Ricardo León Sánchez de Reinaldo (born July 3, 1958) is a

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States aft ...

journalist, radio host, and author. After working as the lead local anchor on Miami's WSVN, Sánchez moved to cable news, first as a daytime anchor at

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

, later at

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, where he began as a correspondent and ultimately rose to become an anchor. On CNN, he hosted a show '' Rick's List'' and served as a contributor to '' Anderson Cooper 360°'' and

CNN International Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...

, where he frequently reported and translated between English and Spanish. Sánchez was fired from CNN on October 1, 2010, following controversial remarks he made on a radio program. In July 2011, Sánchez was hired by

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

, to serve as a color commentator for radio broadcasts of the school's

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

. He worked as a columnist for

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

and Fox News Latino, and a former correspondent for Spanish language network Mundo Fox. He hosted ''The News with Rick Sanchez'' on RT America for several years.

Early life

Sánchez was born in

Guanabacoa Guanabacoa is a colonial township in eastern Havana, Cuba, and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) of the city. It is famous for its historical Santería and is home to the first Afro-Cubans, African Cabildo (Cuba), Cabildo in Havana. Guanab ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, a township of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. He grew up in

Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in Miami-Da ...

, a suburb of

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, and attended Mae M. Walters Elementary School, Henry H. Filer Middle School, and Hialeah High School, graduating in 1977. Sánchez accepted a football scholarship to

Minnesota State University Moorhead Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota, across the Red River of the North from Fargo, North Dakota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM ...

and transferred to the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

on a CBS/ WCCO Journalism Scholarship in 1979. Of his childhood, Sánchez has said: "I grew up not speaking English, dealing with real prejudice every day as a kid; watching my dad work in a factory, wash dishes, drive a truck, get spit on. I've been told that I can't do certain things in life simply because I was a Hispanic." He prefers to be called Rick Sánchez rather than use his birth name. In a newscast in 2009, he said: "I want to be respectful of this wonderful country that allowed us as Hispanics to come here, and I think it's easier if someone's able to understand me by Anglicizing my name."

Career

Rick Sanchez - 100 Characters Conference

First years

Sánchez began his broadcasting career at WCCO's satellite

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

KCMT (now KCCO-TV) in Alexandria, Minnesota, while still in college. He was hired at then-NBC affiliate WSVN (formerly WCKT) in Miami in 1982 and became a weekend anchor shortly thereafter. He won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

in 1983 for his series ''When I Left Cuba''. In 1986, Sánchez left WSVN for CBS affiliate

KHOU KHOU (channel 11) is a television station in Houston, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Conroe-licensed Quest station KTBU (channel 55). The two stations share studios on Westheimer Road near ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, then two years later, he returned to WSVN and began an afternoon anchor position with the station, which would switch its affiliation to Fox the following year. Sánchez was hired at

in 2001. In 2003, Sánchez left MSNBC to return to the Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale TV market, where he hosted a local talk show on

WTVJ WTVJ (channel 6) is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States. It is owned and operated by the NBC television network through its NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Fort Lauderdale–licensed WSCV (channel 51), a flag ...

. He later anchored on then- WB affiliated WBZL (now WSFL) until he joined

CNN anchor

Sánchez joined CNN in 2004, filing domestic and international reports. On January 18, 2010, he began hosting '' Rick's List'', a two-hour show in the afternoons where he invited viewers to share their opinions and questions via social media. His use of

social networking A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of Dyad (sociology), dyadic ties, and other Social relation, social interactions between actors. The social network per ...

tools to create a citizen-driven news program was recognized by the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Termination and aftermath

On September 30, 2010, Sánchez was interviewed on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

's radio show '' Stand Up With Pete Dominick''. Sánchez's interview occurred on the final day of his show in the 8 p.m. time slot, and he was reported to be angry about being replaced by CNN's new '' Parker Spitzer'' talk show as well as occasional ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'' jokes made at his expense: After Dominick questioned him, Sánchez retracted the term ''bigot'' and referred to Stewart as "prejudicial" and "uninformed," but he defended feeling discriminated, saying, "He's upset that someone of my ilk is almost at his level" and that Stewart is "not just a comedian. He can make and break careers." When queried on the issue of whether Stewart likewise belonged to a minority group on account of Stewart's

