COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Internet video of a homeless man showing off his self-described "God-given gift of a great voice" has landed him a spot on a local radio show.
A reporter from the Columbus Dispatch came across Ted Williams while Williams was panhandling near Interstate 71 recently. Williams was carrying a sign explaining he was a former radio announcer who had fallen on hard times.
"Any help will be gratefully appreciated," the sign said.
A roadside interview on YouTube demonstrates the homeless man isn't exaggerating. He's as smooth as any announcer heard on radio or television.
The popularity of the "the voice" video has soared on the Internet, spawning coverage in the N.Y. Daily Post and CBS News.
Williams said he grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and at 14 took a field trip to a radio station. While there, he was struck that one of the on-air announcers looked nothing like he sounded.
"Radio is a theater of the mind," the worker said. Williams was hooked. He said it took years to develop his voice and he also "went to school for it."
"Alcohol and drugs — and few other things — became my life," he said, but since has "been two years clean."
Now, he will get another chance to unleash his voice on radio again and possibly even something more promising.
A morning radio show in Columbus called " Dave and Jimmy" plans to interview "the homeless man with the awesome voice" in studio on Wednesday, CBS reported.
"We're going to find some way to help this guy!" Dave and Jimmy said on their Facebook page.
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