Broadcast Education Association
BEA is a 70-year-old nonprofit professional association serving 2,500+ professors, students, and industry professionals in broadcasting and electronic media education. It publishes three peer-reviewed journals, runs an annual convention co-located with NAB Show, and operates the Festival of Media Arts competition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Broadcast Education Association does
The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) is a U.S.-based nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1955 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., dedicated to professors, industry professionals, and graduate students involved in teaching and research in electronic media and multimedia enterprises. BEA operates three peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Radio & Audio Media, Journal of Media Education) published through a partnership with Taylor & Francis, hosts an annual convention in conjunction with the NAB Show in Las Vegas that draws 1,300+ educators and students across 250 sessions, and runs the Festival of Media Arts competition, which has received 8,250+ student creative works from 300+ member institutions over the past five years. The association also administers awards, grants, and scholarships (including the Distinguished Education Service Award, Lifetime Achievement in Scholarship, Kenneth Harwood Dissertation Award, and LABF Broadcast Historian Awards) and operates the BEAi online community platform launched in 2026.
BEA's revenue model is membership-based, with individual, institutional, corporate, and student membership tiers, supplemented by annual convention registration fees, publication licensing through Taylor & Francis, corporate sponsorships, advertising, and donations; financial figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization holds core strategic partnerships with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) as its largest conference partner, Taylor & Francis for journal publishing, College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) for student-media collaboration (announced March 2025), and the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) for the Broadcast Historian Awards. External technology capability is limited: the primary AI touchpoint is third-party tooling (RAB CopyWrite) used during student competitions, and the BEAi platform functions as an intelligent member community rather than a proprietary AI product. The member base spans 2,500+ individual and institutional members and 300+ institutions worldwide, with no evidence of venture capital, private equity, or parent-company ownership; governance rests with an elected Board of Directors and operational leadership including Executive Director Heather Birks.
Broadcast Education Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Broadcast Education Association
- Legal name
- Broadcast Education Association
- Website
- https://beaweb.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BEA is a 70-year-old nonprofit professional association serving 2,500+ professors, students, and industry professionals in broadcasting and electronic media education. It publishes three peer-reviewed journals, runs an annual convention co-located with NAB Show, and operates the Festival of Media Arts competition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Broadcast Education Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Training, Workshops & Certification Events (MPAGAGAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Exhibitions, Trade Shows & Booth Management (HSACADAH)
Keywords
Where Broadcast Education Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Broadcast Education Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Broadcast Education Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BEA is a professional membership association that provides academic journals, conferences, competitions, and a member community for electronic media and broadcast educators. Its sellable offerings include three peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Radio & Audio Media, and Journal of Media Education), an annual convention, the Festival of Media Arts competition, the On-Location Conference, a Career Resources/Classifieds job board, and the BEAi online member community. The organization also administers awards, grants, and scholarship programs funded through membership dues and donations.
Product overview
The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) operates as a professional membership organization rather than a technology product company. BEA's portfolio consists of academic journals (Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Radio & Audio Media, Journal of Media Education), an annual convention held with NAB Show in Las Vegas, the Festival of Media Arts competition for student and faculty creative work, the BEAi online community platform, and various awards, grants, and scholarships supporting electronic media education. The organization also offers research symposiums, BEA Ignite presentations, and job posting services. BEA serves as the largest conference partner of NAB Show, hosting over 1,300 educators and students annually with more than 2,500 members worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Festival of Media Arts: A competitive festival open to BEA individual faculty and student members featuring competitions in audio, documentary, interactive multimedia, news, scriptwriting, sports, video, and two-year/small college categories.
- BEAi
Products and services
- Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (JOBEM) Peer-reviewed academic journal covering broadcasting, electronic media, and related research, published in partnership with Taylor & Francis and accessed by BEA members and institutional subscribers.
- Journal of Radio & Audio Media (JRAM) Peer-reviewed academic journal focused on radio and audio media scholarship, published in partnership with Taylor & Francis and distributed to BEA members and institutional subscribers.
- Journal of Media Education (JoME) Peer-reviewed academic journal focused on media education pedagogy and teaching practice in electronic media programs, published in partnership with Taylor & Francis.
- BEA Annual Convention Annual professional convention for BEA members, co-located with the NAB Show, featuring paper presentations, panels, networking, and the Festival of Media Arts awards.
