Sinclair Broadcast Group (the largest and one of the most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country) announced today a $500,000 scholarship fund to help minority students finance their
undergraduate studies related to broadcast television. Scholarships will be available to students
studying broadcasting or journalism.
While the fund is set up solely to provide financial scholarships, awardees will be invited to produce stories for television broadcast and web publication. As Sinclair ramps up its new digital news service targeting the next generation, college campuses will become important content sources in cultivating tomorrow’s broadcasters.
“This fund complements our existing widespread internship program,” said Don Thompson,
SVP of Human Resources for Sinclair. “We have long-standing relationships with numerous
colleges, including historically black colleges and universities in markets where we have
stations. These relationships are a great source for talent, and many student interns become fulltime
employees. This scholarship fund is another way for us to invest in the future of broadcast
television, by ensuring that students dedicated to careers in broadcasting can complete their
educations.”
“We believe that television broadcast news is the most important source for local political, consumer protection, and other investigative reporting that our communities want and need,” said Scott Livingston, Sinclair’s VP of News. “This scholarship fund supports students who believe in that mission too.”
Sinclair’s goal is to distribute up to $50,000 per year in grants of up to $5,000 each. The fund is
open to minority students enrolled at an accredited four-year college and who have a
demonstrated financial need. Additional qualifications will be set forth in the scholarship
application, which will be available this spring on the Sinclair website (www.sbgi.net).
The first
grants will be awarded by the summer of 2016, applicable towards fall 2016 tuition.
Sinclair operates and/or provides services
to 171 television stations in 81 markets, broadcasting 467 channels and affiliations with all the
major networks. Its broadcast content is delivered via multiple-platforms, including
over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms.
