Charlotte Radio: Stokes, Lacy, Szoke Make It To WBT HoF

John Stokes, Bob Lacey, and Jim Szoke will be inducted at the station’s 100th Anniversary ceremony on April 9, 2022. WBT Hall of Fame members H.A. Thompson and John Hancock were on hand for the announcement.

John Stokes joined WBT in September of 1987 as the station’s News Director. For over thirty years, Stokes anchored the news in morning drive on the station, covering everything from the PTL scandal to Hurricane Hugo to the September 11th terrorist attacks. His iconic, authoritative delivery defined the sound of WBT News for three decades. The original announcement of Stokes’ induction into the WBT hall of Fame was made upon his retirement from the station in 2019, but the celebration was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bob Lacey began his career at WBT in 1972 as one of the youngest regular on-air personalities ever on the station. Soon after, he began hosting the groundbreaking night-time talk show, “Lacey Listens.” Three years later, he was promoted to host mornings, where he and partner Harold Johnson brought an edgy, modern sound to start the station’s daily lineup. His top-rated show continued until 1980 when he moved onto television. Lacey ultimately returned to radio as part of the nationally syndicated “Bob & Sheri Show.”

Arriving at WBT in 1986, Jim Szoke later became the station’s Sports Director during a time of major growth for the region’s sports market, including the launches of Charlotte’s NBA and NFL franchises. In 1993, he helped secure the flagship station broadcast rights for WBT and two years later, he was named to the first-ever Carolina Panthers Radio Network crew, a role he still holds today. He has gone on to broadcast more games for the Panthers than any voice in the team’s history. Mornings, Afternoons, or during the game, Szoke has personified sports coverage on WBT across four decades.

The only member of the 100th Anniversary class to the WBT Hall of fame still actively on the air at the station, Szoke was surprised with the announcement of his inclusion into the station’s hallowed group. The surprise was so well kept, in fact, that he had actually left the station for the day and had to be called back to take part in the celebration in his, Stokes’, and Lacey’s honor.

The announcements were made Wednesday morning by Bo Thompson to kick off the station’s march towards its 100th Anniversary on Sunday, April 10, 2022, and the weekend of events being planned around the historic milestone.