Rick Sanchez

Not to be confused with Ricky Sánchez.

Rick Sanchez
Sanchez at Jeff Pulver's 140 Characters Conference - June 2009
Born	July 3, 1958 (1958-07-03) Guanabacoa, Cuba
Occupation	anchor/correspondent
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website
Staff Biography formerly on CNN.com

Ricardo León "Rick" Sánchez de Reinaldo (born July 3, 1958), known professionally as Rick Sanchez, is a Cuban-American journalist, author and former TV news anchor. After years as the lead local anchor on Miami's WSVN, Sanchez moved to cable news, first as a daytime anchor at MSNBC and then later at CNN, where he began as a correspondent and ultimately rose to become an anchor. On CNN, he hosted his own show Rick's List and served as a contributor to Anderson Cooper 360° and CNN International, where he frequently reported and translated between English and Spanish. Sanchez was fired from CNN on October 1, 2010, following controversial remarks he made on a radio program. In July 2011 Sanchez was hired by Florida International University, to serve as a color commentator for radio broadcasts of the school's football team. His first game was on September 1, 2011.

Personal life

Sanchez was born in Guanabacoa, Cuba, a township of Havana, and emigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of two. He grew up in Hialeah, Florida, a suburb of Miami, and attended Mae M. Walters Elementary School, Henry H. Filer Middle School, and Hialeah High School, graduating in 1977. Sanchez accepted a football scholarship to Minnesota State University Moorhead and transferred to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on a CBS/WCCO Journalism Scholarship in 1979.

Of his childhood Sanchez 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 Sanchez rather than use his birth name because, as he said in a newscast in 2009, "...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."

Sanchez and his wife, Suzanne, have three sons and one daughter: Ricky Jr.; Robby; Remington; and Savannah.

Drunk driving incident

On December 10, 1990, Sanchez was in a neighborhood in the vicinity of Joe Robbie Stadium, driving home from a Dolphins football game when he struck Jeffrey Smuzinick, a pedestrian. Smuzinick, who had been drinking heavily, was returning to his Pembroke Pines home with friends. He suddenly decided they were driving in the wrong direction, jumped from the car and ran into the path of a 1991 silver Volvo, driven by Sanchez. Smuzinick was paralyzed, and five years later on November 2, 1995, died in an assisted living facility at the age of 36. A blood test by police determined that Sanchez's blood alcohol level was .15, above the legal limit of .10. Sanchez was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and pleaded No Contest. Sanchez was not charged with hitting Smuzinick.

Career

Sanchez representing CNN at the 140 Characters Conference in 2009

Sanchez began his broadcasting career at WCCO's satellite sister station KCMT (now KCCO-TV) in Alexandria, Minnesota, while still in college. He was hired at WSVN (formerly WCKT) in Miami in 1982 and became a weekend anchor shortly thereafter. He worked briefly for KHOU in Houston, Texas before returning to an afternoon anchor position with WSVN. Sanchez was hired at MSNBC in 2001.

In 2003, Sanchez left MSNBC to return to the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale TV market. While there, he hosted a local talk show on WTVJ. Sanchez later anchored on then-WB affiliated WBZL (now WSFL) until he joined CNN in 2004. He won an Emmy Award in 1983 for his series titled When I left Cuba.

Based at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, Sanchez joined the network in September 2004.^{[citation needed]} Sanchez reported on major events across the United States and around the world. For eight months, in the interim between Paula Zahn and Campbell Brown, he anchored Out in the Open at 8 p.m ET.^{[citation needed]}

On January 18, 2010 he began hosting his own two-hour show in the afternoons, Rick's List, where he invited viewers to share their opinions and questions via MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Viewer comments about the day's news stories were displayed both on large plasma screens in the studio and scrolled at the bottom of the screen. His use of social networking tools to create a citizen-driven news program was recognized by the Newseum in Washington, D.C. and has generated mostly positive feedback.

