From Weston To Denver: Tyler Melito’s Career Journey
Tyler Melito’s passion for journalism started when he was the play-by-play voice of WHS Athletics.
“It was one of those things where I knew I had an interest in sports journalism and broadcast journalism, but that was the first real experience to be able to put the skills to test and see, ‘Do I actually like doing this?’”
Melito, a member of the Weston High School Class of 2018, is currently a multimedia journalist working at Denver7 in Denver, Colorado.
Photo Courtesy: Tyler Melito
Melito originally wanted to pursue sports broadcasting when he graduated from Syracuse University and Newhouse. “Growing up as a Yankees fan and Giants fan, you want to be able to call the game for your favorite team and be on the sidelines. I would wake up at 6:00 AM and watch SportsCenter on repeat. I ED’d to Syracuse with the mindset that I am going here to make sure that I have a career for 40 plus years that would give me those tools.”
Unfortunately for Melito, like millions around the world, 2020 took a toll on his career. “What switched for me, going into local news, was COVID. The sports department got a lot smaller. There’s a lot less money in TV nowadays, because everything is online. Here in Denver, we used to have 7 sports people because there was so much going on. Now, we have 3 on-air people and 1 photographer. It’s a lot harder now.”
Photo Courtesy: Tyler Melito
Melito started his career at FOX 56 (Lexington, KY), where he covered major events, including the Kentucky Derby and the UPS Plane Crash in Louisville. “Those big stories get a lot of the headlines, because there’s more people watching. For the UPS Plane Crash, we were owned by NexStar Media, who said that they needed a reporter and ‘Could you do it?’ It gives extra pressure that ‘I can’t mess this up,’ because this might be my one shot on actual TV.”
While the big stories were stressful, Melito says that covering the small stories the right way was important to him. “When I would drive out two hours to a community who’s having this water problem, or I’m doing this event at a school and I’m asking them for their time, I want them to be happy with the work that I did, because those are people that I might need a relationship down the road with,” Melito says. “I put more pressure on those little stories where that community I reported at will care, because if I interviewed this person, they are going to tell that person, who is going to tell that person, who is going to watch. If you are talking to someone, they are going to be passionate about that thing, whether it be a new school or initiative by a local government. They will give you the information you need, as long as you ask the right questions.”
As a broadcast journalist, Melito strives to make connections in his new position with the Denver community. “We do something called community beats, where a reporter is tied to a certain community. I cover Douglas County, Colorado, which is about 30-45 minutes South of Denver. Whenever I do a story in Douglas County, I want the people to be like ‘I did not know that,’ or ‘This guy is committed to my community. I’m going to reach out when I have a story.’ It’s all about customer service, because the viewers are those customers. You are providing the service of the news and the content, and without them, you don’t have the content. I strive to be someone that people can trust and who they want in their homes or on their phone.”
Photo Courtesy: Tyler Melito
Finding emotion in your headlines is a substantial part in any journalist’s job. “(We) put a big emphasis on having characters. We aren’t trying to find the craziest, wackiest person, but you don’t want to have a story that is only about officials (who) are going to give you a certain perspective, because they will provide the context that you might need, but we put an emphasis on showing the people are going to be impacted by this law change. Showing the people who just had their house burned down by a fire. Positively or negatively, we put a big emphasis on (emotion).”
For students who want to pursue a journalism career, Melito emphasizes the importance of authenticity and a sustained level of commitment. “If you are going to do it, you have to put 110% effort in,” Melito said. This is one of those things where I’ve seen people say ‘I want to be in journalism,’ ‘I want to work in TV,’ but they want to get Instagram or TikTok famous. I have learned and I see with my colleagues (at Denver7) that we are all in it for the right reasons. We are here to tell good stories, hold people accountable, and ultimately give the information to our viewers who might not know something otherwise. You have to be unequivocally genuine and be yourself.”
In an ever-changing media world, Melito believes that authenticity and transparency have become more important than ever. “With so much fake news and AI playing a role, being genuine and authentic (is key). I’m not in this business to do “got you” journalism, or to make someone intentionally look bad.”
At the end of the day, Melito believes that being a good reporter means beginning with being a good person: “It is so important to be your genuine, authentic self when on the air presenting your story, doing your broadcast, or working behind the scenes. It goes a long way.”