Meredith Corp. Starts Fellowship Program

Meredith Corp., KPHO CBS 5 in Phoenix and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication are launching a nationwide fellowship program for minority broadcast journalism students. “The program gives students the opportunity to get hands-on, professional experience, and it allows us to preview talented students for possible work at our 14 broadcast stations,” said Paul Karpowicz, president of Meredith’s Broadcasting Group. “It’s a win-win.” The Meredith-Cronkite Fellowship Program will accept applications from top minority broadcast journalism students from schools across the nation. Participants will spend a week in January working with instructors from the Cronkite School and KPHO reporters, producers, editors and videographers. At week’s end, students will produce a 30-minute newscast. “The Cronkite School is nationally known for excellence in broadcast journalism, representing the extraordinary standards and integrity of our namesake,” said Dean Christopher Callahan. “We are proud to work with Meredith Corporation, our friends at KPHO and our colleagues at other top journalism programs around the country to help bring more students of color into broadcast journalism.” KPHO Vice President and General Manager Steve Hammel said the fellowship program “gives students the kind of experience that employers are looking for. And they leave the program with a professional newscast in their portfolio-a real plus at the start of a career.” Meredith Corp. is one of the nation’s leading media and marketing companies, with holdings in magazine and book publishing, television broadcasting, integrated marketing and interactive media. Meredith owns 14 television stations that reach nearly 10 percent of TV households across the country. In addition to CBS 5 in Phoenix, Meredith owns WGCL-TV (CBS), Atlanta; KPTV (FOX) and KPDX-TV (UPN), Portland, Ore.; WFSB-TV (CBS), Hartford-New Haven, Conn.; WSMV-TV (NBC), Nashville, Tenn.; KCTV (CBS) and KSMO (WB), Kansas City; WHNS-TV (FOX), Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, S.C.-Asheville, N.C.; WNEM-TV (CBS), Flint-Saginaw, Mich.; KVVU-TV (FOX), Las Vegas; WFLI-TV (WB), Chattanooga, Tenn.; WSHM, (CBS) Springfield, Mass.; and KFXO-CA (FOX), Bend, Ore. The Cronkite School, named in honor of the longtime CBS news anchor in 1984, is a leading professional journalism school with about 1,800 undergraduate and master’s students. Half of the 12 fellows will be Cronkite School students, with the rest coming from other U.S. journalism schools. Those interested should send a cover letter, resume, three references and a tape to the Meredith-Cronkite Fellowship Selection Committee, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz., 85287. Application materials must be received by Oct. 20, 2006. Students chosen to participate will receive a stipend covering travel, lodging and meal expenses.