Riki picked up the remote and changed the channel to the Yankees game.
“Here, this seems like it’s more up your alley.”
Gus leaned back into the pillow and stared up at the game. The Yankees were winning in the bottom of the eighth. “You’re a sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 15
Monday, June 5, 2017
THE CONFERENCE ROOM WAS FULL BY NINE O’CLOCK ON MONDAYmorning. Steam spiraled from ceramic mugs resting in front of each of the twenty-two people seated around the table, filling the air with the smell of hazelnut. Morning sunlight spilled through the forty-fourth-floor windows and shone off the mahogany. Graham Cromwell brought the meeting to order. He talked about the coming weeks of programming.
“Luke has two specials planned for this summer. The first will begin next month, covering the history of the White House. We’ve confirmed the president’s participation with one prerecorded interview, as well as a personal walk-through of the Oval Office. This, obviously, is a huge honor and speaks to Luke’s influence.”
“It’s not just the current president, Graham. Over the weekend, my producer confirmed that the previous two presidents have also agreed to participate in the special. We’ll interview them at their private residences. I’m off to Texas later in the week to conduct the first interview.” Luke smiled. “I mean, why stop at one if they’re all on board?”
“Really?” Graham said. “How did you pull that off?”
“It’s amazing,” Luke said as he glanced quickly at Sidney. “I hired a producer that actually gets his calls returned. . . .”
Graham nodded. There was little doubt the network had a solid star in Luke Barrington. He had been at the top of the prime-time ratings for more than a decade, and this summer’s Fourth of July special with exclusive access to the White House was sure to keep him there. As pompous and demanding as Luke could be to his staff and producers, Graham knew he was hands-on with this White House project. Graham had seen the content summary of the proposed special. Along with the White House tour—staged currently to show viewers the president’s first-person journey and morning routine, from waking in the East Wing to sitting in the Oval Office—Luke had a fascinating history of the White House planned, showcasing secret tunnels, safe rooms, and vaults. It was sure to draw a large audience. And now, with interviews confirmed with two former presidents, it was sure to be a ratings giant.
“Impressive. We’re all looking forward to it,” Graham said. “Marketing and promotion have already started and will pick up this month. The four-episode special,Inside the White House,is due to premiere just ahead of the Fourth of July. Anything else to add?”
Luke smiled and looked around the conference table. “Tune in.”
“Okay,” Graham said. “OntoThe Girl of Sugar Beach.Episode one aired this past Friday and drew one-point-two million viewers. Excellent start, Sidney. America is still interested in Grace Sebold.”
“Are we classifying this as an excellent start?” the Bear asked. “My evening news program pulls in eight million viewers each night, and she didn’t even retain a quarter of my audience. I was her lead-in because we thought my viewers would make the jump.”
“We knew there would be falloff,” Graham said. “The demographics of the two programs don’t match perfectly, so we may rethink the timing.”
“Old people watch your show,” Sidney said. “We’re working to generate a larger audience in the eighteen-to–forty-four demographic.”
“I’d suggest you work harder then,” Luke said. He looked back to Graham. “And she’s not finished with the investigation . . . so will the million viewers she managed still be interested at the end?”
“My investigation is ongoing, which is why it’s called a real-time documentary, Luke. The excitement comes from discovering things as you go along. Since it’s not scripted and you can’t read it off a teleprompter, I don’t expect you to fully grasp the concept.”
This brought a few chuckles.
“We don’t have a lot of history to go on, since this is a new format,” Graham said. “But what history we have from other programs tells us that viewers enjoy this type of journalism, since they learn about new findings at the same time, or close to it, as the program itself.”
“What if, God forbid, no new findings are discovered?” Luke asked in an overly dramatic tone.
“We have faith that Sidney knows what she’s doing.”
“Maybe so,” Luke said. “But a million viewers for the debut?”
“They’re summer numbers. The comps are not against the most-watched prime-time dramas from spring. Comps are from this time slot last June, andThe Girl of Sugar Beachdid well. The network has backed this project, Luke. It’s a new concept for us, and we’re all pleased with the opening numbers.”
Luke shrugged. “It’s safe to say that you can only go up.”
“Luke, what’s the problem? You’re being a bit of an ass, frankly,” Graham said.
“She left my show for this pet project. She carries at least an air of my reputation with her.” The Bear looked at Sidney. “So excuse me if I’m concerned about your ratings. Someone around here has to be.”
Sidney offered him an ugly smile. “Thanks, Luke. Your concern is touching.”
* * *
