Bauer Media Audio creates more opportunities for women in radio by launching new Women in Programming and Finding Female Talent programmes

Focusing on both upskilling female freelancers and finding the next generation of radio talent

This International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Bauer Media Audio has today announced the launch of new initiatives that focus on championing, training and finding female talent in the radio industry. Its new ‘Women in Programming’ programmes will provide freelancers and Bauer women with training, mentoring and coaching, whilst the ‘Finding Female Talent’ programme lies within its leading radio brand KISS, focusing on finding the best female talent aged 16-24 and providing them a start in radio.

Women in Programming (WiP)

Having already delivered WiP courses for two years, the new programme this year has been split into two strands – providing training to freelancers both within and external to Bauer. The courses will both be delivered by Bauer Academy, the training division of Bauer Media, and help support 30 women across the UK, with each course having 15 spaces.

The first WiP course will be delivered to existing Bauer staff, including training and a personal mentor or development coach over a period of ten months starting this month, helping the learners to develop and progress their careers within the business.

The second course will be set up as a series of evening classes to upskill diverse female freelancers who want to access work at Bauer Media. Through the classes, individuals will receive training in areas such as scheduling, editorial decision making, social media and branding, ensuring that they have the required skills for permanent roles that become available within Bauer. This course will begin in April and run until July 2021, with two evening classes per month.

Finding Female Talent

The brand-new ‘Finding Female Talent’ initiative sits within the WiP programme, concentrating on searching for the next generation of radio talent. It will kick off this summer through a KISS Summer School, providing up to 20 young women who want to get into the industry two weeks of intensive training and activities. Throughout the fortnight the 16-24-year-olds will have access to a group of industry mentors to guide them on what it is like working in the industry and will be tasked with a live brief to create new content for KISS. By learning how to respond to a brief and the creative processes in which to make ideas into a reality, the new entrants will get first-hand experience in working in radio and open themselves up to future entry-level opportunities at Bauer.

Anna Fitzjohn, Head of Project Innovation, Bauer Academy said;

“At Bauer we are so proud that 58% of our radio workforce are female, higher than other major UK radio broadcasters and the UK radio industry average. We believe it’s so important to continue to uncover and foster female talent and ensure that women are represented across all areas of the industry – from programming to presenting – and want to continue providing all the skills and training that they need to succeed.”

Victoria Easton-Riley, Content Director (Hits and Greatest Hits Networks – Scotland) and Head of Women in Programming added;

“We’ve been delivering Women in Programming courses for two years now and have seen incredible results, helping females across the UK get their start in the industry and progress their careers. We’re really excited to be launching these two new WiP programmes this year and hope to welcome even more women to Bauer.”