Charlotte’s Carolina School of Broadcasting has closed after almost 65 years. The owners of the for-profit school blame the pandemic and rising costs.
“The combination of being a small school, the serious COVID impacts on a school that relies on in-person, hands-on learning, as well as the rapidly rising costs of digital technology, led to the conclusion that it is not feasible to continue to operate the Digital Media Technology program. It is a decision that was not made lightly,” co-owner Alyson Young said in a statement sent to WFAE on Monday.
The school opened in 1957, focusing first on radio and transitioning in recent years to digital production. It had struggled since the pandemic hit and stopped taking new students more than a year ago, saying it had become impossible to offer hands-on training and internships.
By the end of 2021, the school was focused on helping students who had enrolled earlier complete their program. It closed Dec. 31.
The studio building, just off Interstate 85 in western Mecklenburg County, has been sold.