Meet JR McHenry | Radio Host & Entrepreneur

I feel what sets me apart from others is that I move to my own beat. I don’t try to mimic my show and content to match shows with larger platforms with corporate backing. Being in the independent space there’s no need for me to try emulating something that doesn’t mesh with my mission and vision for The Bossman Show. I’m able to interview people in sports and entertainment domestically in the United States and internationally without having to ask an operations manager, executive producer or general manager for permission. If I want to interview or spotlight someone or something, I only have to ask myself and that’s the beauty of being independent and owning your platform. I’m proud that I’ve been able to form long-lasting friendships and relationships with many of my guests from the rapport we built on the air and off the air. Additionally, I’m proud that I’ve built The Bossman Show from the ground up and built it from nothing into something. I’m very excited about the newly launched “ABC Initiative” to amplify the background of Black coaches across the collegiate and professional sports spectrum in conjunction with the spin-off show “Black Coaches Corner” to go along with a long-form interview spin-off show “The Boss Seat” as players, entertainers, politicians, and other thought leaders sit down with me to share their stories of how they became who they are today. 

To get where I am professionally today, it’s a testament to sheer will and drive. It’s the desire to not be denied, break down these barriers, fight for my rightful space in the sports media world. A lot of planning, a lot of analyzing, a lot of praying and a lot of emailing got me to where I am now professionally. Learning the tricks of the trade through trial and error has additionally got me to the point I am now in my sports media career. As I mentioned earlier, I have not had the luxury of having a mentor to get me to this point today, everything I’ve accomplished and achieved has come due to sheer hard work and dedication on my end. Some ideas have worked, some have not, the vast majority of ideas and concepts have been successes which has led me to the position I’ve in now. What puts a smile on my face is seeing some of the same individuals I reached out to as I was trying to find my way in the radio space at various games and events I attend and cover and knowing they can’t say they helped “put me on” per se like they do with other people they have mentored and helped. For me, it’s a badge of honor, that no one helped me build what I have established today.

It was not easy to get to this point. It was a lot of long hours of quiet thought and mediation on the highways and byways as I travel to cover games and events. Being a visionary and having to map out things to go with to sustain a successful show and an audience when you really don’t have all the answers was difficult at times. As things progressed, positive feedback kept coming in, getting more opportunities to expand the show’s reach, I knew at that point I was making inroads and things moving in the right direction. Through continuous tweaking and self-scouting, I was able to find the right format to showcase my talents and provide the listening audience with high quality content on a weekly basis. In the beginning iteration of the show, it consisted of a 7-person panel, from that iteration the panels dwindled and dwindled until I settled on a co-host format for a period of time before settling on the single host format with just me that the show is today. Making those changes to the show format ruffled some feathers with some people who was there in those infant stages of the show, but those hard decisions had to be made to ensure the show grew and that I grew as a host. These business decisions that were made were some of the most crucial I’ve made in my career, looking back on them, they were made for better.

For the most part, I’ve overcome any and all challenges thrown my direction but there are currently a few challenges that I still encounter on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. First challenge, I still deal with is, trying to book guests in high profile collegiate sports and in the professional sports leagues. The issue stems from being independent media, these schools and teams only want to make their players and coaches available to the local mainstream media and corporately backed national mainstream sports media and they tend to either ignore media requests, give the runaround or say that the coach or player doesn’t have time to do an interview with me. The funny thing is that sometimes a school or team will say a coach or player isn’t available, but I see them pop up on a national mainstream show, being the go-getter I am and holding people accountable to their word, I reach out and say I thought the same guest I requested wasn’t available, but I see the same guest on this other show, usually they don’t respond because they don’t have a good answer. Second challenge, I still deal with is, team access, high profile collegiate teams and professional teams tend to only give full access to local mainstream media and corporately backed national mainstream sports media. By full access, I mean being invited to practices, shoot arounds, walk throughs, media availabilities, special events and having the coaches and players as guests on the show. Some teams will credential you for games, but you don’t have any other access to the team than that, some will give you access to the media availabilities on Zoom, but won’t accommodate you attending them in-person. A lot of times us in independent media, don’t enjoy full access to the teams we cover, we get half access and some teams’ attitudes are to independent media is to be happy with the access we’ve given you and frown upon those who want the experience of having full access to the team that they cover. Third challenge, I still deal with is, sponsorships, many potential sponsors are stuck in the old way of only wanting to promote themselves with the corporately backed radio stations because of the name and brand recognition of the station in the local market.

