R.I.P.: Ty Boyd, Radio Voice of The Carolinas

Longtime WBT Radio morning host Ty Boyd died Monday morning after a period of declining health.

He was 88, reports The Charlotte Observer.

Robert Burwell “Ty” Boyd Sr. was born on July 27, 1931, in the eastern N.C. town of Erwin. When he was a kid, the family moved to Statesville, where he landed his first radio job at the hometown station, WSIC. At 15, he was off and talking.

While a student at UNC-Chapel Hill, he was hired as the morning man at WCHL Radio. He also worked at WTVD in Durham, where his duties included hosting Tar Heel football coach “Big Jim” Tatum’s TV show.

The break of a lifetime came in 1961: Jim Babb, who ran WBT, hired him to succeed Charlotte broadcasting pioneer Grady Cole after 32 years as morning man. Boyd was 29.

From 1961 to 1973, Boyd was No. 1 in 60 consecutive ratings periods, unheard of then and especially now, when DJs come and go. Such was his brand – The Happy Neighbor – that during an on-air roast on his last morning on the air, DJ Don Russell said, “Somebody asked Boyd to bring a six-pack and he showed up with a carton of milk and five glasses.”

Boyd moved to WBTV, where he hosted the midday show until 1978.

In 1978, Boyd left WBTV to focus on motivational speaking. In 1980, he started an executive coaching company that bears his name, helping executives around the world communicate with passion. He wrote several books on how to succeed in business.


There were public achievements: He was inducted into the N.C. Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1991, and received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of North Carolina’s most prestigious honors, in 2018. During its 80th anniversary celebration, WBT-AM named its main studio for him.