Circle City Broadcasting, the parent company of local stations WISH-TV and MyINDY-TV 23, announced a definitive agreement to acquire WRTV-ABC from The E.W. Scripps Company for $83 million.
The deal, announced Oct. 28 by Circle City Broadcasting Owner, President and CEO DuJuan McCoy, would significantly expand the locally owned media company’s footprint. The transaction is pending regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
McCoy, a veteran broadcaster and Indianapolis native, framed the acquisition as a strategic move that reinforces his company’s deep ties to the community.
“As a native of Indianapolis and a career small business owner, I am excited to expand Circle City Broadcasting’s footprint with the acquisition of WRTV-ABC,” McCoy said. “This strategic transaction reinforces our long-term commitment to Indiana, enhances our current broadcast capabilities, and creates meaningful value for both our audiences and our advertisers across Indiana.”
The acquisition would bring high-profile ABC programming under the same roof as Circle City’s existing channels. McCoy highlighted the synergy between the networks’ content, specifically pointing to ABC’s sports lineup.
“ABC’s high-profile programming — including Monday Night Football, College Football, NBA and WNBA regular season games, playoffs, finals, and Super Bowl LXI in 2027 and Super Bowl LXV in 2031 — pairs perfectly with WISH-TV’s more than 90 hours per week of live local news and entertainment,” McCoy said.
McCoy added that the ABC content would also complement the more than 100 live local and regional sporting events aired on WNDY (MyINDY-TV 23) and WRTV’s own local news programming.
Circle City Broadcasting is a privately held, majority Black-owned media company. Upon the close of the transaction, the company will solidify its position as a major, locally owned broadcast group in the Indianapolis market, which is the nation’s 25th largest television market.
“Together, these properties strengthen our position as a formidable, Indianapolis-based, locally owned and operated media company dedicated to serving all communities in Indiana with purpose-driven content,” McCoy said.
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Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
