Abstract: This interview features Rhonesha Byng, founder and CEO of Her Agenda and co-founder of the Black-Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute (BOMESI), in conversation with Christina L. Myers, assistant professor of journalism at Michigan State University. Byng reflects on her trajectory from teenage journalist to media entrepreneur and industry advocate, offering insight into how media ownership, advertising systems, and narrative power intersect in the contemporary digital media landscape. The discussion explores the structural challenges faced by diverse-owned media outlets, particularly within traditional advertising ecosystems that often privilege scale and established corporate infrastructure. Byng also examines the development of collaborative initiatives such as BOMESI and the BME Collective, which aim to increase equitable investment in diverse media and improve sustainability for independent publishers. Beyond industry structures, the conversation considers the personal dimensions of leadership, including rest, spirituality, and intentional boundary-setting as practices that sustain long-term creative labor. By situating Byng’s reflections within broader debates about media ownership, representation, and economic equity, this interview contributes to ongoing scholarly conversations about the future of journalism entrepreneurship and the structural transformation of the media industry.
Myers et al. (Sun,) studied this question.