Though best known for his current work as a television news Journalist, Carter began his broadcast career in 1988 as a radio reporter. He spent most of that year covering Jesse Jackson's ill-fated presidential campaign. Later, his work as a radio reporter brought him a measure of prominence when he interviewed Nelson Mandela during Mandela's trip to New York.

In 1992 Carter made the move to television as a reporter and anchor with the newly launched New York 1, a Time Warner station in New York. Continuing his penchant for Celebrity interviews, Carter's position as host of the news and commentary show Inside City Hall gave him access to a wider array of interviewees, including Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor, former President Bill Clinton, South African President Nelson Mandela, Mexican President Vicente Fox, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, and Congressman Charles B. Rangel. In 2006 Carter made national news as the moderator of a series of statewide debates in New York State, which included Senator Hillary Clinton. During the course of those debates, Senator Clinton acknowledged for the first time that she was considering a candidacy for the presidency.

In 2007, Carter released No Momma's Boy (iUniverse, May 1, 2007), a memoir that documents Carter's troubled relationship with his mother, who had been clinically diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. Carter takes readers on his life journey, going from the public school system and the housing projects of NYC, to a successful career in journalism. Carter has traveled all over the country speaking about his life and book.

In 2008 the Time Warner Station expanded its news coverage during the political conventions, sending Carter to both the Democratic and Republican conventions. At the same time, the station's coverage of those events was made available through Time Warner Cable to customers outside the city of New York.

In 2009, Carter was convicted of attempted assault of his wife; he ultimately won his case on appeal.