Campus production remains part of the plan
McWilliams Parker said the previous media arrangement also focused on improving production at member schools.
“Part of this past year media deal and working with our institution and their distribution was to make sure that they got the proper equipment,” she said.
Schools were also expected to employ students and use resources already available on campus.
“That they hire students, that they use all their assets on their campus and they train them so that they can do their television on our sports network,” McWilliams Parker said.
That model could provide valuable experience for students interested in broadcasting, journalism and sports production. It could also reduce the HBCU conference’s dependence on outside crews.
Still, McWilliams Parker acknowledged that development has not been equal across the Division II membership.
“Have some done better than others? Yes,” she said. “But at the end of the day we’re going to get there.”
A conference-owned network is only as reliable as the broadcasts supplied by its institutions. Camera quality, internet capacity, staffing, graphics and announcers can vary widely from one campus to another.
National distribution also requires more than placing a game online. The CIAA must promote broadcasts, sell advertising and create a viewing experience strong enough to bring fans back each week.
“We’re working on it,” McWilliams Parker said. “We’ve got some good partners.”
CIAA brings marketing operation in-house
The conference is also changing how it handles marketing.
McWilliams Parker said the CIAA no longer relies on an outside contractor for that work. It has created an internal team responsible for promotion and storytelling
“We brought an in-house marketing team, so we no longer are contracting outside,” she said.
The timing is significant. Without a sustained media partner, the CIAA must take greater responsibility for promoting its games and creating exposure for its athletes. The internal team could also play a larger role in sponsorship sales and digital content.
“It’s their responsibility to make sure that we can figure out how to give exposure to our student-athletes, tell our stories,” McWilliams Parker said.
That responsibility comes with financial pressure.
The CIAA received a relatively lucrative deal from HBCU GO for a Division II league. Generally, Division II leagues depends heavily on sponsorships, partnerships, championships and fundraising.
“Media is very different for Division II,” McWilliams Parker said. “We raise our money, right? Our partners and our sponsors, like we’re hustling in the street to make sure that we can sustain partnerships, have assets to sell.”
She later broadened the issue beyond the CIAA.
“Media is tough in Black college sports,” McWilliams Parker said. “They’ve got to be able to sell space and market, and it’s not just us. It’s all of my colleagues. We deal with it.”
A post-HBCU GO future takes shape
The CIAA and HBCU GO may still work together during the 2026 season.
McWilliams Parker confirmed that discussions have continued. She did not announce a renewed agreement, however, and the conference has not committed any games.
That uncertainty was reflected at football media day.
In previous years, HBCU GO helped document the event and turn interviews into broadcast content. This time, its cameras were elsewhere.
The CIAA was left to promote its teams through its own staff, participating media outlets and conference-controlled platforms.
That may be a temporary arrangement. It could also be a preview of the conference’s next chapter.
The oldest HBCU athletic conference now faces a familiar challenge in a new form: how to create national exposure without surrendering control of its product.
McWilliams Parker appears ready to place a larger bet on the CIAA itself.
“We’re being very creative about how we’re going to manage that,” she said. “The sky is the limit to me. The opportunities, let’s not be afraid of what we don’t know and let’s just try it.”