Claws Out at Silvermax Television
A Tale of TV Politics and Payback
“I have a small request, Peter.”
Peter tried to act normal but knew the request would be outrageous. He’d only been at the helm of the Silvermax television network for a few weeks and they were already circling.
“What is that, Ronald?”
Ronald hesitated, “Nothing major, just a poor rating program that needs to be pulled off air, urgently.”
“What program is that, Ronald?” Peter asked.
Ronald paused. He was not used to being questioned.
“Frankly, I don’t like being micro-managed. Max would always let me run my department.”
“I’m not Max. What program do you want to take off air, Ronald?”
After some hesitation Ronald continued, “It’s that stupid Purring with Cats program, it must go.”
Guest on ‘Purring with Cats’ had no clues about the dramas behind the scenes.
Fidgeting, reading and game playing stopped as the department managers closed in on this juicy conversation.
“Why does it need to be taken off air?”
“The ratings are rock bottom. It’s a dumb program, and the presenter looks like a bimbo.”
“Please show me the latest ratings?” Peter inquired.
Ronald sat to attention and put his hands on the table. “This isn’t everyone’s business. We can chat about it later.”
The CEO Speaks his Mind
“Ronald, you don’t tell me what is open for discussion at a management meeting. You brought up the subject in front of everyone, so today in front of everyone we will discuss the future of Purring with Cats, in front of everyone. Could I have the ratings, please?”
“I don’t have the ratings, but I can assure you it’s struggling.”
Deborah, the executive secretary, brought the latest ratings to life on her tablet. “I have the latest ratings, Mr Silver.”
Ronald squirmed in his seat as Deborah passed the tablet to Peter.
Peter flicked the pages back and forth. Then again. Then again.
“Okay, for the past three weeks Purring with Cats has topped the ratings in Silvermax Television’s home-grown programs and that also includes the nightly news. So Ronald, if you believe it should go, then by using that same reasoning we should take news off air.”
Head of news jumped to his feet, “Over my dead body.”
“Has anyone got a gun?” Joe, head of maintenance, joked.
They burst into laughter. Peter told the head of news to sit down, he was talking to Ronald.
“Ok, it’s the presenter. She’s an embarrassment to the network. She is the problem.”
Glenda Is Not Happy
Peter looked over towards the HR Manager.
“Glenda, could you go down to the presenter’s office and ask the Purring with Cats presenter to come to my office? I’ll chat with her after the meeting. I can’t imagine she is that stupid.”
What? Glenda thought. In her mind, she was the one people came to, not the other way around.
Ronald’s sacred territory was being poached on. “This is ridiculous. Max always let me decide things and I always make the right choices.”
“Okay, Ronald, perhaps you should take your complaints to my Uncle Max then. You know which cemetery he rests in. Let me know what he says.”
The team laughed again. Ronald seethed, the fun of the room was like a knife twisting in his side.
“I don’t like being spoken to like this.”
Silence engulfed the room. Many department heads were not sure if they should be angry, humoured or shocked.
The other smiling assassins waited for their turn.
Back in his office, Ronald vented his frustration on his wooden desk, carving deep gouges into its surface. Unbeknownst to him, several of his programs were already on the chopping block, ready for the axe.
And unbeknownst to Peter a dangerous game was beginning.
His blood was about to be spilled.
(This is a short scene from my book “Get Rid of Glenda”. Glenda is the HR Manager at the Silvermax Television Network. Available online though Amazon, Draft to Digital, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble.)
