Sam Sanders (journalist)

Sam Sanders
BornAugust 1984 (age 40)
New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.
Education
Occupation(s)Journalist, podcaster

Sam Sanders (born August 1984)[1] is an American journalist and podcast host. He is one of the co-hosts of the Stitcher/Sirius XM podcast Vibe Check, and the host and executive producer of The Sam Sanders Show, a podcast and radio show on NPR member station KCRW. He launched and previously hosted NPR's It's Been a Minute, a weekly podcast and nationally broadcast radio program, and Into It, a culture podcast from Vulture.

Early life and education

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Sanders was born in New Braunfels, Texas, to Regina (née Garrett) and Ruben Sanders, and grew up in the San Antonio area.[2][3] He has three older brothers.[3]

Sanders is a graduate of Samuel Clemens High School in Schertz, Texas.[1][4] He earned a bachelor’s degree in music and political science from the University of the Incarnate Word in 2007 and went on to earn a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.[4][5][6]

Career

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During graduate school, Sanders developed an interest in radio journalism and interned at the WBUR program On Point.[4]

He joined NPR in 2009 as a Kroc Fellow, later moving into field producing and breaking news.[7] In 2015 he joined NPR's Election unit, where he covered the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign and was one of the founding co-hosts of the NPR Politics Podcast.[8] In 2017, he created and hosted a pop culture podcast and radio show at NPR, It’s Been a Minute.[1]

After 12 years, Sanders left NPR in 2022 and joined Vulture to host a pop culture podcast called Into It.[9] Parent company Vox Media canceled the show in October 2023.[10]

In August 2022, Sanders launched a podcast with Sirius XM's Stitcher called Vibe Check, focusing on "news and culture from a Black and queer perspective." The podcast is co-hosted by Sanders, Zach Stafford, and Saeed Jones.[11]

In October 2024, Sanders returned to public radio airwaves with The Sam Sanders Show on NPR member station KCRW in Los Angeles. Covering pop culture and "the things we obsess over in our free time," The Sam Sanders Show launched on air and on YouTube with guests Joel Kim Booster and Sasheer Zamata.[12]

Personal life

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Sanders lives in Los Angeles, California, with his dogs Zora and Wesley Snipes.[4] He is gay.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ugwu, Reggie (July 29, 2022). "Reintroducing Sam Sanders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Weiner, Natalie. "Journalist and Podcaster Sam Sanders Connects the Dots of Culture and News". Texas Highways. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Official Obituary of Regina Sanders". Lewis Funeral Home. June 21, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Kathleen Petty (August 2018). "A Few Minutes with Sam Sanders". San Antonio. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  5. ^ David Oliver (March 24, 2021). "Host Sam Sanders calls out NPR, media industry for lack of diversity: 'It doesn't sit well'". USA Today. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Dennis Norris II (July 30, 2018). "How NPR's Sam Sanders Became The Most Vocal Queer, Black Voice On The Radio". Into More. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "It's been more than a minute, it's been twelve years..." NPR. March 1, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Greta Jochem (February 9, 2018). "NPR's Sam Sanders Is Moving to Los Angeles, But First He's Doing a Live Show in DC". Washingtonian. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Vulture, Vulture (July 19, 2022). "It's Time to Clear Your Podcast Queue". Vulture. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  10. ^ Carman, Ashley [@ashleyrcarman] (October 20, 2023). "More podcast cuts in the news. Today, @samsanders announced his show Into It will end next week. A comment from Vox Media below" (Tweet). Retrieved November 15, 2023 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Chan, J. Clara (August 3, 2022). "Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford to Host Culture Podcast on Stitcher". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  12. ^ "The Sam Sanders Show". KCRW. October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  13. ^ dennis.norris.ii. "How NPR's Sam Sanders Became The Most Vocal Queer, Black Voice On The Radio". INTO. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  14. ^ "Longform Podcast #497: Sam Sanders · Longform". Longform. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
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