By Ron P. Coderre

The world of sports broadcasting and broadcasting in general appears glamorous to those on the other side of the television screen or the radio.  But to those in the audience at the TriTown American Legion Baseball Postseason Banquet, they received a view of the ups-and-downs in the business on the way to the top.  The title of the story though, could very well read “Local Boy Makes Good.”

Tony Consiglio, a 2002 graduate of Tourtellotte Memorial High School, was very candid in addressing the audience about his career in broadcast journalism that has led him to his current position of managing editor for CBS 3 News in Springfield, Mass.

As a high school student Consiglio was a student intern at WINY Radio in Putnam with Gary O.  This internship experience helped him leapfrog some of his fellow freshman at Emerson College in Boston, where he received his bachelor’s degree.

“The experience I received when I interned at WINY was invaluable.  In college I was already more prepared than most of my classmates because of what I learned while working at WINY,” said Consiglio.

At Emerson College Consiglio immediately got involved in student life by working at the college radio and television station.  Eventually he ended up as the student leader in both areas because of his passion to learn as much as he could about the business.

“Whenever I saw internship positions that were advertised I wrote letters of interest.  Sometimes I received rejections and often I never received a reply.  I never became discouraged and continued to pursue every available opportunity,” said Consiglio.

His thirst to take advantage of every opportunity led to time on WEEI Sports Talk Radio with Michael Holly and Dale Arnold on the Dale and Holly Show.  It also led to a statistician position at Fenway Park with the noted Joe Castiglione, WEEI Radio voice of the Boston Red Sox.  Castiglione, who is also a professor at Northeastern University, and Consiglio struck up a relationship that led to an invitation for Consiglio to audit a Castiglione course at Northeastern.

“At the end of the course there was a job opportunity that I thought I might be in line for.  Unfortunately Castiglione informed me it went to another student but he told me of another position that I followed up on,” said Consiglio.

The position was broadcasting the Brockton Rox of the Independent League games, which Consiglio accepted.  It wasn’t easy but the energetic and driven Consiglio prevailed.  The job meant taking a bus from Boston to Brockton and grabbing a cab to the ballpark and reversing the process to get back to school for studies and classes.

Eventually following graduation Consiglio ended up in Bangor, Maine, where he was a popular sports and news anchor, making an enviable salary of $18,000.  His tenure ended dramatically when he and his co-anchor quit their positions on the air.  The move, which he notes was risky, led to a number of creative positions, writing and blogging while he was technically unemployed.

Thanks to a contact he had made while at WINY with former news director Dave Ward, Consiglio landed on his feet at CBS 3 News.

“I’m very happy in my current role.  It gives me the opportunity to do a diversity of activities and to meet some interesting people.  I’m thankful for all the people who have helped me along the way.  I enjoy giving back in any way that I can,” said Consiglio.

From his early beginnings in Thompson and Putnam to his educational opportunities in the Boston area, to the far reaches of Maine and now in the greater Hartford area, Tony Consiglio is making his mark on the broadcasting industry.

Lessons learned during his early days in high school and on the baseball diamond have given him the desire and drive to forge forward as he strives for the future in an industry he loves.