with Bayard "Bud" Walters

As part of an on-going series, BFOA Take Five, our fall intern, Zach Badalamenti, interviewed Bayard “Bud” Walters, founder and president of The Cromwell Group. Bud Walters is an industry leader and pioneer, owns and operates 28 radio stations, and serves on the boards of the Radio Advertising Bureau, National Association of Broadcasters and multiple state broadcasters foundations.

ZB: Why did you pursue a career in the broadcasting industry?

BW: I started working in radio when I was at DePauw University. DePauw had the first low power college FM radio station in the nation, and I just fell in love with it. I kept working at the station until around my junior year when I decided this is what I want to do. I was a lousy DJ, but I saw the impact radio could have on local communities, so I decided I had to be in sales, ownership or management. After serving four years in the military, I went to graduate school for communications at Indiana University. During one of my courses on FCC law, my class filled out fake applications to build a new radio station. Well, I ended up sending in a real one and that’s how I was able to get my first radio station in Kentucky after a three-year wait.
 

ZB: What qualities do you possess that were helpful or beneficial to reaching your level of success?

BW: I think the most important thing is to be a fair and trusted employer. When I look at the people working around us, there are over 40 people that have worked with us for more than 15 years and around 70 that have been here for more than five years. By being able to work as a group in the local communities we serve, we have been able to grow and make a difference. If there is anything that has to do with my level of success, it is the effort of the individuals I work with.

ZB: How do you motivate yourself and the people around you?

BW: It has to be meaningful to them. That said, in each community it is a bit different. In each of the stations we oversee, the station manager is from the local community they serve and is innately motivated to serve and improve where they live.

ZB: What advice would you give to your young self that you had wished someone told you?

BW: First, be important where you are. Whether you’re working at a small radio station or a McDonald’s, be the best you can be and stand out. Second, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. That said, most of us visualize some end goals for our lives. When you are offered an opportunity in life, you will know if it is going to move you towards that goal.

ZB: Why do you think it’s important to support the BFOA and other organizations that serve the broadcasting community?

BW: The BFOA is really the only organization dedicated to helping people in our industry who need it. The BFOA board of directors and staff are not in it for themselves but are in it for the sake of helping members of the broadcasting community that need help. It is an organization worthy of my support, and I hope it can continue for a long time.

About Zach Badalamenti

An Oakland native, Zach is a journalism major in the Fordham University Class of 2025. Initially joining as a summer intern, our team was excited to welcome Zach for a second semester. You can reach out to Zach on LinkedIn.

The BFOA Internship Program is generously sponsored by the NY State Broadcasters Association.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.