A mentorship program for women who work in broadcast technology or production has extended its deadline to apply for the next year-long cycle.
The LAUNCH Mentorship Program began in 2023 and is managed by Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio and the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation. The new entry deadline is Nov. 13. (Apply here.)
This interview is with Maria Laing, board member of MIW and senior vice president of Mr. Master.
Radio World: Who qualifies to take part and what do they get out of it?
Maria Laing: LAUNCH is open to women who are building careers in broadcast engineering, audio production and technical operations. That includes women working for broadcasters and, new this year, women working for the technology partners and vendors that serve the broadcast industry.
The selected mentee is paired with an experienced industry leader for a full year of one-on-one mentorship. She gets guidance, professional development, deeper exposure to the technology behind today’s broadcast and audio operations, and a network of people who want to see her succeed. She also attends the 2027 NAB Show in Las Vegas.
RW: What areas of broadcast technology should a person expect to learn about?
Laing: The program covers the core of modern broadcast technology: FCC compliance, RF systems, EAS, IP-based broadcast systems, automation and network operations. It also gets into IT, remote broadcasting, digital audio, streaming and systems integration.
We shape the mentorship around where each mentee is in her career. Some are working toward their SBE Certified Broadcast Technician (CBT) certification, some are already engineers looking to move up, and others want to build expertise in a specific area.
The goal is broader technical knowledge plus the relationships to keep growing after the year ends.
RW: What is Mr. Master and how is it involved?
Laing: Mr. Master is the proud sponsor of this year’s LAUNCH program. The company supplies radio stations with compliance and content distribution software, and its AIM product suite serves more than 8,500 radio stations across the country.
Mr. Master works at the center of how audio and ads get to stations every day, so its support is a natural fit for a program focused on the technical side of the business. We’re grateful for their commitment to developing the next generation of women in broadcast technology.
RW: I was so pleased to see that MIW and the NABLF are encouraging women to pursue careers in broadcast technology and audio production. It’s been my experience that many industry programs that encourage young people don’t include a technical component.
Laing: MIW’s mission has always been to help women in radio grow into leadership. As technology has become part of every corner of the business, we saw that leadership in our industry increasingly runs through engineering, IT and technical operations. If women aren’t in those rooms, they’re missing a big part of where the industry is headed.
We agree with you that most career programs focus on sales, programming or management and leave out the technical side. Our partners at the NAB Leadership Foundation shared that view, and we created LAUNCH in 2023 to fill that gap.
RW: In radio, at least, engineering and tech is still a field visibly dominated by men, both in sheer numbers and in leadership roles. Radio World has documented that this does seem to be evolving, but any change seems pretty slow. Do you agree? If so why do you think that’s the case? Is it a lack of interest, lack of opportunity or something else?
Laing: Yes, progress has been slow, but I really believe that is changing.
We’re seeing more women step into leadership roles at some of the biggest broadcast technology companies. Susan Larkin is now CEO of RCS, Tracey Connolly is director of global broadcast sales at Nautel, Toni Coonce is CEO of WideOrbit and Mary DelGrande leads vCreative.
We also have women like Andrea (Andy) Cummis at Advanced Systems Group, who made history as the first woman to serve as national president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and Lou Taylor, CEO and owner of 4Remotes.
And these are just a few examples. There are many other incredibly talented women in leadership positions throughout our industry who are making significant contributions and helping pave the way for future generations.
I don’t believe the slow progress has been because of a lack of interest. Women are interested in engineering. The bigger challenges have been visibility and access.
Many young women simply haven’t had the opportunity to see someone like themselves in these roles, so engineering may never cross their minds as a career path. Historically, technical hiring in radio has relied heavily on word of mouth and informal apprenticeships, and those networks have largely been dominated by men.
Consolidation hasn’t helped either. With fewer entry-level positions and engineers responsible for multiple stations, opportunities to learn on the job have become harder to find.
That’s exactly why mentorship is so important. A mentor can open doors, introduce someone to opportunities they didn’t know existed, help them develop their technical skills and give them the confidence to pursue a career they might never have considered.
We have some extraordinary women leading the way, and so many others doing incredible work behind the scenes. Now we need to make sure the next generation sees those women, knows these opportunities exist, and believes there is a place for them in broadcast engineering.
RW: How can someone help this program?
Laing: Share it. Forward the application to the women on your engineering, IT and production teams, and encourage the ones you see potential in to apply. A personal nudge from a manager or colleague is often what gets someone to submit. Share with student-run college radio stations.
If you’re an experienced engineer or technical leader, we’d also love to hear from you about future mentorship opportunities. And if your company would like to support the program, reach out to MIW.
RW: You’ve added broadcast technology partners and vendors as eligible to participate.
Laing: A lot of the industry’s technical expertise now lives with technology partners and vendors, not just at the stations. The women building and supporting those systems are part of how our industry operates, and they deserve the same access to mentorship and leadership opportunities.
Opening eligibility widens the pool and reaches talented women we weren’t reaching before
RW: What else should we know?
Laing: Because of the response from across the industry, we’ve extended the submission window through Nov. 13, 2026. If you’ve been meaning to apply, or know someone who should, there’s still time.
LAUNCH is about more than one year of mentorship. It’s about building a long-term network of women in broadcast technology who will go on to mentor and hire the next generation.
To learn more and apply, visit https://miw.secondstreetapp.com/2026-Engineering-Mentorship-Application/ or www.RadioMIW.com.
