CONFLICT OF INTEREST at CIRCLE CITY?

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Things are getting a bit murky inside Circle City Broadcasting’s WISH in Indianapolis.

Employees at the station are raising eyebrows over the ethics surrounding Life.Style!Live! host Colton Howard’s expanding role on the 3 PM show alongside Stacy Schooler.

Howard, who previously contributed segments and filled in as a substitute host, was recently tapped to co-host the broadcast.

Here is where it gets messy:

  • The PR Day Job: Howard continues to work for Dittoe Public Relations, a local Indianapolis PR firm, while holding an on-air contract at WISH that reportedly includes a non-compete clause.

  • Pitching the Competition: Sources say that Howard actively pitching his PR clients to competing stations while serving as a visible on-air personality for WISH.

  • Pay-for-Play Promotion: Insiders point out that Howard frequently features his own PR clients on the WISH lifestyle show—without disclosing on air that he represents them.

Meanwhile, viewers aren't sold on the new on-air dynamic either. Feedback from the audience has described the pairing of the youthful Howard and veteran Schooler as awkward, with one viewer noting the two "do not seem comfortable together at all."

Rather than taking the critique in stride, station management has reportedly directed staff to push back against complaining viewers, insisting ratings are actually up.

Here is one email that a Senior Executive Producer sent a viewer:

Dear Donna,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. My name is Talor Bassett, and I am the Senior Executive Producer overseeing the Lifestyle division here at WISH-TV. I personally wanted to reach out to you because your feedback deserves a direct and sincere response.

First and foremost, thank you for being a longtime viewer of WISH-TV. Your loyalty means everything to us, and it is clear that you care deeply about the quality and character of this station — and honestly, so do we.

I do want to take a moment to share some context about what our Lifestyle division is and what we set out to do every single day. Unlike our news programming, our lifestyle shows are intentionally fluid, inviting and more unstructured in nature. Our mission is to uplift members of our Indianapolis community, connect our viewers to inspiring stories, local non-profits, community events, and positive voices — both here at home and beyond. It is a different kind of television, and we are incredibly proud of it.

I also want to personally assure you that Colton and Stacy absolutely love what they do. Their enthusiasm for this community and this opportunity is genuine, and I witness it firsthand every day. The energy and style you see on screen is a reflection of who they truly are — and our growing audience agrees. Since launching our afternoon programming with Colton and Stacy, we are proud to share that our ratings have shown meaningful improvement, a testament to the connection they are building with viewers.

We always welcome honest feedback, and we never stop working to make our programming better. We hope you will continue to watch and give us the opportunity to show you what WISH-TV's Life.Style.Live! is truly all about.

Warm regards,

TALOR BASSETT
SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Just another standard day in DuJuan McCoy’s broadcast empire.