AJ Vittone
Sports Anchor/Reporter/Host
www.vittonezone.com
The Official Web Site of Sportscaster AJ Vittone
Biography
A.J. Vittone was born and raised in Pittsfield, MA and like most kids, A.J. wanted to be a professional athlete when he grew up. First it was a boxer, then a baseball player, then a basketball player. Then "reality" set in around age 13 and A.J. knew playing sports wasn't the way in which he would make a living someday. However, with a passion for playing and watching sports, A.J. knew his career choice would have to involve sports in some way, shape or form. Having spent most of his childhood as the quintessential "class clown" and being one heck of ham when a camera was present, A.J. decided that working in television would be the perfect route to take. During his sophomore year of high school, A.J. recalls sitting in his U.S. History class following one of those ever-popular "Career Days" and thinking "What career should I choose?". Then, after a considerable amount of day dreaming, it became official sports broadcasting would be the career path A.J. would pursue.
The quest to fulfill a dream began when A.J. transferred to the University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT in the fall of '91. He was a man on a mission. Eagerly anticipating the opportunity to broadcast college sports on television. At the time, The University of Hartford Television Studio did not have any student run programming. But that was about to change. In the fall of his junior year, A.J. remembers bumping into a classmate who said, "Hey, do you still want to be a sportscaster when you grow up?" And when A.J. replied "Yes" the classmate invited him to a meeting that was taking place at the University's Television Studio. That is where A.J. and about 10 other students founded and created STN-TV "Channel 2 News", the University of Hartford's first ever "live student run newscast." A.J. served as the station's Sports Anchor/Director and was known for his unique and sometimes bizarre style of anchoring. A.J., who was no stranger to singing, reciting poetry and offering opinions during his sportscasts, caught the attention of then WVIT-TV (NBC) Sports Director and former NFL football player, Beasley Reece. A.J. met with Beasley during his junior year of college and accepted an internship with WVIT and as the old saying goes "The rest is history."
Upon graduation, A.J. embarked on the career he often dreamed about as a kid. Since then, A.J. has been able to develop a cult following of viewers wherever he has gone, cover his favorite baseball team in the World Series and interview the likes of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Jeter, Jeff Gordon and the list goes on and on.. Giving proof to the age-old saying "Dreams do come true."