As it pertains to overcoming challenges dealing with the colleges and the professional teams, it’s simply selling myself, selling my work and most importantly pointing out the inequities of how they treat independent media vs how they treat corporately backed media. I come with receipts every time I make a point to push for equality in access and coverage for independent media vs corporate media. I’m not going give up in this fight for equal access and opportunity for independent media. Independent media shouldn’t be penalized for being independent media and choosing a different path, but unfortunately that’s what’s happening in the current environment. The fight will continue, it will not stop, equal access for all is what I seek. Now, on the sponsorship side, that’s overcome by showing them that by being syndicated and distributed on over 30 podcast platforms in addition to the terrestrial radio affiliates that there’s an on-demand quotient that allows anyone to hear their commercial a year or two from now as they have the link to the show or pull it up on the podcast platform app of their choice.

I want to people to use me as an example of perseverance. I want people to use me as an example that you can accomplish anything you want, if you have the will and drive to go after what it is that you seek and desire for your personal betterment. The biggest lesson I want to leave with people that taking it day by day, brick by brick is okay, things don’t pop overnight, I had to go through a lot of different change with cast, panel, producers, formats, iterations and overall direction to find my way to where I am right now. The process is okay. Going through a process is okay. Finding your way is okay. It allows you the time to perfect your craft and work out all the kinks before getting on a bigger stage or platform where failures are amplified even further.

I want the world to know I’m a competitor out of this world. I look to lay the smackdown on my competition daily. I’m simply eccentric, educated, electrifying and entertaining. I’ve always been the class clown type. I can get along with pretty anybody from any walk of life. I still get out and catch footballs, shoot hoops, bowl and play tennis when my schedule allows. I’m fighting the good fight daily on multiple fronts “making good trouble” as the late Congressman John Lewis would say. This brand, this budding conglomerate of The Bossman Show is on the rise, we’re on a mission in transition. The Bossman is and will forever be “The Peoples Champion”. I am a man of the people. I am a man that is with people. Anyone who knows me and been around me and seen me in action knows that I’m a man of the people and can connect with individuals anywhere I go. Stick and stay on the lookout for all the great things and partnerships that I have coming down the pike for all my bosses and bossettes out there who support what we do here at The Bossman Show.

First place, I’d take my friend is to TacoMac. TacoMac is one of my favorite places to eat and drink at in the world. I honestly can eat TacoMac every day and not get sick of it. 

We’d hit up Topgolf and get our eat, drink and golf on as well. I’m terrible at golf but I love some Topgolf.

Even though I don’t personally eat it, I would also take them over to The Varsity, it’s an Atlanta delicacy.

Another spot on the takeout tip would be American Deli to get a 10-piece lemon pepper or barbecue with fries and a large pink lemonade or fruit tea.

If the Atlanta Hawks are in town, I’d invite them out to Highlight Factory to turn up Atlanta Hawks style, now it isn’t like used to be, but the turn up is still real at State Farm Arena.

A trip to the King Center would be in order, learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Also, a trip to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.

There’s numerous day parties and brunches on the weekend to attend to network with like-minded people in the ATL.

Atlanta has so much offer for all people. You can find what you like or enjoy doing in Atlanta one way or another.

Atlanta is one of the most unique places in the world and I’m glad I’m able to be a part of the Atlanta fabric.