New York, New York – September 8, 2011 -- The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), in conjunction with BMI and the Mentoring and Inspiring Women (MIW) in Radio Group, is pleased to announce the successful completion of the fourth annual Rising through the Ranks, Women in Radio Management & Leadership Training Program for 2011. Twenty eight scholarships were handed out for the 2011 Women in Radio Management & Leadership Training Program at the BMI offices in Nashville, August 30-31. Scholarship recipients were selected and awarded by the three organizations. The two day course emphasized the specific needs of women in management roles, including enhancing their overall management knowledge and skills. Courses were led by Sheila Kirby, Brandeis Hall RAB, Lynn Anderson, Lynn Anderson Media; Heidi Raphael, Greater Media & MIW; Dan Spears, BMI; and Lindsay Cerajewski, CBS Chicago.

The customized curriculum included practical and real world applications that managers immediately put to use in the workplace. "It was hands down the best conference I've been to. The information was current, valuable and really renewed my motivation for why I do my job and why I love it," noted Amy McDaid, Director of Strategic Sales and Marketing, Entercom in Kansas City. Mary Baxter, General Sales Manager for Clear Channel Los Angeles also elaborated by stating, "I seriously enjoyed the course. It was great."

"The class of 2011 represented a diverse cross section of top-level managers from Radio's ownership and markets across the country. The sessions provided in-depth information, interaction and best practices to grow participants' knowledge, careers and revenue for the radio industry," said Sheila Kirby, SVP Professional Development, Radio Advertising Bureau. "BMI and MIW both continue to lead the way in their support of Radio, women and excellence for the Radio industry. It is an honor to partner with BMI and MIW to offer career advancement for women in Radio"

"Rising Through the Ranks is one of the most inspiring and necessary programs in the Radio industry. The Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio (MIW) Group is proud to be a partner with BMI and the RAB on this exciting and progressive initiative which provides a solid foundation for future leaders in the radio business," said Heidi Raphael, MIW Radio Group Spokesperson and Greater Media Vice President of Corporate Communication.

"BMI is very proud to partner with the RAB and the MIW to offer the Rising Through the Ranks program," noted Michael O'Neill, Senior VP of Licensing and Repertoire, BMI. "The benefits of the 2011 Women in Radio Management & Leadership Training Seminar will not only shape the lives of the incredibly talented women who participated, but will also have a powerful impact on the industry in the years to follow"

Since the BMI/RAB partnership began nine years ago, over 200 BMI-funded scholarships for both Rising Through the Ranks and the FastStart Minority programs have been awarded. RAB's Professional Development team offers a variety of sales and management courses all levels including the recently launched Certified Digital Marketing Consultant 2.0. This year's Rising Through the Ranks graduates include:

Alexis Antonecchia, Clear Channel Radio
Mary Baxte,r Clear Channel Radio
Michelle Campbell, Neuhoff Media
Kelly Del Monte, Clear Channel Radio
Jeriann D'Elicio, Maverick Media
Sarah Dobbins, Clear Channel Radio
Brittany Donnelly, CBS Radio
Erica Dreyer, Maverick Media
Leslie Edwards, WWCD-FM
Kylee Flider, Neuhoff Media
Jessica Frost, BMI
Tiffany Hickman, Holston Valley Broadcasting Corp.
Mandee Kalinowski, Regional Reps Corp.
Jennifer LaMontagne, Inner City Broadcasting
Lisa Layne, Nassau Broadcasting
Cindy Licklider, Journal Broadcast Group
Erin Madden, Cape Cod Broadcasting
Juliet Martzk, Clear Channel Radio
Amy McDaid, Entercom
Jennifer Miller, Citadel Communications
Danielle Outlaw, Neuhoff Communications
Stephanie Palmer, KSL Broadcast Group
Tina Philbrook, Bonneville Communications
Kathy Smith, Entercom
Teresa Stafford-Scherer, BMI
Ashley Testa, Cox Media Group
Brandy Thomas-Ray, Bristol Broadcasting Corp.
April Wilson, NextMedia 360

About BMI
Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI), a global leader in rights management, is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 475,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 6.5 million works. BMI has represented the most popular and beloved music from around the world for 70 years. The U.S. corporation collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it then distributes as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents.

About MIW Radio Group
The MIW Radio Group consists of top-level Radio women across the country who are dedicated to using their influence and resources to help put more women in positions of leadership in Radio.

About Radio Advertising Bureau
The Radio Advertising Bureau serves more than 6,000 member Radio stations in the U.S. and over 1,000 member networks, representative firms, broadcast vendors, and international organizations. RAB leads and participates in educational, research, sales, and advocacy programs that promote and advance Radio as a primary advertising medium.

Media Contacts: For the Radio Advertising Bureau: Meghan Buonocore, Marketing & Communications Associate, Radio Advertising Bureau 212-681-7215; mbuonocore@rab.com

For BMI: Hanna Pantle, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Communications and Media Relations, BMI 310-289-6328, hpantle@bmi.com

For the MIW Radio Group: Heidi Raphael, VP of Corporate Communication, Greater Media, Inc. 781-348-8612; hraphael@greatermedia.com