Enter Ted Williams, a 53-year-old homeless man who stood on the side of roads in Columbus, Ohio, with a sign claiming he had a “God-given gift of voice.”

Thank God for people like Columbus Dispatch videographer Doral Chenoweth. If not for his video on Williams, no one would know his story, and his story is a good one.

Williams says in the video that he went to school for radio and that it was his involvement with drugs and alcohol that derailed his progress into the broadcast industry.

That career, however, is having quite the resurrection with rumored job offers coming from small radio stations all the way up to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This is why I love the Internet.

Not only does it supply me with endless entertainment on many fronts, but it also allows people like Williams to have their story told.

It is a touching story of a man who made like a phoenix, rose from the ashes of addiction and managed to “get found.” In the video he says he was hoping someone might see his sign and help him out, which is exactly what Chenoweth did.

The story ended up being national news with Williams appearing on the “Early Show” and other morning shows sharing not only his story, but his voice as well.

Williams’ story is humbling, and it illustrates that no matter much talent one might have, it can slip away in a matter of minutes.

It is important for journalists to share the stories of people like Williams.

It reminds me of driving in Detroit and seeing panhandlers on the sides of the road. What are their stories? What did they do before they held signs asking for food and work?

Everyone has a story, and usually, it’s a lot more interesting than we assume.

Ted Williams reminds me not to be too quick to judge, even if a person is in rags on the side of the road.

Most people are not what they seem, and just like a book, you should not judge a person by his or her appearance.

The 11th annual Alumni Takeover transformed the modern rock station into a classic rock one, along with other older music. The marathon began at 12:01 a.m. Friday and lasted a record 48 hours, thanks to the help of 27 alumni.

Michigan Radio Network audio news editor Bill Thompson, a 1978 alumnus, coordinated the event and is happy to see the increased interest over the eight years he has been in charge.

“The takeover has been expanding ever since we started it in 2000,” Thompson said. “We extended it to 48 hours this year and I think that will have to be the cutoff.”

Each alumni donates $30 for a block of two hours on the air to do whatever they desire. The event usually raises about $1,000, Thompson said.

“The money will go toward alumni chapter functions,” he said. “$250 of it is put toward the Al Painter award, which is given to an incoming CMU student.”

1982 alumnus Tim Roberts, operations manager for 104.3 WOMC Detroit and 99.5 WYCD, used his two-hour block Saturday to shell out classics from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

“I love it and it’s fun,” he said, “I just want to help as many students in broadcasting as I can.”

Alumni tailgate host Brianne Frucci-Tucker has been involved with the takeover since graduating in 2004 and intends to participate for as many years as possible.

“These alumni helped me get jobs,” she said. “Now it is my turn to give back the support.”

Though familiar faces and classic tunes resurrected the old days at CMU, changes in the Moore Hall broadcasting booth didn’t go unnoticed.

Digital technology has long replaced vinyl records and even CDs. The 10-watt station of the late ‘70s has been overtaken by the 13,000-watt station of today.

The dramatic increase in communication technology left something for even the seasoned alumni to learn.

“I think one of the biggest changes is the Internet,” said Michael Patton, a 1978 alumnus. “Not only are there requests on the phone, but on Facebook too.”

Alumni will seize control of 91.5 WMHW during Central Michigan University’s Homecoming starting at 12:01 a.m. on Friday and ending at Midnight on Saturday, said Bill Thompson, takeover coordinator and audio news editor for Michigan radio network.

“It’s our first year doing 48 hours straight,” Thompson said.

This will be the 11th year experts from across the country have descended upon the station to take over its operations.

This year there are about 25 alumni coming back to do the takeover.

Broadcast and Cinematic Arts instructor Trey Stohlman will come back for his third takeover.

“I think it is important for alumni to come back and share their stories and support from the industry with the new generation of students heading into the industry in the next couple of years,” Stohlman said.

The tradition started in 2000 when Thompson and other alumni had the idea to come back and take over the station. Thompson said since then, the Alumni Association has become involved to help organize the event.

“Alumni from all across the country come back,” Thompson said. “We are trying to get some of the newer alumni as well.”

Thompson said the alumni are not just from radio but are also from television, web, public relations and more alumni from all across the board.

“We have been calling it CMU’s new Homecoming tradition and it seems to be sticking,” Thompson said.

This year’s Alumni Takeover is being dedicated to associate professor Jerry Henderson, who retired after 35 years.

“We felt we should have a tribute to him because he has helped thousands of students over 35 years,” Thompson said.

The Alumni Takeover was thought of for alumni to come back and just have fun, Thompson said. He said many of the alumni are on the BCS advisory board and they return to help out the university.

“It’s a way to give back,” Thompson said. “(Alumni) give back to the university by helping out the department and help advise classes.”

He said the alumni will talk with the departments and keep update them regarding curriculum aspects with what is in use or has fallen out of favor in the ‘real world’.

Stohlman said it is a great opportunity for students to start networking and planning their careers.

“This is the largest gathering of individuals currently in the industry all in one place,” he said.

Stohlman will host The School of Rock from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. He said it is a great time for the station to play classic rock and just have a great time with friends and alumi with some fantastic music.

Stohlman said he plans to stay active in the takeover as long as he is in the area.

“Seeing old friends and alumni come back, enjoy themselves and share with current students (are my favorite parts),” Stolhman said.

He is the program director for the Mountain 101, a new radio station focusing on adult album alternative music. The Mount Pleasant junior said the station currently broadcasts on 101.1 FM, has been on the air for a couple of months and will be officially launched in September.

