Rockledge High GRAD Excels AS REPORTER FOR ABC AFFILIATE WFTV IN ORLANDO
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – I first met Sam Martello when she was in high school. Years before, however, I had seen her and learned of her through her father Dino, her mom Bobbi and her twin brother, Brady. All are athletic, as is Sam, as I learned firsthand covering prep sports on the Space Coast, and would see her on the area fields and courts.
When we first met she was a student at Rockledge High School she was a member of the cheer team, and I would see and talk with her from time to time. It was during that time that I learned she was interested in broadcasting.
My business and broadcasting partner Orville Susong and I had been covering sports and other events in Brevard County since 2000, initially on the radio and currently through Space Coast Daily. In the fall of 2017, as we, the Friday Night Locker Room, moved into a new football season, Orville and I were looking for an intern to work with us.
Orville knew the Martellos long before I did, and he spoke very highly of Sam. We both knew she was interested in broadcasting, so in the fall of 2017, we put her to work.
Orville and I both agreed that it was one of the most enjoyable seasons we ever experienced. To watch Sam put forth the effort, absorb what we told her, and take it even a step further, was very impressive. We both knew after the season that she was destined to do well.
One Friday night in particular stands out to me. We were at Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School preparing for a football game. We arrived early and I remember asking Sam if she had ever interviewed anyone. She told me no, so I informed her that we were going to the field and that she was going to interview me!
We made our way to the field, and Sam conducted her first interview. I knew then that she was a natural with a microphone in her hand. She was that good!
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When Sam talks about her experience with Orville and me, it makes us both feel good. She said that while she was a student at Eastern Florida State College, “I locked in my first internship with my favorite guys, Orville Susong and Steve Wilson with the Friday Night Locker Room.” She continued, “They gave me my first reps in front of and behind the camera. I’m so thankful for them.”
“Sam has all the aptitudes and attributes to advance quickly on the regional and national level,” said Space Coast Daily President and Publisher Tom Palermo, a 41-year veteran of the media business.
“With her work ethic and natural skills, I have no doubt she will be in high demand as she gains more experience in the business. She has superstar potential so don’t be surprised to see her on the national stage at some point in the near future.”
After achieving her Associate of Arts Degree at Eastern Florida State College, Sam made her way to Tallahassee, where she graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Media and Communication Studies.
Sam was quite busy during those two years, having interned with Noles All Access, with features being aired on Fox Sports Florida. She also had the good fortune to intern with AT&T SportsNet in Pittsburgh, where she covered the Pittsburgh Pirates.
If that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, she served as the FSU correspondent for Orville and me by providing reports on the Seminoles football team on Space Coast Daily TV.
I asked Sam how important those two years in Tallahassee were to her and she told me, “So important, being a part of the FSU culture, meeting people from all over the country, and having professors with years of knowledge in the field created connections for me that have gotten me to where I am today.”
After graduating from FSU, it did not take Sam long to land her first job as a multimedia journalist and reporter at WJHG-TV Channel 7, a dual NBC/CW+-affiliated television station in Panama City.
While there, Sam provided breaking news coverage of Category 5 Hurricane Michael, the devastation left behind by the Chipola Complex Wildfire, and award-winning coverage of Hurricane Ian in Southwest Florida. Sam is proud of the three years she spent in the Florida Panhandle.
When she chose to leave Panama City Beach, she was one of the station’s morning anchors.
What led to Sam making the decision to leave the Florida Panhandle and move back to central Florida tells you a little about her character. The Martellos have always been a very close-knit family. Not only do they support their community in multiple ways, but the support they give each other is inspiring.
It was during that time when Sam’s mom, Bobbi, was diagnosed with breast cancer. As Sam put it, “I knew at that time my family was all that mattered to me. I decided it was time to move back home.”
During this time of transition, Sam told me the following quote was instrumental and gave her strength, “If you’re worried about starting over, just know it will probably be better than you can ever imagine.” She went on to say, “Sometimes you just know it’s time to start over, trust the magic of new beginnings, take a leap of faith, and believe in yourself. I’m so thankful to call central Florida home, again!”
To make things even better, her mom now has a clean bill of health and is doing well.
Sam landed a job with ABC affiliate WFTV in Orlando, which is about 35 miles from her parents’ home in Rockledge, where she now serves as a morning reporter.
I asked Sam what she likes most about her job at WFTV, and she told me that she enjoys, “meeting new people every single day, doing something different every single day, being out in my community, and giving a voice to those who don’t have one.”
She currently lives in Orlando and loves The City Beautiful, and hopes to one day work her way up to an anchor role in central Florida.
Sam is living the life she had hoped for. She told me, “From a young age I loved being in front of the camera, writing, and talking, just ask my parents! Journalism seemed like a great fit.”
And yes, she does have a little bit of spare time and enjoys doing anything outdoors. “I love spending time out on the water, on the boat and fishing. I enjoy cheering on the Noles, going to the beach, reading, and spending time with my family and friends.”
Sam told me she is proud to call central Florida her home. However, I think we are the fortunate ones to have her call central Florida her home. I know Orville and I feel this way, and I also know thousands of central Floridians do as well.
“The sky is the limit for the little girl from Rockledge who used to work with her mom keeping score and announcing little league games,” said Susong. “Her dreams have now become a reality. Sam Martello, remember the name, she’s going to be around for a long, long, time.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Steve Wilson was born in DeRidder, Louisiana and grew up in both New Orleans and Macon, Georgia. He moved to Brevard County in 1984 and retired from local government as the Community Advocate/Assistant to the City Manager with the City of Rockledge in 2018.
Among the awards and accolades Steve has received over the years are 15 + year Rockledge Little League volunteer, Brevard Public School Jefferson Award Recipient, Rockledge High School Raider Booster Award 2001, 2006, City of Rockledge Employee of the Year 2006, Rockledge Kiwanian of the Year 2006-2007, City of Rockledge Quality Public Service Award 2008, 2012, 2017, Rockledge Kiwanis Citizen of the Year 2012-2013, Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Sportscasting 2015, Rockledge High School Leadership and Service Award 2016, Central Florida Humanitarian Award 2017, Space Coast Inspiration Award – 2018, Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Lifetime Achievement – 2020 and Ecofest Achievement Award – 2022.
Wilson is especially proud of his chairing two fundraisers in support of pediatric cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in honor of Merritt Island resident Julie Spurlock that raised over $25,000.00.
He has been a partner, along with Orville Susong, for the past 24 years with the Friday Night Locker Room, a broadcasting team that covers and reports on a wide variety of local events that are of significance to the residents of the Space Coast and beyond. Their mission is to promote youth sports, support first responders and law enforcement personnel, and showcase community and charitable events that are produced by our nonprofit partners in central Florida.
The Friday Night Locker Room has awarded hundreds of sports achievement plaques to Brevard County student-athletes over the years. They have also awarded more than $18,000 in academic scholarships to Brevard County high school seniors.
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