Look across the country and you will find no shortage of listeners that have become an integral part of their favorite sports radio station. More than any other format, ours thrives on interaction with the community. As a result, the people that call in and make time to show up to events have a way of becoming our friends. That’s what happened for Mark Baker with the staff of WFNZ.
“Mark from Gastonia” as he is known to Charlotte sports fans is currently battling serious illness and his favorite radio station was never going to let him do that alone. Morning co-host Travis “T-Bone” Hancock has made it his personal mission to make sure Mark knows that he has the love and support of people in the Charlotte metro area and beyond.
It’s not an obligation for T-Bone. He sees it as returning the favor, because in his lowest moments, a depression he slipped into before the pandemic, it was Mark that always had time for him.
“I could call Mark and say, ‘you want to do lunch?’. Keep in mind, he also was often in between jobs, so, he was always around,” he jokes. “But if I wanted to go to lunch, Mark was there. Want to go to dinner? Mark was there. There’s no judgment with Mark. There’s no, like, peppering you about what’s wrong. He’s just a kindhearted soul that just was glad to be there. It just became like he was there for me at my lowest point, and he’s a big reason why I was able to sort of overcome that.”
So, what is T-Bone doing for his friend? He has been organizing an effort to get people from across the country to record a message of encouragement that he can share with Mark.
Some of those messages have gone straight to Mark. Others have been shared with Mark on air for listeners, who are rooting hard for him, to be able to hear.
“I have known Bone for almost 2 decades and in that time, he has proven to be a great radio partner and an awesome friend. But what I have seen from him the last couple weeks, has been next level,” says Chris McClain, T-Bone’s partner on Mac & Bone.
Sports fans across North Carolina would see a veritable who’s who list if they looked over the names that T-Bone has connected with Mark via short video and audio messages.
The man loves his Braves, Hornets, Panthers and Tar Heels. His parents are both Florida State graduates, so he also has a soft spot for the Seminoles. Legends from all of those teams have reached out.
John Smoltz, Larry Johnson, Luke Kuechley, and Roy Williams, who joked that Mark has been carrying WFNZ “for a long time,” have all made time to make videos for the star caller. That is just a sample. It seems anyone that has ever picked up a ball or a microphone and has passed through North Carolina has taken time to offer words of encouragement.
“He has been relentless in setting up videos from sports figures to offer words of encouragement for Mark,” McClain says of T-Bone’s efforts. “He was in constant communication with Mark’s family when he was in the hospital so all of our listeners could have the latest information. He has been tireless about getting the word out about the GoFundMe for Mark’s family. You see how much Mark means to him and it has been amazing to watch.”
Bone says the joy Mark gets from every new video is genuine. It’s not just joy, but appreciation. It’s not lost on Mark that he needs all of the support he can get right now.
It’s something Bone says he thought about the first time he felt like he was hitting a wall.
“I had a media friend tell me ‘Think about how Mark feels right now, because right now, if you stop, what if he stops?’ And that’s when that next run here of Kuechley and Larry Johnson and Mugsy [Bogues] and Roy came. I said, ‘You know what? That’s a powerful pep talk for me because I was starting to get a little worn down. Right? I’m starting to run out of resources here.’ And that was like, ‘okay, you’re right, I can’t stop and we’re not gonna stop fighting for him. So yeah, if I text somebody and they don’t answer it is what it is.”
Compared to Bone, McClain and Mark, program director Jeff Rickard is a relative newcomer to Charlotte. This will be his second year at WFNZ and he says that no one that knows Mac & Bone the way he does would be shocked to see what the morning show is doing for Mark.
“Radio loves a person who unapologetically moves to their own beat and when you combine that with the obvious love he displays for his teams and the station – the boys instantly recognized that he had a part to play in our sports community. They’ve grown to love and laugh with Mark and so from their perspective it was a no brainer to do whatever they could to make his journey a little easier.”
The effort hasn’t just affirmed his beliefs about his morning show. Rickard says that it has been a good reminder of the power passion for teams and players can have in a community.
“Whether it’s a team or an athlete, once they are repping the city or university with their jerseys and their commitment, we are reminded that sports can unite an otherwise divided community like nothing else. It’s cliché but you have an arena, or a stadium packed with people who are brought together for one cause. Mark is one of them and they’ve gotten to know him as an individual over the years so as he’s progressing through his journey – Charlotte, North Carolina Fans have easily become ‘Mark from Gastonia’ fans simply because he’s one of them.”
Other broadcasters have recognized it too. Name a network. Someone from there has sent Mark a video.
From ESPN, it’s been Paul Finebaum, Rece Davis, and Marty Smith among others. From Fox, it’s been Greg Olsen and Tim Brando. Charles Davis from CBS has reached out. If you ever doubted that this business cares about the audience, it should make you smile.
What makes McClain smile is that listeners have joined celebrities in their investment. Mark’s progress and comfort matter to the people that tune in every day.
“From the well wishes on social media to the GoFundMe for the family, you can see how much they care about him and his wellbeing. It shows the power of radio. We have created a WFNZ community. Yeah, we might argue about sports takes most days, but when a member of our radio family is suffering, you are there for them. It makes me proud to be a part of it.”
Bone’s smile comes from WFNZ being able to do something like this for a Mark. When he started with the station in 2005, T-Bone didn’t think any one listener could ever stand out and get the attention and support they might need. He certainly never thought he’d see the day where WFNZ’s cause was something that would get emotional investment from other media outlets in the community.
“The fact that WFNZ was on the front page of the Charlotte Observer with a caller that shows you how far relationships have come. That wouldn’t have happened years ago,” he says. “That’s not anybody’s fault. It’s just the way it was, but the fact that an FNZ caller was the front page of the Observer and, per what I heard yesterday, it’s one of the most trafficked stories of the Observer of the entire year? The whole gamut, from 2005 till now of what FNZ was to where it is, I’m just so proud that we’re not some outsider, outlaw, rebellious thing in the community, which worked at the time, don’t get me wrong. We are now a part of it all. It warms my heart to see Mark and the amount of support for him and FNZ as we’re all trying to fight this with him.”
Mark Baker is fighting stage four cancer. It’s scary for him, his friends and his family. Fighting is nothing new for Mark though. This is a guy that was born with two holes in his heart, a guy that doctors said would be lucky to make it six months.
Fighting is something Mark from Gastonia has never stopped doing and T-Bone and WFNZ are more than happy to be in his corner, doing all they can to keep the fight going.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