The new station will be run by WMHW.

“You can really find something that you like on this station,” Patishnock said. “Acoustic, jazz, world, rock, indie, folk — I really tried to make it as diverse as possible.”

The Mountain 101 originally started as an HD station that would require a subscription to listen to.

After HD failed to catch on as they had hoped, Patishnock said they went back to the drawing board to create a local radio station anyone in town can listen to.

The station will feature artists from as far back as the 1970s to more modern musicians such as Coldplay and John Mayer. Patishnock said his goal was to keep a good balance between music that is both new and exciting and old and familiar.

“91.5’s focus is on modern rock, which is more cutting edge and more aggressive,” Patishnock said. “I personally saw the new station as being geared toward a somewhat older crowd and skewing more female.”

Berkley freshman Vince Pettelle said he feels the station is not geared toward college students and the type of music they enjoy. However, he said that if he was in a relaxed mood, he would consider checking out the new station.

“There are no stations like that around here — it’s all rap,” Pettelle said. “It might be cool.”

Mike Hoover, a Grand Rapids junior and station manager, said he hopes to use the station to promote local events and charities.

The Mountain 101 only reaches about a six-mile radius, so it will be a purely Mount Pleasant station.

“We’re really hoping to get a good local pull and following so people can have a way to get news about events around town,” Hoover said.

Once the station is up and running, WMHW will broadcast from two different stations, each with their own sound and song selections, said Dom Fracassa, station manager of WMHW.

The Carsonville junior said the station will be on 101.1 FM.

“This station will be a little more mellow compared to our other station,” he said. “It will appeal to an older, more mature crowd.”

The station will broadcast in a six-mile radius localized in the Mount Pleasant area only, Fracassa said.

School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts Chairman Peter Orlik said the station will not be very big when it is started.

“The signal is a hyper-local service, meaning it’s a very small signal,” he said. “It will not interfere with any other station available in this area.”

Orlik said the license for the translator did not cost anything and became available from a leaving broadcast station. WMHW bought some of the equipment from the departing station to make it easier to begin broadcasting.

The used equipment package cost about $5,000, Orlik said.

“Several commercial HD stations are getting translators to move to regular broadband until more people have HD radios,” he said. “We’re just following what most progressive programs are doing today.”

Broad, diverse play

WMHW broadcasts on broadband radio on 91.5 FM, a modern rock channel, along with two HD channels. HD1 plays the same music from 91.5 FM and the new station, 101.1 FM, will play music from the HD2 channel.

“It’s not a new station, but it’s an existing service that we found a way to get into the regular broadband area,” Orlik said. “Not many people have HD radio in order to hear it.”

Fracassa said 101.1 FM will play music from a Triple-A format known as adult album alternative.

The station will have a broader, diverse play list that appeals to more adults than teenagers.

“We looked at all Mount Pleasant stations and decided which hole needed to be filled and what form hadn’t yet been utilized,” Fracassa said.

Orlik said he does not know when the station will be ready to broadcast. The time it takes will depend upon the schedule of the engineers provided by the Division of Public Broadcasting, he said, though they are planning on getting an antenna sometime next week.

The process and application of transmitting an HD station to a translator for a local broadband station will give broadcasting students a chance to learn a skill that will help them with their future career, Orlik said.

“We are training our students in cutting-edge operations,” he said.

So what does this mean for traditional radio stations?

Broadcasting and Cinematic Arts instructor Jeff Smith said the future of radio will not be much different than it is today.

Smith, who has extensive radio experience at commercial and non-commercial stations, is a huge fan of sites such as Pandora.com, which allow listeners access to free Internet radio and does not see this as a threat to radio stations.

“Technology is good for music,” he said. “What’s good for music should be good for radio.”

Part of the reason radio will not change too drastically, Smith said, is because radio stations offer local information, including weather and news.

“There will always be a market for radio, especially in cars,” he said. “You can’t get local information from Pandora.”

Artists need record companies

Heather Polinsky, broadcast and cinematic arts assistant professor, said although streaming music and personalized radio sites could be the future of radio, there are some things which will stay the same.

One thing that will stay consistent is artists will always need record companies.

“You need to have somebody with a good marketing arm to get your name out,” she said.

Polinsky said radio stations will need to focus more on personality, incorporating things such as interviews with the artists for its listeners rather than offering strictly music like Pandora does.

“Radio can’t just be a music service,” she said. “They need to focus on more than just the music.”

Pandora, founded in 2000, also allows artists to upload and distribute their own music.

Their music can be recommended to people based on musical preference, regardless of whether the artist is signed to a major label.

A bad bill?

This spreading of music does pose problems, however. Web sites such as Pandora pay royalties to artists and many artists believe radio stations should do the same.

This notion prompted a bill awaiting the House floor’s approval that could devastate the radio industry, Smith said.

The Performance Rights Act, a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, would require radio stations to pay an annual gross revenue for playing music and give the money to the artist and their label.

Radio stations across the nation are not happy about the idea of having to pay a fee to play music.

“If this bill passes, you can wave goodbye to radio, as we know it,” Smith said.

Smith doubts the bill will pass. He said radio is likely to stay the same and Internet radio will continue to allow artists get their voices heard.

“More and more people are realizing they don’t need a music studio to distribute music, but it hard for them to get on the radio,” he said. “When was the last time you heard a new independent artist on a Clear Channel radio station?”