R.C. McBride

Contact R.C. at rcmcbri@ilstu.edu.

R.C. began his broadcast career at WDAN/WDNL in his hometown of Danville, Illinois in 1990 while still a high school student. During and after college, he worked at several different radio stations (WITY, WPXN, and a couple that no longer exist). In 1997 he started at WJBC, where he worked as reporter/anchor, play by play broadcaster, and talk show host (doing hundreds of interviews, including with two future U.S. Presidents and two presidential nominees). R.C. won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for best radio newscast in 2002, the same year he moved into the WJBC Program Director’s office. He served as PD until 2012, with the station winning two Marconi Awards as National Radio Station of the Year (in 2005 and 2009) during his tenure in that position. He also won the Illinois Broadcasters Association's Silver Dome Award as the state's best medium-market play-by-play announcer in 2002.

In 2012 R.C. signed on with Illinois State University as Assistant Director of University Marketing & Communications, overseeing the University’s flagship social media platforms, video department and trademark licensing program. He held that position with the University while also serving as WGLT’s Interim General Manager during 2016 before assuming the GM role on a permanent basis effective January 1, 2017. Since then, WGLT has balanced its budget while expanding its staff of local journalists, dramatically increased its online listenership and readership, launched a daily news podcast, created hands-on internship and employment opportunities for students, assumed oversight of Illinois State's student news website (The Vidette), and will be moving into new studios in 2023.

In 2019, WGLT entered into an agreement with Bradley University to manage day-to-day operations of WCBU, Peoria Public Radio. As a result of the partnership, WCBU is on the uptick: increasing its local content staff, launching a Peoria-focused daily news podcast and a new half-hour daily local news magazine, balancing its budget, and winning small market Radio Station of the Year honors from the Illinois News Broadcasters Association in 2021 and 2022 and the 2022 and 2023 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall News Excellence from RTDNA.

He was elected to a three-year term as a Member Director on National Public Radio's Board of Directors beginning in November 2022.

An alum of ISU's School of Communications, R.C. previously served on the Normal Planning Commission from 2006 to 2015 and was elected to the non-partisan Normal Town Council in 2015, serving until 2019. He was the radio play-by-play voice for Illinois State women's basketball from 1999 to 2013, did television play-by-play of numerous sports for the Missouri Valley Conference from 2004 to 2023, and still serves as the TV voice for ISU women's hoops. R.C. lives in Normal with his wife. They have three daughters. He is a lifelong Cubs fan who believes optimism is rewarded (eventually).

R.C. is again serving on the Normal Planning Commission (as chair). He is also a member of the Bloomington-Normal Area Sports Commission board and the McLean County Historical Society board.