Remember, Everything Will Be Alright

V

6 August 2019

"Daniel," Maxwell Robinson said as he closed his office door behind himself, "how's life?"

Dan chuckled as he and Max both took a seat on opposite sides of Max's desk. "It's been eventful, to say the least."

"Well, I would think so with the wedding and all. How are things with the husband?"

"He's been amazing, as usual," Dan said. "I still have most of my hair."

Max chuckled. "So, what would you like to talk about today?"

"God, where do I start? One thing I learned once I became an adult was that I could be so much happier if I spoke up when things could be better, so I kinda wanted to run some ideas by you if that's alright."

Max leaned against his desk, now sporting a scowl. "Sure, you can. Is there something you're unhappy with?"

Dan shook his head. "It's not that I'm unhappy. There are just some changes that can be made for the benefit of myself and the EEN."

"I'm all ears."

"Right," Dan said, "as you know, a few months ago, Brian Molko started his talk show, and from what I hear, it's a success. How he is able to reach so many people when he sits down and talks about his life: past addictions, sexuality, fame, children. It's what I feel like I need to be doing, and I finally feel like I have a large enough following to do so. As it stands, I just don't have the right platform to do it. I'm proposing that instead of hosting four hours of music, I host an hour-long show that would consist of stories and interviews. I would talk about my life, mental health, and relationships."

Max nodded, removing his hand from under his chin where it had rested as Dan spoke. "I like the idea. From what I've learned about you, you live an interesting life, and I'm sure you've got plenty of stories to tell. You've definitely got an audience that will listen. Just the other day, we had to press charges against someone who has hacked into our broadcasting server every night, from the U.S. , to steal your broadcast. There's only one reason people in America want to tune into a British radio station to hear the same songs they can hear locally. They do it because they love you."

Dan smiled, knowing that there was a "but" coming soon.

"But your show would cause a conflict."

"How so?"

"What you've described to me is Brian's show. If I allow you a show too, there would be too much overlap, and we want to cater to a diverse audience. I was at a meeting the other day with your husband, and he and his analyst friends told me that the alternative station's demographics are skewed towards males, ages 25-35. I definitely think we need to appeal to the teenage demographic. Those kids that we need just don't listen to the radio, but they do go online: Twitter, Youtube, Instagram. Instead of a radio show, what if I offered you an online podcast? We can have you sit down at a microphone, and we'll build you a set in your own room. We can even film it and post the footage online. How does that sound?"

"It sounds great!" Dan said.

"And one other thing. There's no doubt that the visual of you alone will attract the audience we're looking for, but the content of what you're saying has to keep their attention as well. Your sense of humor is authentic, and people really love that. Obviously, there will be topics that deserve composure, but I'm sure you can infuse that humor into your stories." Max's face turned up in epiphany. "How do you feel about having a co-host?" he asked.

"I wouldn't mind a co-host," Dan said, "but ideally, I wouldn't want to get vulnerable with someone I didn't have chemistry with."

Max nodded. "I've got someone in mind who I think will pair very nicely with you." He reached for his phone across the desk and dialed his secretary's extension. "Yes, this is Robinson. Can you send Dominic Harrison to my office? Thank you."