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Crime Beat

Introducing What Happened to...Ted Williams, the man with the golden voice.

Crime Beat

Curiouscast

Society & Culture, Documentary, True Crime, News

4.81.7K Ratings

🗓️ 28 December 2021

⏱️ 56 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this episode of Crime Beat we introduce you to another Global News podcast called What happened to…? where host and reporter Erica Vella ,speaks with Ted Williams and Doral Chenoweth and the 2011, 90-second video, that launched Ted Williams, a man who was experiencing homelessness, into fame. In the video, Williams was standing at the side of a road in Columbus, Ohio; he was holding a sign that read in part, “I have a God-given gift of voice.” Doral Chenoweth, a photojournalist with The Columbus Dispatch -- a daily newspaper based in Ohio – took the video. Chenoweth posted the video in January 2011 and it quickly began drawing international attention; media from all over the U.S. went on a search to find Williams, dubbed the man with the golden voice. Williams speaks about his battles with addiction; he explains what happened after the video went viral and where he is now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

As you know from listening to Crime Beat, there's a lot of work that goes into bringing you these stories.

0:06.8

I talk to investigators, lawyers, and even criminals themselves. I dig through thousands of documents,

0:13.8

files, and court exhibits. I've said it many times. Journalism matters. I'm Nancy Hicks,

0:21.6

a Senior Crime Reporter for Global News. And today, I want to introduce you to one of my colleagues

0:28.0

at Global News and Curious Cast. News reporter Erica Vella is doing some amazing work on her podcast,

0:36.6

What Happened To. On this unique history podcast, Erica talks to the people at the heart of the

0:43.4

most gripping news stories and revisits major news events that captured our attention, including

0:50.3

the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. She tracks down some of the most fascinating characters

0:56.8

who made headlines like Ted Williams, the man with the golden voice. So today, I'd love to

1:03.9

have you listen to and follow Erica's podcast, What Happened To. The video is a minute and a half

1:11.6

long. A shaky camera frames a man who appears to be experiencing homelessness. Standing at the

1:18.8

side of the road, he holds a sign that says, in part, I have the God-given gift of a great voice.

1:27.6

And when he speaks, and we'll be back with more right after these words. The smooth

1:33.0

timbre of his baritone voice sends vibrations through the body of anyone who hears him.

1:40.9

More than 10 years ago, this 90 second video became an instant viral sensation.

1:47.5

But I've often wondered, who was that man? And what led him to that intersection in Columbus, Ohio?

1:55.5

Did that video change his life? And where is he now?

2:00.1

I'm journalist Erica Bella, and this is Global News What Happened To. Ted Williams,

2:06.4

the man with the golden voice.

2:08.8

When the video was first released in 2011, it was instantly viewed millions of times on YouTube,

2:21.2

and the man at the heart of it skyrocketed to fame. He made dozens of TV appearances on major news

2:28.0

programs in the US. I wanted to hear his story, learn about who he is and where he came from.

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