Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Gunther.
Hi Chris, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised on the south side of Youngstown, OH. I’m the youngest child born to Tina Glenn & James A. Gunther III. I played basketball all throughout my childhood from grade school to high school and almost played in college however I decided to go into media broadcasting. My journey started in 2013 on Rookery Radio Real College Radio at Youngstown State University. Kenny Reyes, who was the advisor of Rookery at the time, told me and Katherine Thompson, who would become my co-host, that if we can create an outline for a show that we could be on the air. The show was called “The KT & CG Show,” and it was one of the most popular shows on the station which consisted of playing Hip Hop and R&B music along with interviewing local artists and other well-known figures on campus and in the city.
In 2014, after a successful first season, Katherine and I received our own shows, and I started “The Chris Gunther Show!” which was more Christian faith/inspirational based. During my time on the air, I began interviewing some of the biggest names in Gospel music, such as Kirk Franklin, Deitrick Haddon, Fred Hammond, and more. I also was able to cover YSU Football along with Men and Women’s basketball for a few seasons. The show on Rookery ran from 2014 to 2017. I also received several awards, including the “Rising Star Award” & “Who’s Who of YSU.” After graduating, I received an invitation to come to Las Vegas to cover The Stellar Awards in 2018 in which is one of the biggest events in Gospel music.
When I returned to Youngstown, I continued doing “The Chris Gunther Show!” but not on Rookery Radio, now as a freelancer reporter. One of the main reasons I started doing interviews on my own was to give people a voice that may not have been able to get featured on local news or radio. Being able to allow people to come on my show to share their stories the way they want or talk about what they have going on is special. After my third interview, I noticed it reached a thousand views and once that happened, I knew I had something special. In 2019, I reached 100 interviews. While I was doing interviews, my love for basketball was still there. In 2020, I started covering local high school basketball, doing play-by-play announcing, interviews with the players and coaches along with editing highlights of each game.
In 2021, I became the in-game host for the Cleveland Charge, the Cleveland Cavaliers affiliate of the NBA G League and in 2022 became the official sideline reporter for the Charge. In 2023, I reached over 500 interviews total, including interviews with celebrities such as Michael Vick, Tim Hardaway, Stephen A. Smith, Chris Broussard, Mo’Nique, Sinbad, Jess Hilarious, Morris Chestnut and a lot more.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This journey hasn’t been smooth at all. It’s been filled with a lot of rejection, slow seasons, and plenty of times when I thought about quitting. Some of the struggles I’ve faced on this journey have dealt with people not giving me a fair chance, a lot of people who I thought were for me weren’t for me at all or just learning that some people in this industry, not all, aren’t who they appear to be especially behind the scenes.
True story: In 2018, I landed an interview with a TV station and thought to myself, “This is what I’ve been working towards with my interviews.” In the middle of the interview, the individual who conducting it said to me, “Because I don’t know you, I can’t help you. Best of luck to you.” and walked out. That same year, I had a brief stint with a TV station. However, it was on a temporary basis, and they let me go earlier than agreed upon. I felt completely discouraged, however, I also felt motivated to become so good at what I do that the next time they saw me they would know exactly what I can do.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a reporter, host, in-game host, on-air personality, producer, and celebrity interviewer. When I was a kid, I loved watching ESPN, and seeing people like Stuart Scott, Chris Broussard, and Stephen A. Smith provided a sense of encouragement to me that I could do what they do. As I stated earlier, one of the main reasons I started doing interviews on my own platform was to give people a voice, particularly those that may not have been able to get featured on local news or radio. Being able to allow people to come on my show to share their stories the way they want or talk about what they have going on is special.
I’m mainly known for “The Chris Gunther Show!” which features celebrity interviews with guests like Stephen A. Smith, Sinbad, Mo’Nique, Michael Vick, Tim Hardaway, and more. On my show, I’ve interviewed community leaders like Judge Carla Baldwin, Judge Renee DiSalvo and more. Local business owners and entrepreneurs such as Jessica Morales from Viera’s Vision, Terrill Vidale of 2 Deep Entertainment, Ashley Vidale of Sapphire Aesthetics and Wellness, Brittney Bradley of B’s Boutique & Melanin Majik, Britney Robinson of Nails By Binq, Chanel Dior who owns several businesses, Kisha Holloway of Fancey Boutique, Aurie Irizarry of Mommy & Me Lemonade, Kaneisha Teemer of Your Mobile Cosmo, TeiAsha Simms of My Melanin Speaks, Ashley Eldridge of Queendom and a lot more. Local artists/entertainers such as Lisette Encarnacion, Michael Cotton, Blaq Rose (The Roses), Jazzie Maldonado (Jazzie Taboo) Ron Johnny, Phil Hudson (Nigel) & Paris Stephan and a lot more. I also covered local high school basketball where I would do live play-by-play of the games, interviewed the coaches/players after the games along with editing and posting highlights to social media after each game.
I’m mostly proud of how I’ve been able to preserve through adversity. When I was in 8th grade, I had a teacher tell me I would drop out of school and have to work at McDonald’s for the rest of my life. Fast forward, I graduated from high school college, produce my own show, I’m the sideline reporter for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G-League, and I’m a happily married man to my wife.
There’s a few things that sets me apart, and the first thing is my relationship with God. I grew up in church my whole life and have always been taught that no matter what you do in this life, the most important thing you need to have is a relationship with God, which is something I’m grateful for. The next thing that sets me apart is my work ethic. Back when I played basketball, I was never the tallest guy on the court, so I was already at a disadvantage. Despite not having a height advantage, I always had heart, and I knew how to work hard; that’s what I took pride in. The last thing that sets me apart is having a pure heart with no secret motives. In this media space, I’ve noticed there’s a lot of people who appear to be friendly but are the total opposite. Whenever my name gets brought up in this industry, I want people to say, “That’s a solid man.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m gonna always have a great work ethic, but I’m also gonna be nice to people simply because you never know who you’re talking to. I’ve been blessed to receive plenty of opportunities just from being kind.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The biggest thing I’ve been reminded of during the COVID-19 crisis is that life is short. COVID changed the entire world, and things won’t ever go back to how they once were. However, it also showed everyone what should be important in their own lives. Spend time with those who love you, forgive those who wronged you even if you have to love them from a distance, and have an attitude of gratitude each day.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ChrisGunther
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChrisGuntherShow?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: Chris Gunther
- Twitter: @ChrisLGunther
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chrisgunther6730?si=MPDaRYVrAA2T-4Wv
Image Credits
Jessica Morales
Vieras Vision
