA Banquets and heard the families of people we’ve lost share how BFOA was there for them when they faced lifechanging disaster. I’ve been to several of their networking mixers where everyday members of our industry shared their stories of job loss, facing financial disaster, and look at total ruin as their only way out … before the BFOA came to their rescue. 

The Lesson in Giving, regardless of whatever charity or philanthropic venture you wish to support, is to give what you can give. Be it big or small. It all helps. Think about how much money you spend everyday on “designer coffee.”  Can you take one day a week and donate that amount? When you grab fast food, do you really need “fries with that?” A cookie jar at home, where you throw your spare change, can turn into a monthly donation to charity. I always like to say, “Don’t give ‘til it hurts. Give ‘til it feels good.”

You can learn more about The Broadcasters Foundation of America here.

Mike McVay is President of McVay Media and can be reached at [email protected]. Read Mike’s Radio Ink archives here.