| Fact | Illinois Media School and the Beonair Network |
|---|---|
| Type | Private broadcasting and media school; campus programs with a few online courses |
| Campuses | 7 in 4 states: 2 in Illinois (Illinois Media School), 3 in Ohio (Ohio Media School), 1 in Colorado (Colorado Media School), 1 in Florida (Miami Media School) |
| Credentials | Diplomas; one associate degree at Miami |
| Program length | 8 months, or 6 months for emphasis programs (2025 catalogs and 2026 outcome reports); associate degree 18 months |
| Accreditation | ACCSC (all four schools); state approval in each state |
| Federal aid | Yes, at all seven campuses |
| Founded | 1986, as the Illinois Center for Broadcasting |
| Tuition | $12,175 to $18,875 depending on program and campus (campus pages, October 2026) |
| Facts checked | 14 October 2026 |
Seven campuses, four school names
Illinois Media School trains students for radio, TV, sports broadcasting, digital media, film and audio work. It opened in 1986 as the Illinois Center for Broadcasting and is part of the Beonair (“Be On Air”) Network of Media Schools, which describes itself as four schools and seven campuses. This page covers all seven. Two are in Chicago under the Illinois Media School name; the other four run under sister brands with largely the same programs: Ohio Media School (formerly the Ohio Center for Broadcasting) near Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Colorado Media School in Denver, and Miami Media School in Doral. Programs are short diplomas taught in campus studios, and the 8-month Radio & TV and Digital Media diplomas include two internships at local media outlets.
Programs and where each is taught
| Program | Credential | Length | Delivery | Where offered | Tuition (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radio & TV Broadcasting | Diploma; 28 credits | 8 months | In person, 3 online courses | All 7 | $18,095 to $18,875 |
| Digital Media Production | Diploma; 28 credits | 8 months | In person, 3 online courses | All 7 | $18,095 to $18,875 |
| Hispanic Media Broadcasting | Not named by the school | 8 months | In person | Miami only | $18,495 + $125 fee |
| Sports Broadcasting | Emphasis diploma; 30 credits | 6 months | In person | All 7 | $12,175 to $12,375 |
| Film & Video Production | Emphasis diploma; 30 credits | 6 months (see note) | In person | All except downtown Chicago (no students 2023-25) | $12,175 to $12,375 |
| Audio Production | Emphasis diploma; 30 credits | 6 months (see note) | In person | Downtown Chicago, Ohio, Miami; not Denver; ask at O’Hare | $12,175 to $12,375 |
| Associate degree, Radio & TV Broadcasting / Sports Broadcasting | Associate degree | 18 months | In person | Miami only | Ask the campus |
The April 2025 catalogs give 8 months for the main programs and 24 weeks for the emphasis programs, and the 2026 outcome reports list the emphasis programs as 6-month programs. The 2026 Film & Video and Audio Production program pages say 8 months instead, so confirm the length before you enroll. The Chicago catalog caps residential classes at 35 students (36 in the O’Hare catalog) and online classes at 40. Media Sales & Marketing, in the 2025 catalogs, is no longer on the programs page. A September 2026 network press release announced Social Media Marketing and Podcast Production programs for October 2026; we found no program pages for either.
What the main programs cover
Radio & TV Broadcasting
The 8-month diploma has two terms and 28 credits, about 668 classroom hours. Courses include Board Operation & Editing, Radio Production, TV & Video Production, TV News Reporting & Production, Radio News & Talk, Audition Materials, and Digital Media Marketing & Ratings. Three courses are online. The program includes two 80-hour internships (RTB199 and RTB299) at a local radio, TV or media outlet that the school coordinates; the catalog says these are usually unpaid. Classes take about 13.5 hours a week, Monday to Friday, in day, afternoon or night sections.
Digital Media Production
Digital Media Production shares the 100-level broadcast core with Radio & TV and then moves to Social Media & Digital Sales Tools, Digital Web Production, Commercial Writing & Production, and Branding & Imaging in Social Media. The 2026 program page also lists digital marketing analytics and monetization among its skill areas. Like Radio & TV it is 8 months and 28 credits, with three online courses and two 80-hour internships. It is a production diploma, not a marketing credential, and includes one marketing module.
Sports Broadcasting
This 6-month emphasis diploma, 30 credits and about 492 classroom hours, covers Sports Writing, Sports Talk, Play-by-Play, Live Remote Production and Sports Video Production, and ends with a final project instead of internships. Emphasis programs require intermediate competency: a related post-secondary credential or degree, or work experience the school verifies, so applicants without that background cannot enter directly. Chicago students produce live audio and video for Windy City Bulls and Chicago Dogs home games, according to a 2026 network press release.
