Al Sunshine, reporter for WFOR, Miami’s CBS O&O, is celebrating 40 years on-air.

Sunshine, yes, that’s his real name, began his career in 1972 with WTVJ, which was the CBS affiliate at the time, as a reporter/photographer.  Forty years later, he’s known for his “4 Your Money” segments where he investigates and reports on behalf of local consumers.

The key to his success? “He has survived because he’s somebody we can all relate to,” longtime colleague, WFOR anchor Elliot Rodriguez told the Miami Herald . “An average guy.”

In an era of shortened careers and changing faces on television, the two-time Emmy winner provides a bit of continuity for the newer generation. “The interns gravitate to him,’’ says Rodriguez, a former print reporter. “He was a mentor to me.”

In the early 1980′s, Sunshine left local news to work at CNN as the acting Miami Bureau Chief.  He’s covered the Miami-based Watergate burglars, the Mariel Boat Lift, the Challenger disaster and the 1980 Liberty City riot where he and a photographer were attacked while in their car.  Now, business owners know if he shows up with a camera crew, they’re going to have a long day.

Adam Levy, vice president and general manager of WFOR said the station is “very fortunate to have Al Sunshine as a member of our CBS4 news team.  His decades of experience in this market and the major stories that he’s covered throughout the years parallel the evolution of South Florida and make him an incredible asset to our entire organization,” Levy tells The Herald.