By: Tyrisha Irwin
Sharp. Witty. Hardworking.
Bethany Kent, the Director for Marketing & Events for Emmis Communications New York City and Emerson College graduate, has over 5 years of radio experience. This radio fanatic has no intention of slowing down when it comes to soaring to new heights in her career.
She was born in a small town, Matunuck, which is in the southern region of Rhode Island. Throughout her childhood and adulthood, she was “raised in radio” and would tune into as many media outlets as she could while dragging her friends or family along for the ride. Little did she know at the time, but radio was her calling. When she was 18 years old, she first interned with formerly named Citadel Broadcasting while working in retail. After being at the radio station all day without being paid, she dreaded going to her other job even if it was for a short shift. Most people would kill to work short shifts, but she enjoyed all the magical and creative energies within radio and that made it even more difficult to resist.
An influential woman in her life, her mother, told Bethany something she’ll never forget: “You just found the difference between a job and a career.” Since then, Bethany Kent has kept her eyes on the prize. Fortunately for her, she was able to land an internship in her freshmen year of college at a great cluster of stations in Providence and later became a member of the Street Team. Working from the bottom to the top did not deter Kent from chasing her dreams. She shared the importance of putting your all into what you want and going for it even if the situation may look bleak to others.
“I worked on the Street Team throughout college and made sure I always kept a foot in the door so when a full time Promotions Director position opened for HOT 106 (WWKX) after I graduated, I jumped at it.” As one door closes, another one opens which it did for Bethany because she was able to connect with a remarkable mentor, Dan Hunt, who was the WWKX Program Director. Hunt taught her some basics in radio such as running a show and how to schedule music.
After being taken under his wing, Bethany Kent got more experience and later was given the opportunity to apply for a Promotions Director at HOT 97. “I saw an Instagram post from DJ Enuff about an opening for a Promotions Director at HOT 97. That was my DREAM station, so I went for it.”
Six years later, she is leading an “amazing department in an incredibly legendary cluster!”
Despite her obstacles and doubts, she wouldn’t change anything about her journey. “Every challenge, set back, and speed bump now seem like they happened purposefully to bring me to the place I am currently.” She is optimistic about what the future holds for her. “I see where I am now and can’t wait to see where I’ll be in another 5 years or so. I’ve grown so much through experiences, mentors, hard work, and all the crazy things that go along with working in radio.” Her experiences have allowed her to view situations and handle them differently than what she did 5 years ago.
Hard work, dedication, and passion don’t go unnoticed. Thanks to women like Bethany Kent, the world of radio is in excellent hands.