The year was 1979. Nixa, MO native Larry Whiteley began hosting a local outdoor radio show on KTTS AM & FM in Springfield, MO. The daily outdoor show grew in popularity. That led to a weekly outdoor television feature during KSPR 33 afternoon and evening News. A few years later, he began to write, edit, and publish a monthly outdoor magazine called The Great Ozarks Outdoors distributed throughout southwest Missouri, northern Arkansas, and eastern Kansas.
In 1990, Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, asked Larry to try syndicating a daily outdoor radio show for his company. For 33 years, the award winning Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Radio was heard daily on over 1200 radio stations. As a veteran, Larry is very proud that he was heard on every military ship at sea, military base, and United States Embassy in the world, over the American Forces Radio Network.
Three years later, Johnny Morris asked him to try doing the same thing he did with the radio show but with a weekly outdoor column for magazines and newspapers. Like the radio show, it was a success and read by outdoor enthusiasts in over 300 newspapers across America.
For many years, when you walked into a Bass Pro or Cabela’s store anywhere in America or Canada, you heard Larry’s voice over the overhead system welcoming you and telling you about the latest sale or giving you an outdoor tip. He was also the voice heard on both of their phone systems.
Larry has voiced over 18,000 radio shows and written over 8,000 articles communicating the great outdoors to people. In retirement, he writes a weekly column for the Christian County Headliner, Bolivar Herald News, and Marshfield Mail newspapers. He also writes a monthly column for ShowMe the Ozarks Magazine, Missouri Conservation Federation Magazine, CrappieNow Online Magazine, and Whitetails Unlimited Magazine, Midwest Outdoors Magazine, and River Hills Traveler Magazine. His articles are also read on share the outdoors.com, and bassproshops1sourcenews&tips.
Larry also published his first book Seasons – Stories of Family, God, and the Great Outdoors. It is available on Amazon as a paperback or e-book.
He is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers, and Missouri Outdoor Communicators. He has won numerous awards for his writing and broadcasting from these organizations. In addition, he is the Outdoor Ambassador for the Branson, Missouri Convention and Visitors Bureau.
In 2001, he was named Conservation Communicator of the year by the Conservation Federation of Missouri. He was inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 2019 for over 45 years of communicating the outdoors to people all over the world. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 for his outdoor communications and conservation work. Also, in 2022, he was presented the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement award by the Conservation Federation of Missouri. Larry says, “I am truly blessed to be able to write and talk about the great outdoors. The awards and honors are appreciated, but none would have been possible without the gifts God has given me to use. I use them for His glory, not mine!”
