Sam Sanders (journalist) facts for kids

Sam Sanders, born in August 1984, is an American journalist and podcast host. He helps host a podcast called Vibe Check on Stitcher/Sirius XM. He also hosts and produces The Sam Sanders Show, which is a podcast and radio show on KCRW, an NPR station. Before this, he started and hosted two other popular podcasts: It's Been a Minute for NPR and Into It from Vulture.

Sam Sanders' Early Life and School

Sam Sanders was born in New Braunfels, Texas. He grew up near San Antonio, Texas. He has three older brothers.

He went to Samuel Clemens High School in Schertz, Texas. After high school, he studied music and political science at the University of the Incarnate Word. He earned his bachelor's degree in 2007. Later, he went to Harvard Kennedy School and earned a master's degree in public policy.

Sam Sanders' Career in Journalism

While studying for his master's degree, Sam Sanders became interested in radio journalism. He worked as an intern at a radio program called On Point at WBUR.

Starting at NPR

In 2009, Sam Sanders joined NPR as a Kroc Fellow. This is a special program for new journalists. After that, he worked as a field producer and covered breaking news stories.

In 2015, he joined NPR's Election unit. He reported on the 2016 presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. He also helped start and host the NPR Politics Podcast. In 2017, he created and hosted It’s Been a Minute. This was a pop culture podcast and radio show for NPR.

Moving to New Podcasts

After working at NPR for 12 years, Sam Sanders left in 2022. He joined Vulture, a website about pop culture, to host a new podcast called Into It. However, the company that owned Vulture canceled the show in October 2023.

In August 2022, Sam Sanders started another podcast called Vibe Check. This podcast is on Sirius XM's Stitcher platform. It talks about news and culture from a Black and queer perspective. Sam Sanders hosts Vibe Check with Zach Stafford and Saeed Jones.

In October 2024, Sam Sanders returned to public radio. He launched The Sam Sanders Show on KCRW, an NPR station in Los Angeles. This show covers pop culture and things people enjoy in their free time. The first episodes featured guests like Joel Kim Booster and Sasheer Zamata.