AY Media Group president, publisher reflects on 30 years in media

Before she was one of the longest-tenured publishing veterans in Arkansas; before she was enshrined in her own display in her hometown museum and before she became an influencer with thousands of followers hanging on her every word and adventure, Heather Baker was the face of fireworks in southwest Little Rock.

The daughter of entrepreneurs in the residential pyrotechnics game, she learned early the mechanics of sales and the customer experience, holding down her own corner and managing the frenetic pace of business leading up to July 4.

For two weeks’ work, she’d pocket $3,000 — not bad for a 7-year-old — and with each season she got more adept at the art of the hustle.

“Nobody gave me anything as a kid, I had to earn it,” said Baker, who’s led AY Media Group for the past decade. “That drive is still with me today. I still see work as an opportunity, not a chore.”

Baker reflects on her professional life, of which three decades have been spent in the publishing business, in the new issue of Publisher Weekly, an official publication of the Arkansas Press Association. The expansive cover story traces Baker’s career from upstart radio sales protege to founder of multiple successful magazine concepts to being the catalyst for the growth of AY Media Group’s catalog to elite status.

In the piece, Baker said she knew she had found her calling from her very first media exposure, an intern-turned-sales-wunderkind for Fayetteville radio station KKEG/KFAY while a 19-year-old college student.

“The moment I stepped into that world, I knew I had found what I loved,” she said. “I was good at it right away and that early success opened doors faster than I could have imagined.”

Among the other insights shared in the piece:

• Serving simultaneously as “Dickson Street Girl” and “Car Girl” for the Northwest Arkansas Times
• The launch of Arkansas AutoBuyer, her first publishing concept
• A fruitful stint at Arkansas Times in Little Rock, where she successfully launched additional concepts
• Taking over and growing AY Media Group publications AY About You, Arkansas Money & Politics and Arkansas Mental Health Guide

“Longevity in any industry is rare these days, and longevity in print media is exceptionally rare,” said Dwain Hebda, editor in chief of AY Media Group. “Heather has somehow managed to defy the laws of nature in the marketplace. Where other publications are shrinking, we’re growing, and at a time when marketing budgets are cutting out print altogether, we continue to sell out of space.

“That doesn’t just happen in publishing and it doesn’t happen on the strength of just one element of any given magazine. Heather’s leadership and vision have produced a winning formula that demands the best out of every operational department — editorial, design, advertising sales, promotions — and the results speak for themselves.”

As the APA article points out, AY Media Group’s publications are viewed by more than 3 million readers across all platforms every month and growing. Last year, the editorial and design teams garnered nearly 100 writing and graphic art awards from various journalism organizations at the state and national level. A mere sampling of exclusive gets in 2025 included entertainers Jay Leno and “Weird” Al Yankovic; two-time Super Bowl champ Mark May; NFL and NCAA hall of fame coach Jimmy Johnson; and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

In addition, AY Media Group provides millions of dollars in promotional work annually for nonprofits and charities across Arkansas promoting a wide range of causes. As Baker noted in the article, the community impact is the most rewarding piece of the company’s success.

“Our staff works very hard and as their leader it gives me a great deal of pride to be able to say, ‘This is what your work yielded,’” Baker said in the Publisher Weekly piece. “Yes, we kept the lights on and paid salaries, but we also helped feed someone who was hungry or helped teach a child to read … That is, without a doubt, the best part of what we have built here.”