1on1 with Jon Evans

Reporters Nick Ochsner and Michael Graff covered the 2018 election fraud scandal in North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional District for different news organizations. The more time they spent in Bladen County, uncovering networks and identifying individuals working to influence elections, the more they realized politics in this rural county has its’ own set of rules. Their book The Vote Collectors is...

Wiley Cash’s fourth novel, When Ghosts Come Home , represents several firsts in the New York Times best-selling author’s career. He’s crafted a murder-mystery and set it along the coast of his native North Carolina. Despite the mid-1980s timeframe, Cash’s characters deal with many of the same social issues making today’s headlines, while they work to exorcise the ghosts of their past. It’s an enga...

Meredith Viera’s current project, the Fox-syndicated game show 25 Words or Less is now in its’ third season and seen on television stations across the country. It’s another success in Viera’s award-winning career that began in local radio more than four decades ago, and has taken her around the world to cover the biggest stories and newsmakers.

They came out of Chicago and put the city’s name at the top of the music charts, where it stayed for decades. Trumpet player Lee Loughnane is one of three founding members of Chicago still touring with the rock and roll band 52 years after releasing their first album in 1969. Now back on the road after a pandemic-forced break, Loughnane talks about the excitement of performing live, what fans can...

Actress Yaya DaCosta left NBC’s Chicago Med after six seasons to play the lead character of Angela Vaughn in Our Kind of People . The new Fox show, which shoots in Wilmington, NC, is inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s bestseller that goes inside America’s Black Upper Class. DaCosta talks about the importance of the show, what drew her to the project, and how her experience in Reality TV nearly sid...

Dr. Muneeb Shah has had a meteoric rise to social media stardom. The fourth-year Dermatology Resident in Wilmington, NC posted his first TikTok video about skin care on May 1, 2020, and now has more than ten million followers. Dr. Shah’s videos on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube have more than three billion views. This is the story of how he became one of the most influential voices in the field of...

John Maginnes accomplished his dream of becoming a pro golfer, playing on the PGA Tour for a decade and competing alongside some of the biggest names in the sport like Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo. But when an injury presented an opportunity, Maginnes grabbed it. Now, as a host, analyst and on-course reporter on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio, Maginnes still makes a living in the game he loves, while also...

Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks are working together again on television. Leno is rebooting the comedy show You Bet Your Life , and he wanted Eubanks to co-host. Their relationship goes back to the early 90s, when Leno took over as host of The Tonight Show and Eubanks became the bandleader. The two friends talk about what fans can expect to see when the new show airs in September. 

Brad Thor tried once to launch a writing career, and it didn’t work. When the pieces started falling into place to give him a second chance, he jumped at it, and is now a #1 bestselling author of 21 thrillers, selling tens of millions of books around the world.  Brad joins WECT’s Jon Evans to talk about the idea behind his new Scot Harvath book “Black Ice”, the gamble of killing-off familiar chara...

Kathy Reichs’ new book, The Bone Code , is the 20th in her bestselling Bones series that features forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. It’s a murder-mystery ‘ripped from the headlines’ that takes Tempe back to an unsolved case from her past. Reichs has also co-authored the young adult Virals books, and produced episodes of the long-running Bones television series, entertaining millions of f...

Jack Carr spent two decades on the front lines of America’s war on terrorism. The former Navy Seal sniper and Special Operations Commander transitioned into a second career, and is now a New York Times bestselling author. While crafting novels like The Devil’s Hand , which keep readers riveted, Carr supports organizations that help other veterans begin and succeed in their post-military lives. 

Hannah Black and Megan Petersen have taken different roads to their place in the film industry. Once their paths converged in an acting class, it set off a chain of creative events that resulted in the award-winning independent film, Drought . The co-creators, co-directors and co-stars talk about the project’s long road from start to finish, the messages they wanted to convey, and the one word not...

Drew and Owen Scheid play two of the central characters in the award-winning independent film Drought , now streaming on Amazon Prime. While Drew has more acting experience, Drought marks Owen’s film debut, playing a young man on the autism spectrum who is fascinated with weather and storm chasing. The two brothers talk about the messages the movie conveys, overcoming a hurricane interruption, and...

