NBC anchor Craig Melvin to report from Rehoboth

NBC News and MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin will report live from Rehoboth Beach, Monday, June 1, as Delaware enters Phase 1 economic reopening.

Reached by phone in his Connecticut home, Melvin said a week-long series, “Reopening America,” will report on the effects of reopening on citizens and businesses in Northeast hotspots.  

“We wanted to come to Rehoboth Beach specifically because this is the time of year folks flock to the beaches, and we wanted to see what it looked like for beachgoers,” he said.

Melvin said he has vacationed in Rehoboth before, and he wants to speak with small business owners about how the pandemic has affected them and what lessons could be learned.

“I want to sit down and talk with people who have experienced the pandemic in different ways,” he said. “Everyone is dealing with it differently.”

Throughout the pandemic, Melvin has broadcast live from COVID-19 hotspots around New York City as part of a special series, “Craig Melvin Reports: Coronavirus Pandemic.”

“It helps to inform viewers when I can talk to people on the front lines,” he said.

After his visit in the Cape Region, Melvin will travel to Philadelphia and then areas surrounding New York to wrap up the week. He said it’s good to get out of the studio, and he wanted to visit places that were drivable.

“If you stay tethered to the desk, you lose perspective,” he said. “This is the longest stretch I’ve ever gone without hopping on a plane. It’s been at least 10-12 weeks since I’ve been in an airport.”

The special series “Reopening America” will air weekdays on TODAY (7-9 a.m.), The 3rd Hour of TODAY (9 a.m.) and on MSNBC (11 a.m. ET).