News-One Sold

By D. E. Harrison

A large corporation just bought the News-One paper and all its TV and radio stations. He has the reputation of turning a profit by cutting to the bone. The owner in his first meeting sets aside the top ten senior people and the foxy TV anchor.
It will be a complete make over. He cancelled their most profitable clothing ad because it is offensive. He is running a score card on the weather and sports people. Miss the forecasts by too far and you will go home for a day with no pay.
He uses talent where ever he can find it in the company. Victoria is selling classified ads. Her suggestions go up the line. Her boss sees some good in it. Besides, right now volume is more important than quality. It shows they are trying.
Victoria is given an office on the 23td floor. She must learn where to sit in a meeting and whose meeting it is.
Mabel runs the delivery system for the newspapers. Some say she was an army sergeant before they let women in the army.
Glen from the OB (obituaries) is now a reporter?
Can the company turn a profit with an ex-sergeant, an ad seller, and an OB writer?

• Language: English
• Publisher: D. E. Harrison
• Release date: Dec 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463907733

D. E. Harrison

I am trained as a theoretical mathematician. I am an emeritus member of the American Mathematical Society for fifty odd years. I have lived in Seattle since 1967. I starting writing fiction after writing a family history.

Book preview

News-One Sold

By D. E. Harrison

Copyright 2002 by D. E. Harrison

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Meeting

Chapter 2 The Two Envelopes

Chapter 3 Score Cards for Weather Forecasts, Plans to Change the Reporting

Chapter 4 Section by Section Plans and Changes

Chapter 5 Some Ideas Start to Come Up from the Younger Staff

Chapter 6 Victoria Meets the Big Boss

Chapter 7 The Canteen and Finance

Chapter 8 A Week of the New Boss

Chapter 9 Distribution

Chapter 10 Victoria is Moving Ahead

Chapter 11 Local News and the Fire Department

Chapter 12 Eight Weeks After the Change Over

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Chapter 1 The Meeting

A conference is starting in a large media corporation whose headquarters are in a western city. The weather is starting to turn the maple trees in the high hills around the city a bright red. The nights are still pleasant, with a light jacket. Some are feeling of an early winter. The day light hours are the best anyone will ever experience, the only trouble being they are few and far between.

The executive conference room will hold 50 people but today there are just 12. The room is entirely in walnut. From the huge carved doors to the smallest detail, it is all wood and hand crafted. Each piece of furniture has been hand worked from the raw planks of thick rich walnut. The conference table could not be built now out of any of the available single planks of lumber. There are no trees that large left anywhere that are not in a protected park of some kind.

Even Presidents have sat at this table with untold Governors and Senators. The famous and infamous have all had their time on the huge printing presses in the basement of the building.

The time is 9:00 am. The new owner of the corporation which includes several large newspapers, network TV stations, including the local station and several large radio stations stands at the head of the table with his back to those huge walnut doors. He is looking out the huge bay window at the far distant color spotted mountains.

The room has been quiet since the other 10 people started to enter; usually one at a time, but several did enter together. There is an occasional nod between people and a whisper from two adjoining chair, as they sit down. Other than that, the room is dead silent. He turns and faces the 10 people seated at the huge table. The 11th person is sitting at his right side.

"Good morning, I am Jack Montrell, the new owner of the News-One Corporation. You all know I bought it either by the e-mails that went out or from all your other sources. This organization will be taking on a different approach to the gathering and reporting of the news. This different approach is starting today.

Most of you have been in the business a good number of years. Some of you have been here a good length of time. Be that as it may, you were all given two envelopes when you entered the meeting today and you were asked to wait to open them. There is still no need for you to open them at this time. That will come later in a few minutes. I will tell you what is in them and you can read them yourself later."

Everyone has been playing with the two envelopes except several of the more senior staff, such as the two bureau chiefs and the two columnists.

He continues. In the new philosophy of this organization you 10 people do not fit in. It has nothing with how hard you work or the time you spend at your desk. Your ideas of what is worth reporting or your own personal views appear too many of our reader/customers to be the only news happening in the world. I am here to tell you, that mode of operation at this News organization is over. I know a few of you have syndicated columns and what I am doing today has no bearing on them.

He points at the two envelopes, "The one envelope marked ‘yes’ contains a document that will put you on a three-month furlough with full pay and benefits. But there are two conditions on this agreement. First, you must sign the agreement and second you will have no business contact with any current employee of this organization. If you do, this agreement is cancelled, and you are terminated from employment. This in no way is meant to control your social life in anyway. You just must refrain from any business discussions or activities as it relates to this organization.

The second envelope marked ‘no’ contains a form that you will sign saying you do not wish to take the offer of a 3-month furlough with pay. In the envelope is also your severance check. It contains all the obligations this organization has to you.

He looks over those in the room, "You have this room until 4:30 this afternoon to decide which option you wish to take. You will have all your personal items removed from the building before 5 pm today. Mrs. Jones will arrange a taxi ride anywhere you wish to go at company expense when you leave the building. Security will assist, if you request help to remove all your personal items from this building.

You may use the executive bathroom attached to this conference room and remain as long as you like. If need be Mrs. Jones will order lunch for those remaining and it will be served in this room. Once you leave this room, you will have a signed the agreement for three months or a rejection sheet and received your severance pay.

Jack turns to the person sitting