`games Are Over,' Homicide Suspect Told Victim 
Co-workers Testify That 
Harry Butry Jr., On Trial In 
The Shooting Death Of His 
Estranged Girlfriend, Made 
Ominous Comments About Her 
And Their Two Children Prior

Allentown Man To Head Area Bank

By CHRIS SCHNEIDMILLER; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Friday, January 16, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE- Fred Williams let his callers do the talking Thursday about
District Attorney Peter Paul Olszewski Jr.'s lawsuit against the radio talk
show host. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Williams' entire WILK morning program was dedicated to discussing the
multi-million dollar defamation suit, filed a day earlier in Luzerne County
court. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For more than two hours, Williams encouraged callers to say whether they
support him or Olszewski, tallying the calls as they came in. But Williams,
whose truthfulness and accuracy are at issue in the lawsuit, overlooked at
least one critical call. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Early on in the survey, he heard from a man who said he was glad that
Williams was sued and hoped the lawsuit hit him where it hurt: in the
pocketbook. Soon afterward, Williams reminded listeners he was keeping a tally
and, so far, his support had been unanimous. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Later, Williams did announce some calls had not gone his way. The final
tally in Williams' world: 83 for Fred, 10 against. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Freddie, we're 100 percent behind you because you speak the truth and
you're a good guy," said a caller who identified himself as Patrick from
Jessup. Many others pledged their "100 percent support" for Williams and
promised to be there for him financially. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The host limited his participation mostly to asking several callers whether
they thought the lawsuit will damage Olszewski's political future. "It would
be very inappropriate for me or management to make a comment on a document we
have not received," Williams said, reading a prepared statement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The lawsuit was delivered to Williams, while on the air, at about 10:30
a.m. Thursday. But he later declined to comment on it, saying he had not
reviewed the document. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Listeners took it upon themselves to thrash Olszewski. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't think he's going to find a jury he can sell this to and I don't
think the electorate's going to buy it either," said Tom from Swoyersville. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Others described Olszewski in harsh terms, including calling him a whiner
and a "weasel." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 James Beasley, the Philadelphia attorney representing Olszewski, said he is
not surprised most callers supported the host. "That shows you how big the lie
is. The lie can get around the world twice before the truth gets halfway." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Olszewski is suing Williams, whose real name is Frederick Vopper, along
with WILK radio, station general manager Gerald Getz and several divisions of
Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., which owns the station. He claims Williams has
broadcast repeated falsehoods that damaged his reputation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A minority of callers sided with the district attorney. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Your show is fine if it would deal with truth. But you don't deal with
truth. You don't investigate," Cindy from Wilkes-Barre told Williams. "You
just rip and tear and bash and you never admit you're wrong." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At least three callers took Williams to t

Listeners Lending Williams Support 
One Day After Getting Hit 
With A Defamation Lawsuit, 
Radio Talk Show Host Fred 
Williams Fields Calls From 
Fans Pledging Financial Backing

Listeners Lending Williams Support One Day After Getting Hit With A Defamation Lawsuit, Radio Talk Show Host Fred Williams Fields Calls From Fans Pledging Financial Backing