Longevity is a desired quality anyone would want in the field of their choosing. Most never achieve it, while the few who do cherish every hour of it. While many consider longevity the secret to success, without success there is no longevity. Chris McClain has been a member of the WFNZ team in Charlotte for over two decades, the last 16 years serving as the morning show co-host on Mac & Bone alongside co-host Travis “T-Bone” Hancock.
“Before I got here, I would do the radio shuffle where I would leave after a couple of years on my own or be asked to leave,” joked McClain. “I’m so glad to find the continuity, especially in a city like Charlotte. It’s a perfect place to raise a family too. I’m just so glad that I ended up here. Radio karma ended up putting me here.”
McClain and Hancock have been the guiding voice of Charlotte sports fans for nearly two decades, with a show that mixes fun, sports, and laughs while always keeping the energy high. McClain calls himself the “human alarm clock” and prides himself on being energetic for the audience.
“I like that role of being on here screaming. I’m energetic. I get people telling me all the time, ‘Man, I’m half asleep,’ and I’m like, it’s 6:30,” said McClain. “As a kid, if you had dug up my teachers, they would tell you, oh yeah, I could tell he was going to do something like this.”
When describing his co-host dubbed “T-Bone,” McClain believes the duo complement each other well. Hancock first began with the show as an intern and worked his way into a co-host role. While Hancock still contributes some aspects of producing for the program, McClain believes finding a person like Hancock was a massive key to the show’s success.
“We’ve gone through different ownerships, and you never know how that turns out,” noted McClain. “Different program directors too. I think finding a guy like Travis [Hancock] to work with—it helps that you find good people to work with… When you find a good bunch to work with, it’s a good portion of the key [to success].”
Balancing Sports & Politics
While the faces have remained the same for over a decade, the state of the sports radio industry has evolved. Far too often, the demands of the listening audience have forced sports radio to adapt—especially morning drive programs, which cater to a constant on-the-go audience looking for different types of content in small bite-sized pieces.
This is especially challenging with the political climate being what it is. Far too often, politics have intersected with sports, causing heated debate and giving listeners another lens to judge their favorite sports radio talent. For McClain, he understands the shift but has attempted to avoid joining the trend.
“People will tell us to stick to sports if they don’t like our political opinion. If they like the political opinion, they won’t say that,” noted McClain. “These issues, a lot of them are intertwined. There are sports issues that have become political. When I was younger, I was more eager to let the world know how I felt about these issues. As I’ve gotten older in the business, I’ve realized we are so divided on so many things as a country. Maybe just focus on what a Mac & Bone community has in common.”
McClain aims to be a sports radio host who brings people together through a passion for sports. Although he recognizes that there are more ways than one to cater to that audience, he leans on what he’s always been comfortable with as his guide.
“It’s gotten so divided and so nasty out there,” said McClain. “There are moments where you’ll get a text from a listener, and it’ll say they thought that sounded political. However, I take pride in bringing people who are so divided on these bigger issues together. When it comes to our sports world, I can get them together.”
Benefits of FM Signal, Desires for More
Mac & Bone have built themselves a following through longevity in the market but also a devoted social and digital presence. The game changed even more when WFNZ flipped to a dedicated FM signal in 2022.
“That’s been the biggest game changer from a scoreboard standpoint,” said McClain. “It’s [ratings] way more consistent with the FM signal. Whereas in the past it wasn’t. I would be trying to evaluate what we did in a three-month period. Right now, you get a feeling that it’s more representative of who we have out there.”
McClain credits the work of the Radio One/Urban One team in Charlotte for getting the station on an FM signal. He noted that the move had been a goal for many in station management but finally came to fruition in 2022.
Another avenue McClain said he’d like to see WFNZ move into is live streaming of shows on video platforms like YouTube or Twitch. He recognizes that audience consumption habits have changed dramatically since 2020, with more people turning to digital outlets to consume content both live and on demand.
His hope is for Mac & Bone to be available everywhere people can consume the product while also getting full credit for the consumption.
“I don’t even know the rules for how much you need to have digital listeners included [in your Nielsen credit],” said McClain. “That’s got to be modernized better so you get full credit for that. I’d be interested to see how that ends up going. Digital has become a bigger part, and I do think that must be something that they [Nielsen] work on so you can get proper credit for everything.”
Social media use continues to be a larger part of everyday life for all sports radio talent. From using the tools for promotion and personal branding, the constant churn of algorithms has made it more difficult to engage and interact with a following. McClain is a very active user of social media, he says, because sports fans are always scrolling.
“That’s another area where we could bring fun,” said McClain. “If someone’s having a bad day, what are they doing? Scrolling. If we can make someone laugh with some goofy video we put together, that’s the goal. We try to do that to show our humorous side and give people a laugh.”
For over two decades, Chris McClain has enjoyed the ride, sharing many laughs along the way. While many consider longevity the secret to success, without success there is no longevity. He said he has no desire to be anywhere else in the country and only hopes to continue doing what his passion guides him to—talking sports and continuing to be a leading voice in the growing footprint of Charlotte sports fans.
“I just want to be here for as long as they’ll keep me, and I want to keep proving that I deserve to be one of the voices of Charlotte sports,” noted McClain. “I have seen Charlotte become this passionate, demanding sports town. We’re not saying we’re near being a Boston or a New York City. I’ve seen this city grow as a sports city, and I want to be a part of the city’s growth.”
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
