He was sports director for WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina for 26 years, during which time he won four Emmy Awards and was nominated for two others.
[4][5] He graduated from Statesville Senior High School, and received an economics degree from Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina.
Johnson started his broadcast career at WSIC radio in Statesville,[2] where he hosted a music program called "The HaJo Show".
[6] While at WSIC, he met Jim Thacker of WBTV, where he acted as weekend sports anchor and later worked nights.
On WBT, he was morning co-host with Bob Lacey[7] and the play-by-play announcer and pre-game host for the Charlotte Hornets of the World Football League.
[4] In a 2018 interview, Johnson described his political views as socially liberal and fiscally conservative, and also voiced his support for then-President Donald Trump.
[1] On December 4, 2009, at age 68, Johnson announced he would run against Democratic Representative Larry Kissell in North Carolina's 8th congressional district.
[12][13] Late polling in the general election showed Johnson within a point of Kissell, and several experts called the race a tossup.