Listening options have never been more abundant. Digital services like Spotify create vast algorithms to deliver music directly to listeners' feeds. Podcasts let folks dive deep into their passions both broad and incredibly niche. The internet makes most radio stations from around the country streamable with just a couple clicks. But even with so many options, there's a certain charm to tuning your dial to your favorite terrestrial radio station — the finite nature of its signal reach makes each broadcast feel like your own special little slice of airwave real estate.
Real radio listeners are a different breed. There's often a routine to things — dialing up one's favorite station accompanies drivetime commutes, mindless parts of the workday, getting through chores or other parts of life that need a little sonic pep. And because of the regularity of radio, there's a characteristic that becomes an essential element for many of our favorite DJs: comforting familiarity.
Larry Pearson — known on the air as Uncle Larry — has comforting familiarity in spades.
Uncle Larry primarily hosts the weekday afternoon block of programming (2 to 6:59 pm) at Blue Sky Broadcasting's Sandpoint rock station KPND 95.3 FM. The smooth, calm, rich and unassuming timbre of his voice guides listeners throughout their afternoons with effortless ease. His tones feel like a warm comfort blanket while he transitions between KPND's eclectic alternative rock offerings, which can span from classic acts like the Rolling Stones to Washingtonian grunge favs Soundgarden to modern rock hitmakers Manchester Orchestra or Cage the Elephant.
The familiarity in Uncle Larry's radio game comes from years — nay, decades — of experience, as he's been gracing Inland Northwest airwaves for 41 years.
"My very first job back in 1983 was here at Blue Sky Broadcasting at this very radio station. And I stayed a year before going back to work in radio in Spokane for the following 35 years," Pearson says. "And then I'm back here again."
Back in the 1970s, Pearson was a carpenter, but when recession hit and new builds dried up, he decided to pursue a career where many who knew him thought he'd excel.
"Enough people had told me over the course of my life that 'you've got this radio voice.' Why not take advantage of that?" he says.
KPND's reach means loyal listeners from Spokane to Ritzville to Moscow can hear Uncle Larry's dulcet tones, and the station's independent AAA (adult album alternative) keeps the music surrounding his talk fresh.
"As much as you would like to think people are coming to the radio station for you, it's not the case," Pearson says with a laugh. "That's probably the biggest compliment we get on this radio station — the diversity of the music instead of hearing the same song every three hours."
"This is a job that is as much fun as anything else. It's a lifestyle. I've been doing it for 41 years, and as long as I can continue doing it and continue being relevant and being able to relate to the listeners, I'll do it as long as I possibly can."
