Tyler Cadorette ’16, Broadcast and Digital Journalism

On-Campus TV Station Prepares Students for their Careers

When Tyler Cadorette ’16 became an on-air reporter and weather anchor at WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine, soon after he graduated from NVU-Lyndon, his duties — and the station itself, where he had had an internship — were familiar to him.

In landing an on-air position in a market as big as Portland just out of college, Tyler credits the experience he gained working at News7, NVU’s student-run campus TV station. As a broadcast and digital journalism student, he was a reporter, editor, and producer at the station, which covers about 15 nearby towns and has a live newscast every weeknight.

“The live aspect at News7 is a big draw for students. It sets the program apart, here in New England and across the country,” Tyler says. “I felt like I worked in a professional TV newsroom for two years.”

Atmospheric Sciences Minor Gives Him an Advantage in His Career

The skills Tyler developed at News7 helped him get the internship giving weather forecasts at his current station. “My experience at NVU really put me ahead of where others might have been going into an internship. I understood how things worked,” he says.

In his senior year, Tyler continued his connection with WMTW as a substitute weather anchor. After graduation, he worked freelance on the assignment desk until his current full-time position opened up.

The atmospheric sciences minor he pursued at NVU prepared him to work in WMTW’s meteorology department. “That was a huge stepping stone in terms of being able to break into the TV industry,” he says. “Being versatile in the TV world is important. It’s nice to have that in my back pocket, the science, math, and weather background.”

A Campus that Feels Like Home

Beyond academics and the hands-on opportunities that helped him build skills, Tyler benefited in other ways as an NVU student.

As a resident assistant at a campus residence hall, he strengthened his skills in communication, project management, and conflict resolution. “That opened the door for me to make campus connections that I otherwise wouldn’t have made,” he says. “NVU is a connections-based community, and you can really thrive in that environment.”

For Tyler, the NVU environment was welcoming and supportive. “I went there and didn’t know anybody. I left four years later with a new family. That feeling of family and close-knit community helped propel me into adulthood,” he says.

It also propelled him onto his career track.

“At NVU, you have the opportunity to set your own path and…make the experience what you want for yourself,” Tyler says.

He’s Making an Impact Early On

Today, Tyler is making a living as a reporter at WMTW with on-air reports every week.

“To step right into a job like this is not a very common thing,” says Tyler, who lives in Saco, Maine. “It certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the experience I got at NVU…It has been a dream come true to be in this market in my home state. NVU played a big role in that.”

Reporting on issues that impact people’s lives is fulfilling for Tyler. “I thoroughly love getting to talk with people to tell their stories,” he says. “You meet people on the best days and sometimes the worst days of their lives…That to me is very rewarding.”

One of his most memorable stories was about a boy hospitalized with cancer who wanted Christmas cards during the holidays. National TV networks picked up the story, and the boy received thousands of cards from around the country. “To know I played a small role in that was pretty awesome,” Tyler says. “It was a really telling moment for me: this is why I do what I do.”