New Media Internship Program for HBCU Students in Mississippi
Students can choose from an abundance of career opportunities in the media industry. Whether it's journalism, TV broadcasting, sales, digital content production, or IT, there are several career paths to take in the ever-growing media field. To assist students in jump-starting their careers and diversifying the media industry, a company based in Mississippi will begin offering a new internship program in Fall 2022.
Based in Atlanta, GA, Gray Television Inc is the company behind the internship program and owns WLBT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi, where the program will take place. An NBC affiliate, WLBT-TV was chosen given its history. 50 years ago, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voided the station’s license as its then-licensee failed to “serve the public interest and specifically failed to serve the black community in the Jackson area” (Yahoo! Finance). The station had lost its license due to allegations by Black residents and the United Church of Christ that the station had neglected to provide any support to its large black audience (WLBT).
The program’s first cohort will start in August during the fall semester. In addition, Gray Television expects to spend over $1 million in investments to create the Gray Media Training Center, where the program will be held within WLBT-TV studios.
Selected students from Mississippi’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities can expect to receive hands-on training in “production, sales, operations, IT, engineering, coding, and marketing.” In addition, the interns will host a weekly public affairs show which they must create on their own.
“We are truly honored to host this training facility,” said WLBT’s Vice President and General Manager Ted Fortenberry. “For the past several decades, WLBT has been a local institution that affirmatively serves the entire local community. Starting this year, the WLBT team and resources will be directly involved in expanding opportunities in media for Mississippi students and especially for students of the state’s HBCUs through cutting-edge, immersive training program right here in Jackson.”