Alabama broadcaster not stopped by lack of sight

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’”
   
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in his life.”
   
John 9:1-3 speaks volumes to Ken Osbourn, who relies on his voice for work.
   
Most Sundays you can find Osbourn singing with the choir and playing the drums in the praise band. His passion for drums developed at an early age, and now he keeps a drum set in his home. The only difference between Osbourn and the choir and the other praise team members is that Osbourn is blind.
   
Cedar Grove Baptist Church members are used to someone leading Osbourn onto the stage and helping him find his way to his drums. He and his wife, Charlotte, have been members of the Leeds church for a few years.
  
Osbourn, who has been blind since birth, may not be recognized as a television or radio personality, but many people around the world have heard his voice.
   
Recently, he has started doing some voice work for Rick and Bubba on WYSF Soft Rock 94.5 as well as for WBRC Fox 6 out of a recording studio built in his home. He has also been working with a New York studio for some book commercials which air in Birmingham on WODL Oldies 106.9, as well as around the country. Computer Discount Warehouse advertisements also feature his voice.
Lifelong dream
   
You can also hear his voice on the Weather Channel’s “Atmosphere,” which airs Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The Atlanta Thrashers hockey team features his voice in advertisements, too.
   
Since Osbourn was a child, he knew broadcasting was what he wanted to do with his life.
   
After graduating from Alabama School for the Blind, Osbourn pursued his broadcasting dream at Gadsden State Junior College. But he soon realized finding a job would not be easy. People heard his voice and liked what they heard, but the job offers ultimately disappeared when they realized Osbourn was blind.
   
Recalling a conversation with the manager of a Gadsden radio station, Osbourn said the manager spent 45 minutes telling him why he would never make it as a broadcaster.
   
“He was brutally honest,” Osbourn said.
   
It was the curiosity of a manager of a radio station in Butler that led to Osbourn’s first job in October 1974 with WPRN.
   
Although he believed he had been saved as a youngster, Osbourn said he did not really become a Christian until 1973, during a sermon by his father-in-law.
   
“Unfortunately, it was a long time before I allowed God to be Lord of my life,” said Osbourn, describing his decision in 1973 as a “fire insurance policy.”
   
While in Butler, Osbourn caught rides to work with police officers.
   
“There were no cab services or public transportation, and we would sometimes have to go on calls with them if an emergency arose,” Osbourn said.
   
He moved to a radio station in Talladega in 1978. The city had cabs and Osbourn played the drivers’ favorite songs to ensure good service. He remained there until 1984, when he began to pursue more freelance opportunities, which he had been doing in his spare time while working at the station.
   
One of the things Osbourn said he misses most is doing the commentary for football games. He said the job involved a lot of concentration since he couldn’t see what was happening on the field.
   
He hesitated to leave the radio business because of the security, noting that his freelance jobs started as a way to make extra money.
   
He has since formed his own production company and has built a studio in his basement. He hopes the in-home studio, which was finished in December, will allow him to work at home more.
   
Osbourn is also involved with producing press materials for the School for the Blind, where he met Charlotte. He said they didn’t like each other when they first met, but eventually found they were meant to be together and married in 1972.
   
Osbourn works a lot with the Encore network, as well as doing spots for the Cartoon Network in Latin America and Asia.
   
Each week, Missy Lawrence, Osbourn’s assistant, drives him to Boutwell Studios in Homewood to record spots for the Encore and Mystery channels.
   
Lawrence reads Osbourn the faxed scripts, while Osbourn types the information on his Braille machine. He uses the Braille copy in the studio so he can review his lines and talk to producers about the wording and inflection.
   
Osbourn said he likes to share the testimony God has given him.
   
When he visits churches or groups, he usually shares John 9:3 to reveal how God still does miracles. Jesus healed many with disabilities while He was on earth.
   
In Jesus’ day, Osbourn said, the blind were separated from society, but now computer technology and other advancements have allowed the blind to integrate into society and the workplace.
   
“Blind people have gone from beggars on the street to brokers on Wall Street,” he said.