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Chapter Eight
“This is Jenny Reed, turning the microphone over to Marlene Burkowitz. Remember to listen tomorrow morning when Johnny King, the newest voice here at KKTM-98.1, turns on L.A. from six ‘til ten a.m.”
Brian had added that last part to all the DJ’s signoff in order to promote Johnny’s arrival. It was one thing to have to be forced to share her show with him, Jenny thought, but to be forced to advertise the fact was cruel and unusual punishment.
Jenny’s professionalism overcame her emotional disgust, as it usually did at times like these, and although she was choking on the words, it sounded as if she was delighted with the new addition to her show. She didn’t have a chance to find out more about the skeletons in the Allen closet, since Marvin had to deal with an electronic emergency during her shift, and Bill North had taken over the engineering duties.
“You read that as if you really meant it,” Bill said into J
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Brian followed Denise into the kitchen where she was tossing some cottage cheese onto a plate.“Denise, you can’t make a major decision like this by yourself. What about the staff? What about the format? How could you just up and sell KKTM out from under me?”“I could and I did. I’m amazed that you should care. I’ve seen the ratings. For the past six months you’ve let things slide. When Father gave you that DJ job, then let you take over as general manager, I thought you’d really do something wonderful with his station. Instead you’ve managed to turn it into a financial disaster.”“Now, Denise. You shouldn’t be worried about all that. You don’t understand the business end of things. I know KKTM has had some problems lately, but with your brother working there now, and the format changes I’m going to propose, things will improve. Just don’t take this away from me. Call that
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Jenny was tired. She sat in Charlotte’s listening to Johnny ramble on about how excited he was to be working at KKTM, all the while checking her watch in a not too subtle way. Fortunately, Johnny was too busy listening to the sound of his own voice to notice. Kathy was going to owe her big for this one.If the radio audience could only hear him now, she thought, I wish this were on air so I could switch stations.“Of course radio is very different in Canada.”“Why did you work in Canada when your father had his own station right here?”“Dad was very well connected in the U.S. and had me blackballed at nearly all the major markets, so I headed up north. I worked at a small radio station in Barrie, moved around Quebec, took up skiing, and raised a little hell. I came back to the States for my sister’s wedding, then hung out till dad died. Since I was cut out of the will, Denise felt sorry for me and offered me the D
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Jenny sat in her office conducting a silent inventory of her surroundings. Her radio license on the wall was proudly displayed next to a photograph of her accepting the Women In Communications Award for Excellence, two years ago. On the opposite wall hung the giant circular clock with that damn red hand ticking off what could very well be the last few seconds of her career at KKTM.On her desk were piles of paper. Fan mail in one, Arbitron ratings in the other. They were her only measure of success. The almighty numbers that were the constant divider between the best and the rest. No matter how many times she read her mail, it was those numbers that kept comparing her value with the hundreds of other disembodied voices in a profession that offered no guarantees and no security.Jenny looked around at her life contained within a windowless five by seven cubicle. There were no pictures of family. There was never enough time for the photographs or the relationships to dev
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KKTM’s conference room was the largest enclosed area in the building. Brian had purposely installed floor-to-ceiling windows to give it an open and airy appearance. To those in attendance on this particular morning, it was a suffocating coffin. Jenny tried to look calm and confident. No one was speaking above a nervous whisper. From whatever pieces of conversation she could overhear, Jenny knew she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t the slightest clue as to what was about to happen when they were introduced to the man who would have the power to change the rest of their lives.As she looked around the room, Jenny figured she had it better than most of her colleagues. Lenny Cutler, the mid-day newsman who was known to borrow money from anyone immediately after payday in order to support a very expensive drug habit. He never used while working, or at least that’s what he told everyone. Brian figured as long as Lenny did his job well, what he did on his own t
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Jenny stopped by her office before beginning her shift and was surprised to find a dozen white roses on her desk. The card read “I know we’ll be great together.” It was signed “Johnny”. She was hoping he was only referring to their show, but from everything she had seen and heard from her new partner, she had her doubts.“Like the roses?” He said when she got to the studio.“They were very nice, thank you.” O.K., I can do this. He’s trying to be nice. Jenny sat in the chair next to Johnny’s waiting for the newsbreak to end. They had about five minutes before she was to introduce him as the “newest, hottest, addition to the KKTM morning team”. If she could get the line out without gagging, she figured the rest of the day would be a breeze.“Roses are a delicate flower,” Johnny whispered to her as he put his hand on her thigh, “the petals fall off so ea
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The next few weeks merged into one large blur. There was no doubt that Johnny’s appearance on the morning show was quickly becoming a radio sensation and Jenny was both pleased and slightly annoyed that the latest Arbitron ratings showed that their show was only slightly behind the number one shock jock’s, and he’d been on the air for over two years.Except for that first day, Johnny had actually begun to show that he could really be a decent radio personality. The ratings certainly reflected as much. Jenny was almost starting to enjoy working with him and she began to relax about their working relationship. That was her first mistake.It was a Thursday, Jenny would recall in saner times. The weather was overcast as California skies can sometimes be. There was slow drizzle, silent but deadly when it hit the freeways causing the usual rush hour traffic to become scattered with broken glass and twisted metal. It was the type of day when all you wanted t
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The restaurant across from the station was almost empty by the time Jenny arrived for her meeting with Tony. She spotted him immediately and was mildly surprised how quickly he had changed his clothes. The thought crossed her mind that the three times she had seen him, he had been dressed in completely different outfits. The gym suit, the jogging suit and now a light gray business suit. Each was well matched and perfectly designed to give him both comfort and appearance for the occasion. She sat across from him and noticed he had only just started on his coffee.“I waited for you before I ordered. I usually don’t drink this much coffee.”Jenny didn’t know if that was a comment on his eating habits, or a remark about her being late. After being on the battlefield earlier, she was a bit sensitive. But he smiled and she relaxed, a little.“Ms. Reed, or can I call you Jenny?”“Jenny is fine, Mr. D’Amico.”
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Red Wine for Breakfast Author's Notes
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Eight
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Seven
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Six
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Five
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Four
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Three
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Two
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-One
