Picture a dad with his little, five-year-old son putting together a crystal radio kit. When completed, the little boy was able to pick up one station – WUNI in Mobile. Fast forward 20 years and the same kid is now working for that very station. From there, he became one of Mobile’s most beloved broadcasters of all time. The Alabama Broadcasters Association is excited to induct Chris Smith, also known as “Uncle Henry”, into the ABA Hall of Fame.

“I was confused,” says Smith upon learning of his induction. “I thought – am I being laid off? Because all the other people in the Hall of Fame are either retired, laid off or dead!”

Once the confusion wore off, Smith was more than pleased.

“This one is important because it comes from broadcasters,” he says. “It’s always a thrill when somebody tells you that they listen to you and it’s an even bigger compliment when it comes from somebody in broadcasting.”

Smith was a news reporter and anchor early in his broadcast career, but he needed something more.

“It was no fun reporting on death and destruction. I wanted to do something fun and creative,” he explains. “So, at night, I’d call an FM station – they thought I was a weird old man. The DJ there thought my calls were really funny.”

“No one knew I was doing it,” chuckles Smith. “They didn’t have a clue. I was working for one station doing news and all of that and I was doing ‘Uncle Henry’ for another station.”

It was after the FM station hired Smith to do news that they learned they had also hired ‘Uncle Henry.’

“They were thrilled,” says Smith. “They immediately put me on their morning show.”

Smith has been doing ‘Uncle Henry’ ever since. For a while, he also appeared as ‘Uncle Henry’ on cable access TV where, for the first time, he had to come up with a look for the character.

“I was a guest on a wrestling show, and I never thought about what ‘Uncle Henry’ looked like, so I wore a paper bag over my head,” Smith laughs. “After that they hired a professional makeup artist. It took 90 minutes to make me look like an old man.”

Smith has played the same character for years, but he’s not bored.

“It’s only limited by my own imagination. So, if I’m tired of it, the only person to blame is myself,” he says.

Bill Black, who worked at iHeart radio with Smith, says watching him become the ‘Uncle Henry’ character is something to see.

“It’s artistry in motion. I love either listening to him or just sitting and watching him when he does his thing. It’s always seamless,” he says. “He falls into character and stays in that character … and he understands his audience. An audience pays attention to the ways you present yourself and Chris is just an expert at it.

Even as an amusing character, Smith has made a difference in the Mobile community.

“Chris is always first and foremost in front of any special event,” Black continues. “He is the guy that’s on the street, right in front of the venue, meeting people, talking to people, handing out goodies.”

“When he’s out there, he is your best friend. He is incredibly humble with his listeners. He’s genuine in the way he treats the listeners because he appreciates them.”

“I’m delighted that I’ve taken a radio bit, a character that was done as a morning show character and have been able to stretch that bit out from 1988 to 2026,” says Smith. “ I’m proud of the fact that it has lasted so long.”

Smith says he’s going to keep doing ‘Uncle Henry’ on the radio as long as they let him.

“The day that I’m laid off, I’ll go to YouTube,” he says.

Why wouldn’t he just retire the character?

 “I have listener groups that have gatherings and meetups. I would just continue with it because there are people who will continue to want to listen to it. People show up for ‘Uncle Henry’.”