Life was good.
Scratch that—life was great.
Still, I couldn’t help thinking about the mandatory meeting tomorrow.
I was hoping for something good, but then that look on Ben’s face after he had gotten the text from Dan had given me doubts.
There was something he wasn’t telling me.
I could feel it.
I just needed to find out what it was.
Chapter Twenty-Three
LORI
The employees filed into the radio station conference room, some sitting in the chairs that surrounded the enormous table, some standing against the wall, while others sat on the floor. I grabbed the last open seat next to Susan, the woman who hosted the investment program after our show.
The room was filled to capacity since the meeting was for all employees, including everyone in the sales and promotion departments. Even HR and engineering were there.
The mood was serious, somber, many of the employees whispering like they were expecting bad news. I hadn’t heard anything to indicate that it would be bad, but then again I typically left the radio station after I finished the morning show so I never heard any gossip.
Someone whispered that one of the managers was in the hospital.
I sat there quietly, waiting. Clueless.
A few minutes later, Kyle walked into the conference room with Randall, the general manager. Right behind them was a tall man in a gray suit who I assumed must have been Steve.
Randall cleared his throat. “Okay, let’s get started. This won’t be long and I’ll get right to the point. The radio station has been sold.”
I blinked twice.
I wasn’t expecting that.
Everyone sat there in shock.
Then someone said, “We’re screwed.”
Suddenly, I heard sniffling around the room.
Some employees buried their faces in their hands.
People were talking, complaining, and speculating.
It was the worst news possible because the future of every single person in the room was uncertain. Typically when a radio station was sold the new owners changed formats, fired everyone in the house, and started over from scratch. It was very rare that the new radio station would stay exactly the same, as is.
“Just great.” Susan shook her head and covered her face. “I need to update my resume.”
There was a sinking feeling in my stomach, an ache in my chest.
I’m going to lose my job again.
How could that be? I was just starting to enjoy it. The fact that Ben and I had the number one show meant nothing. It was like they took our show and tossed it in the trash with the sale of the radio station.
I glanced over to Ben for a sign, for his reassuring smile, for a glimmer of hope in his eyes that told me everything was going to be okay.
He was chatting in the corner with Dan, both with serious looks on their faces, like someone just died.
Randall held up his hand. “Please, everyone! Let’s not jump to conclusions.” He gestured to the tall man in the gray suit. “Steve will fill you in on what we know thus far, and what will happen moving forward.”
Steve stepped in front of Randall and glanced around the conference room before speaking. “We don’t have much information at this point, which is not what any of you want to hear, because we all know how these things typically end up. Here’s what we know—the radio station has been sold. The buyer is a company called Skymore Media. They’ve gobbled up over thirty radio and television stations across the Midwest and West Coast, just in the last few years. They’re backed by a huge investment group that’s looking to become a dominant player in the broadcast industry. The sale has already been approved by the FCC. The new owners have not yet specified what they’re going to do with the station once everything goes through, but keep in mind that they are under no obligation to do so. That’s why it’s business as usual around here. Keep doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”
“Until you’re all fired,” Susan mumbled, shaking her head.
She may have sounded like a pessimist, but there was a good chance she was right. I had been in radio long enough to know what would happen and what we faced now.
Uncertainty.
Many broadcast companies buy radio stations and then completely switch formats, from classic rock to Spanish, adult contemporary to eighties, talk radio to country music, contemporary hits to hip hop. Anything was possible. Many times companies look for a hole in the market and fill that need. And in most of those instances, they clean house. The people on the air are usually the first to go.
A woman I didn’t know raised her hand. “If we all get the ax, will there be any severance pay to keep us going until we find another job?”
“There are no other jobs,” someone else said.
Steve held up his hand again. “As I said before, I don’t know the full details yet. I do know they’re not just going to kick you out on the street. If there are changes, they will give us plenty of notice and time to pivot. And keep in mind that Skymore Media may keep everything exactly the way it is. They’ve done exactly that with a couple of their other purchases, so the only thing we can do right now is keep our fingers crossed and keep working until we find out.”
Dan raised his hand. “You have no idea of when we’ll find out more info?”
Steve hesitated. “Could be a few days, maybe a week or two. Okay, thank you for coming. We’ll let you know as soon as we know something.”
Susan leaned toward me and shook her head. “Don’t wait. Update your resume. We’re toast.”
“You sound pretty sure.”
“This is the third time I have worked for a radio station that has been sold. I lost my job with the other two, so why would I think this would be any different?” She patted the top of my hand. “Trust me. Start looking for another job. Don’t wait.”
Susan got up from her chair and headed out the door with everyone else.
There was an eerie silence, like the world was about to end.
Ben stopped on the other side of the conference table from me on his way out. “We should talk, but Dan needs me for a couple of minutes. See you in a little bit?”
“Okay.” I nodded and wondered what we were going to do.
Dan trailed right behind Ben, glancing over at me, shaking his head like all hope was lost.
I needed to try to stay positive.
Ben was a smart man and I was sure we could come up with a good plan.
After leaving the conference room, Debbie called out my name from her desk in the lobby.
I walked over and leaned against the reception counter. “I guess you heard the news.”
Debbie nodded. “I usually hear things before most of the people in the building since I’m in charge of the phones. Dan tells me anything I happen to miss.”
Dan?
I thought back to the text that Ben received from Dan yesterday at his house.
I had a feeling at that time that he was hiding something from me.
It made me even more curious about what was in the text message.
Was it possible that Ben knew about the sale of the radio station yesterday?
Debbie frowned. “How are you holding up?”
I shrugged. “I’m doing okay. These things usually don’t end well, but I’m going to stay positive and chat with Ben to see if we can come up with a game plan for the two of us.”