Al Sanders
{{short description|American journalist and broadcaster}}
{{for|the American basketball player|Al Sanders (basketball)}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| name = Al Sanders
| birth_date = March 13, 1941
| birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri, US
| death_date = {{death date and age|1995|05|05|1941|03|13}}
| death_place = Baltimore, Maryland, US
| occupation = Anchorman
| alias =
| status =
| title =
| family =
| spouse = Ruth
| children = 3
| relatives =
| credits = Co-anchor of WJZ-TV, Eyewitness News
}}
Al Sanders (March 13, 1941 - May 5, 1995) was an American television news anchorman at WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland. He helped take a third place television newscast to first place, where it stayed throughout his career.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
Background
In 1967 Sanders, as Al Gay, worked for radio station KXLW, in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1969, he left for competitor KWK, where he adopted the name Al Sanders, the on-air alias that would follow him through the rest of his career.{{cite web|url=http://440.com/namess.html#_asande|title=Radio Broadcasting History: Al 'Scoop' Sanders |publisher=440 International Inc.|access-date=2008-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526165925/http://www.440.com/namess.html|archive-date=2013-05-26}}
Sanders joined WJZ-TV in 1972. Five years later, he would replace Oprah Winfrey as Jerry Turner's co-anchor.{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/2011/5/1/when-oprah-was-ours|title=When Oprah Was Ours|date=May 2011 |publisher=Baltimore (magazine)|access-date=2019-03-06}} Turner and Sanders were Baltimore's top news team until 1987, when Turner succumbed to esophageal cancer. Denise Koch joined Sanders on the anchor desk as a fill-in, gaining the role permanently in 1988. Sanders won Emmy Awards in 1993 and 1994 for his regularly featured specialty report, "Picture This."{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/07/obituaries/al-sanders-news-broadcaster-54.html|title= Al Sanders; News Broadcaster, 54|date=1995-05-07|work=New York Times|access-date=2008-04-17}} In March 1995, Sanders was diagnosed with complications from lung cancer. Sanders died at the Johns Hopkins Hospital on May 5, 1995, and was replaced by Vic Carter, formerly of WSB-TV in Atlanta., who retired in July of 2024. Al Sanders was just 54 years old when he died and on May 5th, 2025 (Also Known As Cinco De Mayo 2025), had just marked the 30th Anniversary since his passing of Complications from Lung Cancer and he would have turned 84 years old on his birthday that day.
Legacy
Each year, the Baltimore Community Foundation awards college scholarships in the name of Al Sanders for those students who are musically inclined.{{cite news|url=http://wjz.com/seenon/scholarship.jerry.turner.2.649554.html|title=Scholarships Turn College Dreams Into Realities|last=Lee|first=Peggy|date=2008-02-08|publisher=WJZ-TV|access-date=2008-04-17}}{{dead link |date=September 2012}} In Baltimore, the corner of Druid Park Drive and Malden Avenue, two blocks from WJZ-TV, was named Al Sanders Place. The adjoining block of Malden Avenue is named Jerry Turner Way, for his former broadcasting partner.{{cite news |title=Take Jerry Turner to Al Sanders . . . |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-09-01-1995244047-story.html |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Baltimore Sun}}
{{S-start}}
{{succession box
| before=Jerry Turner
| after=Vic Carter
| title=WJZ-TV Lead Anchors
| years=1987/1988 – 1995
}}
{{s-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://video.aol.com/video-detail/wjz-tv-baltimore-remembering-al-sanders-part-5/1539874121 Remembering Al Sanders]
- {{YouTube|Yr7L6UVp8Zc|Remembering Al Sanders pt2}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Al}}
Category:Television anchors from Baltimore
Category:American television reporters and correspondents
Category:Deaths from lung cancer in Maryland
Category:African-American journalists
Category:African-American television personalities