- Festival of Media Arts Juried competition and awards program for student and faculty creative media works in audio, video, scriptwriting, and interactive media categories, with submission fees and awards presented at the BEA Annual Convention.
- On-Location Conference Regional or specialized conference event hosted by BEA for members, providing additional professional development opportunities beyond the annual convention.
- Career Resources / Classifieds Job Board Online job board and classifieds service connecting BEA members (faculty and students) with academic and industry employment opportunities in broadcasting and electronic media.
- BEAi Online Community Online member community platform providing networking, discussion, and member-only content access for BEA individual and institutional members.
Companies that use Broadcast Education Association
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Broadcast Education Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Broadcast Education Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI)majorCollege Broadcasters, Inc. and BEA announced a landmark partnership in Denver in March 2025, expanding collaboration in student media and broadcasting education.
- Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF)majorLABF and BEA partnered in 2015 to establish annual Broadcast Historian Awards. LABF supports a broadcast archive housed at the University of Maryland, College Park. BEA annually provides two $2,500 awards to educators who have published books or produced creative work related to broadcast history.
- National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) ShowcoreBEA's annual convention is held in conjunction with NAB Show in Las Vegas every spring. BEA is the largest conference partner of NAB Show, attracting 1,300+ educators and students with 250 sessions, making it NAB's largest conference partner.
- Taylor & FranciscoreTaylor & Francis publishes BEA's three peer-reviewed journals: Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (JOBEM), Journal of Radio & Audio Media (JRAM), and Journal of Media Education (JoME). BEA membership includes exclusive access to these journals.
- Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB)minorRAB Student Scholars Program partnered with BEA for Spring 2026 Audio Competition, where teams created public service announcements for non-profit organizations using RAB's professional tools.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Broadcast Education Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI): An organization supporting college and high school radio, television, and streaming stations, with substantial overlap in student media audiences. CBI entered a landmark partnership with BEA in March 2025.
- National Communication Association (NCA): The oldest and largest US academic association dedicated to communication scholarship and education, with multiple interest divisions that overlap with BEA's broadcast and electronic media focus, including journals and an annual convention.
- Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA): A professional association serving broadcast and digital news journalists and educators, with overlapping membership from journalism educators and shared interest in electronic media scholarship and ethics training.
- Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC): The principal academic association for journalism and mass communication educators in the US, operating a member-driven model with annual conferences, peer-reviewed journals, and interest divisions that directly overlap BEA's broadcast education focus.
Emerging players
- Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE): A global professional association for motion picture, television, and digital media engineering professionals. SMPTE overlaps with BEA in broadcast/media education and industry standards but is more technically oriented.
- Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): A broader journalism-focused professional association serving working journalists, educators, and students. SPJ overlaps with BEA in media education but operates with a wider journalism scope rather than broadcast specialization.
Others
- Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF): A foundation that maintains broadcast archives and partners with BEA on annual Broadcast Historian Awards. Operates as a partner organization rather than direct competitor, supporting broadcast history preservation and education.
Broad incumbents
- National Association of Broadcasters (NAB): The largest US trade association for the broadcast industry and BEA's core convention partner (NAB Show). NAB operates at significantly broader industry scale, serving broadcasters and media companies rather than educators specifically.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Broadcast Education Association social profiles
Digital presenceBroadcast Education Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Broadcast Education Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Broadcast Education Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Broadcast Education Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Broadcast Education Association
What does Broadcast Education Association do?
BEA is a professional membership association that provides academic journals, conferences, competitions, and a member community for electronic media and broadcast educators. Its sellable offerings include three peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Radio & Audio Media, and Journal of Media Education), an annual convention, the Festival of Media Arts competition, the On-Location Conference, a Career Resources/Classifieds job board, and the BEAi online member community. The organization also administers awards, grants, and scholarship programs funded through membership dues and donations.
Is Broadcast Education Association a public or private company?
Broadcast Education Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Broadcast Education Association founded?
Broadcast Education Association was founded in 1955. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Broadcast Education Association based?
Broadcast Education Association is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Broadcast Education Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI), National Communication Association (NCA), Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Emerging players are Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) is listed as an others. National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Broadcast Education Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Broadcast Education Association.
What industry is Broadcast Education Association in?
Broadcast Education Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAGAJ, Training, Workshops & Certification Events, with a secondary code of HSACADAH, Exhibitions, Trade Shows & Booth Management. Its NAICS code is 813920 and its SIC code is 8600.