And after the cancellation of Campbell Brown's show, Sanchez again took over the 8 p.m. EST slot with an evening version of "Rick's List", which continued until the premier of Parker Spitzer. Sanchez also filled in for Anderson Cooper and Ali Velshi on Your Money on occasion.^{[citation needed]}

Sanchez was involved in the network's Peabody Award-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina. He anchored the network's coverage for eight hours as the levees broke in New Orleans, Louisiana, and began filing live reports from the flooding the next day.

Firing from CNN

On September 30, 2010, Sanchez was interviewed on Sirius XM's radio show Stand Up With Pete Dominick. Sanchez's interview occurred on the final day of his show in the 8 p.m. time slot and he was reportedly angry about being replaced by CNN's new Parker Spitzer talk show as well as the occasional jokes made at his expense on The Daily Show. Sanchez called Daily Show host Jon Stewart a "bigot"; after questioning, Sanchez backed down from using the term and referred to Stewart as "prejudicial" and "uninformed." When queried on the issue of whether Stewart likewise belonged to a minority group on account of his Jewish ethnicity, Sanchez responded,

“

Yeah, very powerless people. [laughs] He's such a minority. I mean, you know, please. What—are you kidding? I'm telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart. And to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority?

”

Some media coverage suggested that Sanchez' comments insinuated that Jews controlled CNN and other networks.

Sanchez also described his experiences and opinion of news network practices,

“

It's not just the right that does this. 'Cause I've known a lot of elite, Northeast establishment liberals that may not use this as a business model, but deep down, when they look at a guy like me, they look at a ... they see a guy automatically who belongs in the second tier and not the top tier ... White folks usually don't see it, but we do, those of us who are minorities ... Here, I'll give you my example, it's this, 'You know what, I don't want you anchoring anymore. I really don't see you as an anchor, I see you more as a reporter. I see you more as a John Quiñones.' You know, the guy on ABC. That's what he told me, he told me he saw me as John Quiñones. Now, did he not realize that he was telling me, 'when I see you I think of Hispanic reporters?' 'Cause in his mind, I can't be an anchor, an anchor's what you give the high profile white guys.

”

In the day following his remarks, CNN announced that Sanchez was no longer employed with the company.

Sanchez once called President Barack Obama a "cotton-picking president," a remark for which he apologized, explaining that he had grown up in the South where the phrase was a colloquialism. He also attributed unconfirmed quotes to Rush Limbaugh, for which he also later apologized.

Although Sanchez was described by some as a polarizing figure at CNN, former CNN president Jonathan Klein was a supporter and gave Sanchez increased air time. Klein was fired just one week before Sanchez, leading some to believe that Sanchez's firing may have been motivated by other reasons in addition to the comments.

Despite his firing, upon leaving CNN, Sanchez 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, Sanchez called and personally apologized to Stewart. He also 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 that Sanchez should have never been fired, calling the firing "absolute insanity," and that he was not "personally hurt." Following his firing, Sanchez appeared on several shows (including Good Morning America) to expand on his apology and call attention to his recent book. Sanchez blamed "fatigue" for calling Stewart a "bigot," but acknowledged that the "chip on my shoulder" was partly to blame for his comments.

Sanchez and Abraham H. Foxman at a Yankee Game together on May 11, 2011

The head of the Anti-Defamation League Abraham Foxman, following a meeting with Sanchez, said Sanchez can now "put the matter to rest." Foxman said he hopes Sanchez can now move on with his life and work. Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach held a public event at Manhattan's Carlebach Synagogue with Sanchez and said: "Rick Sanchez was humiliated," and went on to state that Rick Sanchez deserves the chance to reclaim his good name.

External links

• Rick Sanchez at the Internet Movie Database
• Rick Sanchez on Twitter
• Rick Sanchez profile in The New York Observer
• Sun-Sentinal review of Sanchez's First FIU Game
• Partial Transcript of Sanchez - Pete Dominic interview