Al Sanders


Al Sanders, 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.

Background

In 1967 Sanders, as Al Gay, worked for radio station KXLW, in St. Louis, Missouri; in 1969 he changed stations and his name. His new station: KWK, St. Louis, his new name: Al Sanders.
Sanders joined WJZ-TV in 1972. Five years later, he would replace Oprah Winfrey as Jerry Turner's co-anchor. 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." In March 1995, Sanders was diagnosed with 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.

Legacy

Each year, the Baltimore Community Foundation awards college scholarships in the name of Al Sanders for those students who are musically inclined. In Baltimore, a section of Druid Park Drive between Park Heights Avenue and Clipper Road has been named in his honor.