Kerry Sanders

Kerry Sanders began his reporting career at what was then called the South Middlesex News, newspaper, in the MetroWest Boston area. He also reported on Radio in Lima Peru for Radio del Pacifico. A graduate of the University of South Florida (BA liberal arts), Sanders joined WTLV-TV (then ABC) in Jacksonville, Florida in 1982. He then moved to WINK-TV (CBS) in Fort Myers, Florida in 1983. He moved to WTVT-TV (then CBS) in Tampa, Fl in 1987. He moved to WTVJ-TV (NBC) in Miami in 1991 where he was a regular contributor to the network. He then moved from the owned and operated station to full time network NBC News.

For 32-years, Sanders was NBC’s Miami-based correspondent. He contributed regularly to “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” “Today” and MSNBC. And was a founding member of the NBC Nightly News Kids edition reporting staff. From plane crashes, like ValuJet that went down into the Everglades to swimming with bull sharks during a live report, to his personal interests in the environment and animals, he was a regular face on TodayShow.

Sanders has more than 40 years of experience providing in-the-field reports during hurricanes. He has covered more than 100 named storms including Andrew & Hugo. Sanders was a member of the NBC Nightly News reporting team awarded a Peabody, an Emmy and the RTNDA Edward R Murrow Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. And again, lead our Edward R Murrow award winning coverage during the 2017 attack at the airport in Fort Lauderdale.

In 2011, he received the Society of Professional Journalists Bronze Medal for his weeks of reporting on the 33 Chileans trapped deep in a copper mine. A clip of his report was included in the Hollywood Movie "The 33." Sanders was part of the NBC News team awarded a 2011 first place National Headliner Award went for his reporting from Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. He was also part of the Emmy winning NBC News team honored for its 2009 national election meltdown coverage.

In 1994, Sanders was recognized with the Columbia DuPont award for his reporting from Haiti as a military coup rocked the country. Sanders shared another Columbia DuPont award for his coverage of the widespread devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. He also received the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award and the George Foster Peabody Award for coverage of Hurricane Andrew and the aftermath of the storm.

In 2023, Sanders retired as a Senior National News Correspondent. His interests in reporting remain and he says he hopes to develop a longer form outlet for his reporting with a focus on the environment and animals.