Shaneequa Vereen took a leap of faith to move halfway across the country without a job. Now, as Public Affairs Officer and Live Mission Commentator at NASA, Shaneequa is helping document mankind’s leaps into the heavens and beyond, while showing other young women of color that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.

Alex Highsmith is an imposing figure in his shoulder pads and Pittsburgh Steelers uniform. If you look closely, you will also see a little chip on his shoulder. It’s the fuel that has powered Highsmith’s internal engine, helping the Wilmington native reach the National Football League, where he is now paid to play the game he used to play for fun. Highsmith has already noticed the difference.

Patrick Brien doesn’t look at complicated issues the way most people do. The Army veteran and CEO of Cape Fear Collective has a view from about ten thousand feet, where he sees potential partnerships and innovative opportunities to address issues like poverty, affordable housing and healthcare. By using data to light the way, and capital to fuel the engine, Brien believes CFC can be the vehicle to...

Long before Greta Van Susteren became Chief National Political Analyst for Gray TV and the host of “Full Court Press” on WECT, before she anchored shows on CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and Voice of America, and before she first gained national attention providing legal analysis during the O.J. Simpson Trial, the Wisconsin native had earned two law degrees, taught courses at law school and practice...

Cliff Cash hasn’t had many chances to make people laugh with his stand-up comedy since the pandemic hit. But fans can get their fill with Half Way There , Cliff’s new album that spent three days at #1 on the iTunes Comedy Chart. In our podcast, Cliff talks about his first on-stage performance, why some people cry during his shows, and the time he had to tell his brother to stop being so funny.

Chris Everett is now working on the follow-up to his award-winning 2015 documentary film Wilmington on Fire , which chronicled the 1898 Wilmington Massacre that overthrew the existing city government and resulted in the deaths of dozens of Black leaders. Chris talks about the film’s renewed importance in conversations about racial justice, the retired pro basketball player who helped to get it fin...

Actress Jen Lilley’s latest project for The Hallmark Channel brought her to Wilmington to shoot USS Christmas during the pandemic. Along with spreading holiday cheer through the movie, Jen also came up with a way to keep COVID-19 from cancelling Christmas for families and children in need. She’s also channeled her advocacy for foster children and adoption into the successful Fostering Hope podcast...

Takayo Siddle became the head coach of the UNCW Men’s Basketball Team in March of 2020. He’s had to work hard, on and off the court, to keep his team virus-free during the COVID-19 pandemic. Siddle talks about that challenge, his journey to becoming a head coach, and the tough love lesson he learned when his Mom did not pick up the phone.

Dr. Charles Foust takes over as the Superintendent of New Hanover County Schools at a turbulent time. The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for students, families, teachers and staff. Three educators from inside the system were arrested and charged with sex crimes against children in the past two years, and the investigation into whether administrators violated any laws in handling allegati...

Trevor Donovan has been on hiatus since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But the actor is getting back in front of the cameras, coming to Wilmington in September to star in another Christmas movie for the Hallmark Channel. Donovan talks about working under new pandemic-related safety rules, the importance of his breakthrough role on the CW's 90210 , and the decision he calls the ‘best of his...

New Hanover Regional Medical Center has operated for more than 50 years as a public hospital. That's likely to change by the end of 2020, as negotiations are underway to sell NHRMC to Novant Health in a deal worth upwards of $5 billion. Jon interviews the two Chief Executive Officers, John Gizdic of NHRMC and Carl Armato of Novant, with questions raised by the public, and hears how they believe th...

Beck Black grew up in rural North Carolina loving to sing and play music. Little did she know one day, she would be teamed up with one of the most famous musicians in the world. Beck’s new song, “Who’s Gonna Save Rock n’ Roll”, features Ringo Starr on drums, and the former Beatle also appears in the music video. Here’s the story of how it all came together, and what’s on the horizon for Beck Black...