Film & Video Production
The film emphasis diploma has the same 30-credit, 600-hour structure as the other emphasis programs. Its courses are History of Film & TV; Pre-Production, Screenwriting and Storyboarding; Cameras and Lighting; Scene Shooting and Set Roles; Video Editing & Post-Production; and Advanced Post & FX. It ends in a final project and has the same prior-experience entry requirement. It is listed for all seven campuses, but the downtown Chicago campus reported no film students in its accreditor and Illinois disclosures for 2023 to 2025.
Audio Production
Audio Production is a 30-credit, 600-hour emphasis diploma. Courses cover Acoustics & Electronics, Consoles, Pro Tools, Tracking, Mixing & Mastering, and the Music Business, and the program ends in a final project. The same intermediate-competency rule applies as for the other emphasis programs. It is taught at downtown Chicago, the three Ohio campuses and Miami, but not in Denver. The O’Hare campus page lists it, but O’Hare’s 2026 outcome report has no audio row, so ask whether a class is running.
Miami-only programs
Miami Media School alone teaches Hispanic Media Broadcasting, listed as an 8-month program, and an 18-month associate degree in Radio & TV Broadcasting or Sports Broadcasting. The school’s pages do not name the Hispanic Media credential or list its courses.
Cost: two price tiers that vary by campus
The school prices programs in two tiers: 8-month programs (Radio & TV, Digital Media, Hispanic Media) and 6-month emphasis programs (Sports, Film & Video, Audio). Books and lab fees are included. No dated 2026-27 price sheet is published; the figures below are what each campus page listed as current in October 2026, for example the downtown Chicago consumer information page. A $125 enrollment fee applies to all students; the Ohio pages quote tuition and fees together.
| Campus | 8-month programs | Emphasis programs |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago (downtown), IL | $18,695 + $125 | $12,175 + $125 |
| Chicago (O’Hare), IL | $18,495 + $125 | $12,175 + $125 |
| Cleveland (Valley View), OH | $18,875 tuition and fees | $12,375 |
| Columbus (Whitehall), OH | $18,095 tuition and fees | $12,375 |
| Cincinnati (Norwood), OH | $18,095 tuition and fees | $12,375 |
| Denver, CO | $18,495 + $125 | $12,175 + $125 |
| Miami (Doral), FL | $18,495 + $125 | $12,175 + $125 |
Some campus pages contradict themselves. The Colorado page text gives $17,715 and $11,250 while its cost table shows $18,495 and $12,175, and O’Hare’s cost table shows $18,875 for 8-month programs against $18,495 in its text. The April 2025 Chicago and O’Hare catalogs list higher prices again: $18,995 and $12,575 including the fee. Confirm the price with admissions and get it in the enrollment agreement; the catalog says tuition is locked once you enroll.
Other catalog charges include headphones (about $50 to $150), $20 transcripts, $35 an hour for studio use after graduation, $75 an hour for tutoring, and a job-placement assistance fee charged to graduates after 12 months, whose amount the catalog does not state. The cancellation policy gives a full refund within six business days of signing; after classes start the school keeps from 20% (within the first four weeks) up to 100% (after half the course).
Federal aid, grants and veterans
All seven campuses take federal student aid (Pell Grants and federal loans), and FAFSA codes for all seven are listed on the financial aid page. That page also offers a $3,000 College Completion Grant for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year school, and interest-free monthly payment plans for students not using federal aid. The O’Hare, Ohio and Colorado campuses say they are approved for training veterans; the Miami page does not mention VA approval, so Miami applicants using GI Bill benefits should ask.
Admissions and class times
- A high school diploma or GED (a transcript, GED certificate or DD-214 also works). Applicants who cannot get these documents take a CELSA or TABE test.
- Basic computer skills.
- For Sports Broadcasting, Film & Video and Audio Production: intermediate competency, shown by a related post-secondary credential or degree or by verified work experience.
Classes take about 13.5 hours a week, Monday to Friday, in day, afternoon or night sections; international and VA students have extra scheduled hours. The O’Hare campus is open Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. We found no published start dates.
ACCSC accreditation and state approval
All four schools are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). ACCSC public notices record five-year renewals for Illinois Media School in Chicago (school ID B072300) in May 2022, per the September 2022 ACCSC notice, for Ohio Media School’s Valley View campus in October 2021, its Columbus campus in March 2025, and Miami Media School in December 2024. We did not find a notice for the O’Hare campus or Colorado Media School, and the Valley View term would run out around now, so confirm each campus’s current standing on the ACCSC online directory. We found no ACCSC warning or probation and no lawsuits or state actions from 2023 to 2026.
