For Immediate Release
Contact: Meghan Stratton 317-874-0335 | Meghan.Stratton@wishtv.com
INDIANAPOLIS – March 10, 2022 – DuJuan McCoy, Owner, President, and CEO of Circle City Broadcasting (parent company of WISH-TV and MyINDY-TV 23) today announced that JPMorgan Chase, Circle City Broadcasting, Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, and the DuJuan and Tina McCoy Foundation will create a one-year degree program for news and media producers.
This partnership will enable Ivy Tech Community College to become the first known college in the country to create a one-year degree program (two semesters; 21-31 credit hours) for news and media producers called the Multicultural Media Producing Program, or MMPP.
The MMPP will be open to all students of all backgrounds with an emphasis on ensuring multicultural diversity and accessibility for underserved individuals. Beginning in January 2023, the first cohort of 20 students will be selected as the program’s inaugural class, and the second group of 20 will follow in the fall of 2023. The DuJuan and Tina McCoy Foundation will provide annual scholarships to selected individuals of MMPP based on need and a one-page essay on why they would like to enter the program.
The program’s curriculum will be customized and align with the Certificate/Associate Degree in Professional Communication. Programming will include courses and electives in the following areas: Humanistic Ways of Knowing, Scientific Ways of Knowing, and Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing. Students will be part of a program that provides not only the academic curriculum but wraparound support and hands-on practical experiences in partnership with Circle City Broadcasting at the Circle City Broadcasting headquarters in Indianapolis, where the company produces more than 80 hours of live news and programming weekly.
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase’s $150,000 philanthropic investment into the Multicultural Media Producing Program will help create pathways for work-based learning opportunities for high school and community college students.
“Diversity in the workforce creates a competitive advantage – and is especially impactful in media organizations where a broad range of ideas and perspectives strengthens our culture,” said Christina Moungey, Indiana & Ohio Region Manager for JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking. “This investment to create the Multicultural Media Producing Program supports organizations that provide young leaders with a pathway toward a successful career, and is an example of how our firm’s $30 billion racial equity commitment to help close the racial wealth gap touches down in Indianapolis.”
Circle City Broadcasting
The Circle City Broadcasting news leadership team will become adjunct professors for the program as well as offer regular practical application to the program via its Statewide News Network facilities located in Indianapolis, Indiana at stations WISH-TV and WNDY-TV. MMPP will primarily focus on newscast producing but offer additional guidance and instruction in producing specials and TV show production.
“I have been working on this initiative for a few years, and I am so happy to find collaborative partners like Ivy Tech -Indianapolis and JPMorgan Chase to support me in this needed industry program,” McCoy said. “We believe this program can grow to be one of the most effective means to introduce more diverse individuals into the leadership ranks in newsrooms across America as well as become a sustainable program to create a pipeline of qualified news producers for broadcasters and media companies across the country.”
Ivy Tech Indianapolis
The MMPP will be offered at the Ivy Tech Indianapolis campus and anchored by long-time professional communications professor and former broadcaster Charles Gidney. Gidney serves as the Department Chair for Communication and Social Sciences for Ivy Tech Community College in the Indianapolis service area.
Ivy Tech will work in conjunction with the Circle City Broadcasting news leadership team to create a curriculum that satisfies Ivy Tech degree standards and delivers highly trained producers to enter the news producing workforce in America.
“Ivy Tech Indianapolis is not only thrilled but also committed to making the MMPP a huge success in the short and long term,” Dr. Lorenzo Esters, Chancellor of Ivy Tech Indianapolis, said. “We are pleased to partner with Circle City Broadcasting and JPMorgan Chase together we seek to prepare individuals for careers as producers in the media business in our region, state, and nation. This is one additional way that Ivy Tech Indianapolis seeks to be responsive to the needs of our diverse communities.”
For more information:
Circle City Broadcasting: Meghan Stratton | 317.874.0335 | Meghan.Stratton@wishtv.com
Ivy Tech Indianapolis: Julie Scholl | 317.921.4921 | Jscholl11@ivytech.edu
JPMorgan Chase: Stephanie Gostomski | 614.940.5693 | Stephanie.gostomski@jpmchase.com
DuJuan and Tina McCoy Foundation: DuJuan McCoy | 317.956.8863 | DuJuan@dmmllc.tv
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WISH-TV has set the standard for television excellence in Central Indiana since 1954. The station has been honored as “Television Station of the Year” by the Indiana Broadcasters Association, for its “Overall Excellence” by the Edward R. Murrow Awards, and as “Outstanding News Operation,” “Outstanding Weather Operation,” “Best Newscast,” and “Best Website” by the Indiana Associated Press Broadcast Association. WISH-TV offers viewers 77 hours per week of local news and local programming and provides around-the-clock information on its digital platforms. WISH-TV is locally owned and operated by Circle City Broadcasting, and is an affiliate of The CW network. The station serves more than one million households
About the Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are the professional Triple-A baseball club affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In continuous operation since 1902, the organization believes in creating affordable and memorable experiences for fans so they can grow closer together with family, friends and the community through the game of baseball. The Indians play their home games at Victory Field, a 13,750-seat ballpark located in downtown Indianapolis and White River State Park. The venue opened in 1996, has received numerous national accolades as one of the best minor league ballparks in the United States, and in 2021, celebrated its 25th anniversary season. The team has led Minor League Baseball in combined total attendance over the past 11 seasons. In 2018, the organization was recognized as Ballpark Digest Team of the Year. It was also named a 2019 Best Places to Work by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.