Why: Because the Columbus Dispatch newspaper posted a video of William on Youtube begging on the side of the road using his radio imitation voice Date: Online article posted by the Saskatoon Star Phoenix on January 7, 2011 and Global National News clip aired on January 5, 2011 Ted Williams is a fifty-three year old former radio announcer who became homeless after battling drug and alcohol addiction. He lived each day in and out of homeless shelters and even found himself in prison.
He became a beggar on the side of a Columbus Ohio road where he would hold up a sign with the catch phrase “God-given gift of voice” while panhandling. He was rediscovered after the Columbus Dispatch newspaper posted a video on Youtube of him begging for money on the side of an intersection in Columbus Ohio. They asked him to give them a sample of his voice using his radio host imitations. Within days, the video received millions of hits and had stations pleading for Ted to be on their show. Before the weeks end Williams was appearing on television and radio shows such as ‘The Today Show’.
He spoke about his life and everything he has gone through as well as using his rich baritone voice to anchor the local headlines. Later in the week he became reunited with his elderly mother who lives in New York whom he hasn’t seen or speaken to in years. I believe the Saskatoon StarPhoenix online article presented more information surrounding the story than the Global National News television program. The online article gives a much more thorough report that pays closer attention to specific and minor details that the television clip overlooked.
Each report explains the job Williams had before going homeless, why he became a panhandler, how and why he was rediscovered and the joy of reuniting with his mother. Pieces of information that the online clip mentioned that Global’s aired clip left out includes William’s age and the name of the newspaper that recorded the video. The online article also mentions that William’s lived in the homeless shelter, went to prison and how his drinking problems continued to worsen.
Each news story quotes William’s about his emotions and new found success from television show’s he’s appeared on and both mention the words written on the sign he help up on the side of the road. The online article mentions many more phrases that William’s said during his interviews. The online article incorporates more detail than the article that aired on television because it did not have a length limit as the television clip did. It can be as detailed as it needs to be without a time limit, where the television clip must pick out the most important details to air.
