Charlotte radio host Brett Winterble has a special connection to his new community. Winterble recently celebrated his second year at WBT Charlotte’s News Talk. His tenure there began shortly before the world was turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The versatile radio veteran has traveled all over the country, perfecting his craft. Winterble was raised in Far West Texas, went to school in the Northeast, and has worked at radio stations in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Winterble – an elite talk show host who once filled in for the late Rush Limbaugh whom he used to work for and who he credits in helping him find his way in the business – was tapped by renowned programmer Mike Schaffer to replace legendary WBT host John Hancock who retired after an illustrious run in the Queen City.
During a 20-show trial, Winterble proved to his bosses that he possessed the ability to connect with his callers on a deep level. His understanding of how to draw parallels between national stories and localize them proved uncanny in the hiring process.
Winterble has really embraced his journey. Shortly after officially accepting his current gig, the coronavirus forced the world to a halt. What did that mean for Winterble? The position he accepted and his duties were altered as WBT used its powerful signal and strong community ties to help businesses stay afloat and the community remains informed. Local radio shined during this time, and WBT was no exception.
Barrett News Media recently sat down with Winterble to gain some perspective on his journey, discuss the critical role news/talk stations play in their local communities, and reflect on his memories of the greatest talk radio host of all time, Rush Limbaugh.
What makes WBT Radio unique?
It is an honor to be at WBT Radio, a station that means so much to the Southeast and a station with such a legacy. We are about to celebrate our centennial anniversary. WBT employs special people who believe in great radio, love their community, and are dedicated to their craft. I consider myself very fortunate to have this opportunity; I couldn’t be happier.
What were you doing before you came to WBT?
I was doing an afternoon drive show in beautiful San Diego, California, on then-KFMB and was enjoying myself immensely. I received a call from Mike Schaefer, Program Director, WBT Radio, who told me that they were looking to fill the opening left by WBT Hall-of-Famer John Hancock. It was a great opportunity; I got to sit in for about 15-20 shows, and they offered me a chance to come in and do a PM drive show, and I absolutely jumped at it.
During that period, how did you approach doing a show in a market that you weren’t completely familiar with?
Even though I was physically doing a show from my home studio on the West Coast, I was mentally present in Charlotte. I had been to Charlotte several times; I was familiar with the landscape and the city, and I was able to project that.
The beauty of living in an interconnected world is that you can find stories that are relevant in several different places. Great radio is about connecting with the audience one-on-one, and that’s what I was able to do.
How did you find your identity as a conservative news/talk host?
I’ve never self-declared, hey I’m a conservative talk show host. I’m a husband, I have a couple of teenagers, and I believe in relating to the audience.
I believe most people live their lives in a little bit of a conservative way; they want to have money in their pockets, they want to have strong family values, they want to provide, they want to do charity. Those are transcendent values, right? So, I believe if you live those values and behave those values, it comes through to the audience.
How should talk radio stations position themselves as the information age evolves?
How does any radio station build that audience and connect to that audience? The answer is simple; building your local audience and leveraging local relationships. In the world of talk radio, I think we tend to think of it in the national picture.
Much of my show is looking at the national landscape and then cross-applying to what’s happening locally, how it’s relevant, and getting context in that regard. The beauty of talk radio is the ability to impact the local community with local talk.
You started at WBT at the beginning of the pandemic; what was that like?
I came to Charlotte in February of 2020. I sat down with then-GM Matt Hanlon and our PD Mike Schaefer, and we had this whole plan to roll me out and meet the community. I got to go to one Hornets game, and then COVID hit. I remember how much work our hosts did on WBT to build equity with our audience during the pandemic. I was the new guy replacing a legend. Our WBT team dug in hard to the community.
Businesses that were suffering, we created a hotline for them to call in to pass along any information that they needed to. We went 6-7 days a week doing COVID coverage and doing news/talk coverage. That was a core component of what WBT does, and I was so happy to slip into that glove.
How did Rush Limbaugh influence you?
Rush Limbaugh was the single most dominant broadcaster that I have ever come across in my life and could not have been a gentler, better person than you would have expected. He was incredibly generous and incredibly charitable.
I first started working with Rush Limbaugh as a 25-year-old who had joined his syndication company before he was working with Premiere [Networks]. The thing that I took from Rush was to pursue my dreams. Rush was fired seven times, and he was proud of the fact that every time they thought he was down, he just kept growing to be a stronger talent and a better person.
One of the interesting storylines on my journey was the first day that I filled in on WBT was the day Rush announced that he had stage 4 lung cancer. I was handed that information at :50 past the last hour of his program. I’m sitting there, and I’m listening to this, and I’m hearing what he is saying, and this is my friend. I had no idea he was ill.
To hear that [announcement] and to know that in four minutes, I was going to go live on WBT. It would be one full calendar year later that I would be coming into my first full year anniversary at WBT that Rush passed away. The idea that I would be sitting in that seat that I was trying out for, and I had been blessed to fill in for him while he was still alive, is not a moment that was lost on me.
