Ricardo “Rick” Sánchez (born July 2, 1958 in Havana), known professionally as Rick Sanchez, is a Cuban-American journalist, radio host, and author. He is currently a FOX News contributor, a columnist for FOX News Latino, a correspondent for Spanish language network Mundo Fox, and an afternoon radio host on WIOD 610 AM in South Florida.
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.
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.
Sanchez was born in Guanabacoa, Cuba, a township of Havana, and emigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of two.
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.
Sanchez joined FOX News in 2012. He is currently a FOX News Contributor and a columnist for their FOX News.
Discrimination in cable news.
Sanchez has spoken out about what he sees as a lack of diversity in cable news and, in particular, has described his own personal experiences and his opinion of network news practices towards minorities. In 2010, he noted that in the “landscape” of cable-news prime-time hosts, “There’s not a single Hispanic, a single Asian-American, or a single African-American.”
Rick Sanchez returned to cable news as a columnist on Fox News Latino in September 2012. Sanchez was offered a short term employment with the website. Since joining Fox News Latino, he has appeared on the Fox News Channel as a contributor. He also started as a news contributor for MundoFox at the end of 2012.
Radio
In 2013, Sanchez returned to South Florida with a weekday show on Clear Channel affiliate WIOD 610 AM radio. Replacing Todd Schnitt in afternoon drive time, Sanchez has since moved to a morning show that leads into the Rush Limbaugh Show.
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The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor