Longtime Charlotte talk-radio host inducted into the NC Broadcasters Hall of Fame
Longtime Charlotte talk-radio host John Hancock was inducted into the North Carolina Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame on Tuesday night.
Hancock was honored as the 2021 inductee during the association’s annual station and industry broadcast awards ceremony in Raleigh.
Hancock worked 50 years in radio, including the past 30 at WBT (1110-AM) in Charlotte.
“I’ve known about this for a couple of months,” Hancock told WBT morning show host Bo Thompson on Wednesday. “And I sat in the room and stared at the wall and thought about it at great length.
“And, God, I’ve never been as proud and as humbled as I am today,” Hancock said on the show. “Although, I gotta tell ya, (being a member of) the WBT Hall of Fame, in its own personal way, kind of holds a little bit more significance. ”
On-air in Charlotte
Hancock arrived at WBT in December 1990 and became a community fixture. He offered information and opinion, sprinkled with humor and a bit of sarcasm on his daily show.
For 27 years, he also showed his community commitment through the Kids First of the Carolinas’ annual holiday drive that raised millions of dollars and thousands of toys and bikes for children in need.
Two other community efforts became annual traditions: His “Father’s Day” show on the March 16 anniversary of his father’s death, and his “Peanut Butter N July” benefit for Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.
Type 2 diabetes
Hancock also battled Type 2 diabetes in recent years.
In 2016, he was still hosting his popular, longtime WBT afternoon show when he was diagnosed with the disease. Last fall, he underwent surgery to remove his right foot due to the condition.
Hancock’s last daily show on WBT aired on Oct. 17, 2019.
He remains an on-air presence in the Queen City, offering two commentaries a week and joining Thompson on the WBT morning show for an hour on Fridays.
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 8:20 AM.