INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Applications for WISH-TV’s Multicultural Media Producing Program are open for the fall semester, which begins August 20.

The program’s was created in 2023 by WISH-TV Owner and Chief Executive Officer DuJuan McCoy, in collaboration with Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, JPMorgan Chase, and the DuJuan and Tina McCoy Foundation.

The collaboration makes it possible for the program to increase the number of qualified, diverse people influencing news coverage.

The program content teaches students how to produce a newscast and operate within a newsroom.

“It honestly was like pretty much exactly what I’m doing every day here,” program graduate and WISH-TV Associate Producer Madison Hurst said. “We would get in, have a story to write, get assigned something, and just have the video and write, which is pretty much what I do when I come in everyday.”

The program’s systematic approach was set up this way intentionally by WISH-TV Executive Producer and MMPP Professor Adam Krent.

“They get hands-on experience,” Krent said. “They’re learning how to put together the newscasts, a couple of them are already doing newscasts. When they graduate, they’ll be ready to go out into the real world and get that first job.”

Krent, who has been in the news industry for 28 years, has an educational background and said the program’s learning opportunity is unmatched.

In addition to learning about the art of producing, students will gain understanding on the industry and will “know if they really want to produce or not,” Krent said.

The class also poses several networking opportunities.

“Oh the networking is great, like now I have friends that I was in the MMPP program with and now they work here,” program graduate and WISH-TV News Production Assistant Terry Clayton said.

If you are interested in applying for the program, click here for more information.