Outlet profile

WBT (Charlotte News Talk)

U.S. right

Owned byUrban One, Inc. (formerly Radio One), a publicly traded Black-owned media company headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland

FundingCommercial advertising revenue; Urban One (NASDAQ: UONE) is a publicly traded company that earns the majority of its revenue from local and national spot advertising across its radio, digital, and cable television properties

On the administrationbroadly supportive

Background

WBT received a commercial broadcast license in 1922, making it the first commercial radio station in North Carolina and one of the earliest in the southeastern United States. CBS purchased the station in 1929, elevating its profile as a major regional outlet, but FCC ownership rules forced CBS to sell WBT to Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company in 1945, though the station remained a CBS affiliate. Ownership passed through several corporate hands over the following decades, including Lincoln Financial Group (via its 2006 acquisition of Jefferson-Pilot) and Greater Media of Massachusetts, which bought WBT in January 2008. Entercom acquired WBT in January 2017, and in April 2021 Urban One obtained WBT through a station swap with Entercom, making it an unusual fit within a portfolio otherwise focused on urban contemporary and gospel formats. Urban One leadership publicly committed to keeping the conservative talk format, citing strong ratings and advertiser demand. In December 2025 the station's programming migrated from its iconic AM 1110 frequency to the higher-powered FM 107.9 signal to extend its reach across the Charlotte metro. On-air hosts including TJ Ritchie (who markets himself as 'America's Coolest Conservative'), Brett Winterble, and Vince Coakley reflect the station's consistent right-leaning editorial character, and coverage of the Trump administration has generally been favorable.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-03; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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