Jim Melwert is the suburban bureau chief for KYW Newsradio.
Jim is a graduate of Perkiomen Valley High School in Montgomery County, and is now a member of their Hall of Fame. He attended the University of South Carolina and Temple University.
He joined the KYW Newsradio team in 2001 as a desk assistant. After stops in Central Pennsylvania and Harrisburg, he returned as an on-air reporter in 2007.
Jim has been a key part of some of KYW Newsradio’s biggest stories, including Bill Cosby’s conviction on sexual assault charges and the conviction of former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane on perjury and obstruction. Jim was in Atlantic City providing live reports on the night Superstorm Sandy slammed into the Jersey Shore. He was also at Trump headquarters in New York City the night Donald Trump shocked pundits across the country and won the presidency. Jim covered the Jerry Sandusky scandal when it rocked Penn State and cost legendary coach Joe Paterno his job, and he returned to State College a few months later to cover Paterno’s funeral.
Of all the events Jim has covered in his career, he considers the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Pittsburgh as his favorite. He notes that was the first of many All-Star appearances for Phillies stand-outs Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, and the year Howard won the Home Run Derby.
But Jim’s proudest moment came in 2006 when he donated his kidney to his aunt. He is a volunteer with Gift of Life Donor Program and a co-captain of Gift of Life’s “Team Philly” swim-team at the biennial Transplant Games.
Jim loves to swim and run. He has completed Ironman Lake Placid (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run), a 10K swim in the Hudson River, and the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim (4.4 miles).
He lives with his family in Collegeville, Montgomery County.