One of New York’s best-known local broadcast journalists, Darlene Rodriguez is a multiple Emmy® Award winner with deep roots in our local community.  She has been trusted by NBC 4 New York viewers for more than two decades for her knowledge, expertise and professionalism.  For the past 15 years and continuing through today, Rodriguez serves as the Co-Anchor of Today in New York, airing every weekday between 4:30 AM and 7 AM. 

Rodriguez was one of the first Tri-State broadcast journalists to visit Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017, spending a full week on the ground reporting the relief and recovery efforts. In conjunction with the one year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, Rodriguez returned to Puerto Rico to chronicle the rebuilding and recovery process and interview key elected officials and community leaders. Her coverage of Puerto Rico’s recovery and continued service to the community was recognized in 2018 by the National Hispanic Media Coalition, which presented her with a coveted Impact Award for “Excellence in Broadcast Journalism”.

Over the past twenty years at NBC 4 New York, Rodriguez has covered many of the Tri-State’s most memorable stories.  This includes the police shooting of Amadou Diallo in 1999, the 9/11 attacks and the crash of Flight 587 in Queens, while en route to the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez was also the first Tri-State television reporter on the scene in Vieques, Puerto Rico when news broke about the clashes between residents and the U.S. Navy.  She later returned four times to cover the resulting developments. 

Rodriguez has also traveled to Rome to cover Pope John Paul II’s meeting with U.S. Cardinals regarding the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal. In 2015, she also travelled to Cuba to cover Pope Francis’ visit to the nation.  Her on-the-ground reporting from Cuba was later nominated for a New York Emmy®. 

Rodriguez is a frequent contributor to the TODAY Show with one of her segments previously nominated for a national GLAAD award, and she also served as a fill-in newsreader on Weekend TODAY.  She joined NBC 4 New York from WCBS 880 AM where she was a general assignment reporter for four years. Prior to that, she worked as a reporter for BronxNet cable television for a year where she covered some of the most compelling stories about the borough’s politics, growth and renaissance. 

Recognized regularly for her commitment to journalistic excellence and community service, she was the recipient of the 2011 "Mujeres Destacadas (Distinguished Women) Award" from El Diario La Prensa.  She also earned a “Latina Excellence” Award in 2000 from Hispanic Magazine for her coverage of the Hispanic community.  She received multiple awards from the New York Police Department and the NYPD’s Hispanic Society, and has also been honored by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bronx Borough President, the City of New York, and the City of White Plains for prominently and proudly representing the Hispanic community in her professional and charitable endeavors.

Rodriguez is involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley and supports the Cristian Rivera Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for a rare fatal brain tumor in young children. In addition, Rodriguez co-chairs WNBC’s annual Supporting our Schools school supply drive and works extensively with the New York Urban League and the American Heart Association of Westchester. 

Rodriguez graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science.   She resides in Westchester County with her husband and their family.

You can connect with Darlene Rodriguez on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.