A YouTube video that went viral got a lot of media attention from former radio announcer Ted Williams, a homeless man in Columbus, OH who was interviewed by a Columbus Dispatch reporter. Clear Channel’s WNCI-FM morning duo Dave and Jimmy interviewed him 1/5 and the offers started pouring in — including a dream job with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a free house in that city.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers just offered me a full-time job and a house! A house! A house!,” said Williams, 71, on WNCI. The job involves doing voiceover work for the team and parent company.
The NFL is also looking to see if he is interested in doing voiceover work for the NFL Films division.
The Brooklyn native was on the streets after drugs and alcohol ruined his career that earned him $30 an hour. He has been clean for two years now.
Before the Cavaliers made their bid, the station said a group of credit unions offered Williams a contract worth up to $10,000; a caller claiming to rep MTV expressed interest in having him guest-announce a show; and callers who said they were the v/o actors behind plugs for “The Simpsons” and “Entertainment Tonight” said they wanted him to compete on the upcoming “America’s Next Voice.”
The video that made him famous:
RBR-TVBR observation: An interesting example of how viral media works and how quickly it can spread a story—and come to those in need. This news item had also made it on Inside Edition, ABC News, CBS News, etc. It started with the newspaper, then YouTube, Twitter, etc. But radio—WNCI—really provided the coverage this man needed to get his life back—Dave and Jimmy were the catalyst and yes, they used social media like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out as well.
