Tyler Jones joined KLWN Lawrence in August 2014 and ESPN Kansas City in Aug. 2017. At just 21 years old, Jones is the host of KLWN Saturday and lead studio anchor for KLWN’s Football Friday. Jones also serves at ESPN Kansas City’s KU Insider.
Jones was one of 10 students selected as a NAJA Fellow in 2017, attending the Excellence in Journalism conference in Anaheim, California. In that week, Jones won five NAJA awards, including three first place awards.
On his experience with the fellowship Jones said, “I had the time of my life and made great connections. The week at the NAJA fellowship was fun, rewarding and an incredible learning experience. I would highly recommend it to young journalists who are serious about getting into the journalism profession.”
Head start
Jones began his career hosting a daily sports podcast, The Jones Report when he was 15. To this day, Jones is still hosting The Jones Report, which is currently in the show’s seventh season.
By his junior year of high school, Jones established himself as a well-rounded play-by-play announcer, well beyond his years. For two years, Jones was the Voice of Broken Arrow Athletics and called the Oklahoma High School Girls Basketball 6A State Championship.
Live action
In Dec. 2017, Jones did freelance coverage of the huge AFC West showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN Radio.
Jones also served as the play-by-play announcer for the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic in 2016 on KLWN, an annual charity basketball event raising money for local Kansas kids with cancer.
Jones is also a Sports Anchor and Reporter for the University of Kansas’ student television station KUJH, and interned for KTUL Tulsa in the summer of 2017.
Aside from KLWN, Jones continues to work outside of Kansas. Jones is a play-by-play voice for football and basketball broadcasts on OK Preps and PrimeTime Sports Network in Oklahoma and Texas.
Beyond the mic
Jones’ work extends to his writing, where he serves a contributing writer for NDNSports.com and previously for BH Media Group. Jones is also the founding president of Tyler Jones Media Group.
Currently, Jones attends the University of Kansas and is majoring in Communications. Jones is a 2014 graduate of Broken Arrow High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
The Native American Journalists Association strives to empower journalists and voices in Indian Country. Contact us to learn more about our members, access to our expert directory, and/or how to support student fellows. If you have interest in applying to be a student fellow or a student fellow mentor, updated information is included on NAJA.com.
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