State approvals: Illinois Board of Higher Education (Division of Private Business and Vocational Schools); State of Ohio Board of Career Colleges and Schools; Colorado Division of Private Occupational Schools; Florida Commission for Independent Education (license). The school says it is SEVP-authorized to enroll international students.
Graduation and employment rates the school reports
These are the school’s own ACCSC-format figures; the sheets do not define the rates. The O’Hare campus’s 2026 outcome report, covering students who started between April 2024 and June 2025 depending on program, gives:
| Program (O’Hare) | Students in cohort | Graduation | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio & TV Broadcasting | 40 | 65% | 75% |
| Digital Media Production | 39 | 62% | 76% |
| Sports Broadcasting | 23 | 78% | 73% |
| Film & Video Production | 16 | 81% | 73% |
The downtown Chicago campus still links its 2025 report, which gives Radio & TV Broadcasting a 60% graduation rate and 73% employment for students who started between April 2023 and March 2024. When we checked in October 2026, the Columbus and Cincinnati pages linked to other campuses’ reports, so ask those campuses for their own figures. No licensing exam applies to these programs.
Before you enroll
- Four of the seven campuses are not Illinois Media School: they run as Ohio Media School, Colorado Media School and Miami Media School, each with its own state approval. Check which school your enrollment agreement is with.
- Program lists differ by campus. Hispanic Media Broadcasting and the associate degree are Miami only, Denver has no Audio Production, downtown Chicago has had no film students, and Audio at O’Hare is uncertain.
- Sports, Film & Video and Audio are emphasis programs that expect related training or work experience; without it, only the 8-month diplomas are open to you.
- Prices on some campus pages conflict, and the 2025 catalogs list higher ones. Get the figure in writing. The catalog also lists a job-placement assistance fee for graduates, amount not stated, and the school does not guarantee a job.
- The two internships in Radio & TV and Digital Media are usually unpaid, and residential classes can hold up to 35 or 36 students.
The seven Beonair campuses
- Chicago (O’Hare), IL (Illinois Media School): 8501 W Higgins Rd, Suite 450, Chicago, IL 60631
- Chicago (downtown), IL (Illinois Media School): 9 West Washington, Chicago, IL 60602
- Cleveland (Valley View), OH (Ohio Media School): 9885 Rockside Rd, #160, Valley View, OH 44125
- Columbus (Whitehall), OH (Ohio Media School): 5330 E Main St, #200, Whitehall, OH 43213
- Cincinnati (Norwood), OH (Ohio Media School): 4411 Montgomery Rd, Suite 200, Norwood, OH 45212
- Denver, CO (Colorado Media School): 4380 S Syracuse St, Suite 400, Denver, CO 80237
- Miami (Doral), FL (Miami Media School): 7955 NW 12th St, Suite 119, Doral, FL 33126
All seven campuses were open and teaching in October 2026, and none is online-only or an admissions office. The O’Hare campus is Illinois Media School’s main campus; the downtown Chicago branch opened in 2010.
Career help and studio work
None of the campuses offers housing. Career services help with audition materials, résumés and job applications, and the school coordinates the internship placements; the catalog says it does not guarantee employment and may withhold placement help from students not in good standing. The school says Illinois Media School – Chicago was on USA Today’s 2025 list of top vocational schools for communication and journalism.
What students say
Niche shows 4.02 out of 5 from 50 reviews for the downtown Chicago campus (checked 14 October 2026). Reviewers praise hands-on work in real studios, instructors from the industry, and networking. Several complain of outdated curriculum and equipment; one 2023 reviewer alleges high-pressure enrollment and transcript problems, a single claim we could not check. These reviews cover one campus only; we could not read Niche pages for the other six, and could not tell whether the school invited the reviews.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
8-month programs
- Radio & TV Broadcasting
- Digital Media Production
- Hispanic Media Broadcasting (Miami)
6-month emphasis programs
- Sports Broadcasting
- Film & Video Production (not running at downtown Chicago)
- Audio Production (not offered at Denver)
Associate degree
- Radio & TV Broadcasting, Sports Broadcasting emphasis, 18 months (Miami)
Campus Locations
Chicago (O'Hare), IL 8501 W Higgins Rd, Suite 450, Chicago, IL 60631
Chicago (downtown), IL 9 West Washington, Chicago, IL 60602
Cleveland (Valley View), OH 9885 Rockside Rd, #160, Valley View, OH 44125
Columbus (Whitehall), OH 5330 E Main St, #200, Whitehall, OH 43213
Cincinnati (Norwood), OH 4411 Montgomery Rd, Suite 200, Norwood, OH 45212
Denver, CO 4380 S Syracuse St, Suite 400, Denver, CO 80237
Miami (Doral), FL 7955 NW 12th St, Suite 119, Doral, FL 33126