Ted Williams Gets A Gig
Remember the story of disc jockey Ted Williams? He became an overnight sensation a few years ago when he was a homeless man living on the streets of Ohio. A passerby recorded him doing a DJ bit (a talk up) and it was obvious that Ted was a golden-throated talent, who was just down on his luck. Well, after his initial rise, Ted had a few relapses, and never did manage to secure a full-time gig. That changed this week. The RAMP Newsletter has the story...
It was five years ago when the industry was captivated by the story of Ted Williams, the former jock "with the golden voice" who was discovered living on the streets of Columbus, OH after years of drug and alcohol addiction destroyed his once promising career. After several attempts at a comeback (and several tough steps back in his progress), we were pleased to see that someone has taken a chance on Ted -- he's the new host of "The Ted Williams Golden Voice Show," heard weekday mornings on Inspirational WVKO-AM (1580 The Praise)/Columbus, OH, the same station where Williams began his radio career in the '80s. The gig marks Williams' first fulltime employment, in radio or otherwise, since 1993.
The Praise website contains an excellent in-depth piece by Columbus Dispatch writer Kevin Joy that describes Williams' long and winding journey back to radio, and the many personal challenges he still faces on a daily basis. Williams said he hasn't used drugs since Aug. 6, 2011. He now finds that the act of getting up every day and going to work has given him some much-needed structure and a sense of normalcy, as he said, "The sense of routine, the sense of belonging -- all of that is coming back."
Despite Williams' rough past and his sometimes rocky recovery, WVKO GM Mel Griffin, who worked with Williams in the early '90s at the former Miracle 106.3 (then WCKX-FM, the last station to employ Williams) says he didn't struggle with the decision to bring him aboard, saying, "We teach and preach about giving second chances; sometimes we're given third and fourth and fifth chances. We all have issues and problems." Griffin reports the early feedback to Williams' new show is encouraging, saying, "People are just happy to hear his voice and know he is working."