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

faith, Sánchez responded: A day after his remarks, CNN announced that Sánchez was no longer employed with the company. Certain accounts suggest Sánchez's departure was motivated by other reasons. CNN president Jonathan Klein, who was a supporter of Sánchez and had given him increased air time, was fired just one week before Sánchez, leading some to believe that Sánchez's firing may have been motivated by other reasons in addition to the comments. A contributor to '' New York'' magazine wrote: "The rumor that Sánchez was already on his way out in the wake of former CNN president Jonathan Klein's ouster from the company has been circling the Sánchez story." During his time at CNN, Sánchez once called President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

a " cotton-picking president", a remark for which he apologized, explaining that he had grown up in the Southern United States where the phrase was a colloquialism. He had also falsely attributed quotes to

Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator who was the host of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nati ...

, for which he later apologized. Despite his firing, upon leaving CNN, Sánchez said, "I want to go on record to say that I have nothing but the highest regard for CNN and for my six wonderful years with them. I appreciate every opportunity that they have given me, and it has been a wonderful experience working for them." In the days after the incident, Sánchez apologized several times. In an appearance on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'', Sánchez told

George Stephanopoulos George Robert Stephanopoulos (born February 10, 1961) is an American television host, political commentator, and former Democratic advisor. Stephanopoulos currently is a news presenter, coanchor with Robin Roberts (newscaster), Robin Roberts and M ...

: "I said some things I shouldn't have said. They were wrong. Not only were they wrong, they were offensive." He added, "I apologize and it was wrong for me to be so careless and so inartful. ... But it happened and I can't take it back and, you know what, now I have to stand up and be responsible." Sánchez personally apologized to Stewart. He released a statement expressing regret for his "inartful" comments, adding, "I am very much opposed to hate and intolerance, in any form, and I have frequently spoken out against prejudice." On October 20, 2010, Jon Stewart told

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...

that Sánchez should not have been fired for what Sánchez said in the radio interview; Stewart called the firing "absolute insanity", and stating that he was not "personally hurt". In a letter to Abraham Foxman, the head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Sánchez apologized once again, writing, Bronx-20110511-00259

Following a meeting with Foxman, Foxman said Sánchez could now "put the matter to rest", adding that he hoped Sánchez could move on with his life and work. In late 2010, Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach held a public event at Manhattan's Carlebach Synagogue with Sánchez, and commented, "Our community has enough problems without looking for anti-Semitism where it doesn't exist. Rick Sánchez was humiliated and his reputation dragged through the mud. ... The Jewish religion says that a man's most cherished possession is his good name. Rick deserves the opportunity to reclaim his." Sánchez and Rabbi Boteach spoke for nearly two hours. In 2011, Sánchez visited Israel as part of an ADL-sponsored trip for Latino journalists. Sánchez spoke at the ADL's National Executive Committee Meeting in 2012, where Sánchez recounted, "the long and unexpected voyage ... ndpersonal journey that led me to a man I now call a friend: Abe Foxman, who has led me to know myself and led me to grow in unexpected ways."

Radio football announcer

On July 27, 2011, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' reported that Sánchez had started a job as a radio announcer for Florida International University. Beginning in September 2011, Sánchez provided analysis of the FIU football team.

Fox News and radio engagements

Rick Sánchez returned to cable news as a columnist on Fox News Latino in September 2012. Sánchez was offered short-term employment with the website. Since joining Fox News Latino, he has appeared on the

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

as a contributor. He also started as a news contributor for MundoFox at the end of 2012. In 2013, Sánchez returned to South Florida with a weekday show on Clear Channel-owned Newsradio 610 WIOD. Replacing Todd Schnitt in afternoon drive time, Sánchez did a stint on a morning show that led into '' The Rush Limbaugh Show''. Due to low ratings, the show was eventually canceled.

Family life

Sánchez and his wife, Suzanne, have three sons and one daughter.

DUI incident

On December 10, 1990, Sánchez, driving home, struck a man who ran into the path of Sánchez's car. The man became paralyzed after being hit. Sánchez was not charged with causing the accident; however, he was charged with

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...

(DUI) and pleaded no contest.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Ricardo 1958 births American bloggers American television reporters and correspondents American people of Cuban descent College football announcers American male journalists Cuban refugees Television anchors from Miami Fox News people Living people Writers from Atlanta Journalists from Atlanta People from Douglas County, Minnesota Mass media people from Havana Writers from Houston Writers from Miami University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumni CNN people RT (TV network) people Radio personalities from Miami 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male bloggers