Sad to hear of the passing of Ted Powers, WDBJ great. He did everything at WDBJ, and I remember him vividly as host of Klassroom Kwiz. He also hosted a unique on-air, pre-internet social media experience called, DIAL-O-GUE. Ted sat on a bare stage beside a telephone table. People would call in to chat with him. Sometimes he would have a guest while other times, it would just be Ted and his telephone. I must say that as a teen, this show was ripe for funning. I was always amazed at how people sounded on the air and how silly their questions often were. Quite often, Ted would have to fill dead air due to a lack of calls. He never seemed to run out of stories. He was like the Joe Theisman of the genre. Then there was the night Ill never forget. It was an open topic night. Ted sat beside his phone pleading for calls. He was desperate. Finally, Line 1 lit up. Ted punched the button, and the caller was on the air live!... [In a deeply SWVA accent...] T-A-A-I-I-D-D... I blanked [edited] you momma last night. Ted blushed and immediately punched the button closing the call. He apologized, but said that with LIVE TV, things like this sometimes happened. Then Line One lit up again. Ted punched the button... T-A-A-I-I-D-D... I blanked your [click]. Ted hung up and again apologized. He went on with the show. 20 minutes of the 30 minute show were left and no calls were coming in. It was like Ted was about ready to tap-dance in front of the camera. Finally the line lit up. Ted punched the button... T-A-A-I-I-D-D, I blanked your mother last night. Somehow the loon got it all out again before Fingers severed the line. Of course, as an immature teen, I was howling. As an immature older person, I still smile when I think of that show.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 23:54:37 +0000