In 2008, the Broadcast Education Association initiated a new program promotion original research. The result was the creation of the BEA Research Symposium and publications. The purpose of the BEA Symposium is as a catalyst for future research. It honors leading scholars of the discipline and features their work along with new and upcoming scholarship. The Electronic Media Research Series was established in 2010. Along with the BEA Research Symposium Series, this series provides keystone research texts for those researching with the discipline. It will bring the reader up to-date relative to the topics and it reflect the current work within the field as well as providing a comprehensive bibliography and index, facilitating further research.