"We're losing subscribers." John Martin looked around as he tossed some printouts on the conference table, "I mean faster than we've been in the last few years. Urban Scrawl once was in every other household in the city, now..." He looked around at his top men. Ted Roberts, his Managing Editor looked more worried than thoughtful, Mike Alford, the Editor-in-Chief studied the numbers, and only Steve Gerard, the Creative Editor looked thoughtful. "Ideas? Look, at this point, we are either going to have to fold, go digital...or come up with something that grabs our readers."
Ted looked up, "Maybe we have to get with the times. Perhaps digital is the way to go." He looked at the man next to him, "Mike and I discussed this yesterday, we've got great writers but people just aren't into print anymore."
Mike nodded and looked around, "It's inevitable. Look at all the overhead we have that the bloggers don't."
John looked at Steve, "You don't agree. I see it in your face."
Steve looked thoughtful, "I beg to differ. How many of you still have your old National Geographics; Life Magazines covering important events...you know what I mean. Print is lasting. I know people say once it's online it never goes away, but good luck finding it. Every minute, another million blogs, articles, and uploads are dumped out there." He looked at John, "I have a thought about option three. Let's give the community something they want."
"We give them what they want. We cover local news better than anyone. We recap the week like no newspaper can; provide in-depth reporting on issues concerning the city. We can do that digitally." Mike said.
Steve reached into his bag, "Look at this." He tossed a copy of Cosmo out on the table.
"Seriously? Dating advice? How to lose 20 pounds in 20 days? Are your breasts making the right statement?" Ted sputtered.
"No," Steve tapped the article at the bottom, "How to Tell if your Man is Cheating on You." He stared at the men around the table, "Look, there's a ton of articles like that, what if we write about how does it feel when your man or woman cheats on you? How to deal with it. Let's get real-life examples. What exposed the infidelities, the signs...Hell, the pain in dealing with it. Did they divorce? Work it out? Let's go out and find people affected by this."
Mike grinned, "Shit. We don't have to go anywhere." He looked around the table, "Anyone here not have their wife cheat? No? How about all the guys out there writing?" He laughed, "We can gather stories right here."
"No." John interjected, "It's a great idea, but relating how people dealt with it...that's not enough. Let's look at it from the other perspective. Has anyone documented a great marriage before the cheating? Then tracked all the events that led to the infidelities? I want a weekly column documenting a spouse falling into temptation. I want readers needing to see the obvious, even if the writer doesn't. Remember that coffee commercial a while back that made people want to watch the sequel ads to see where it was going? I want people to rush to the mailboxes and the newsstands when the Scrawl comes out."
"Who the hell do we have that hasn't been through this?" Ted looked out the door, "All our main writers are divorced or on their second wives."
"Mike, who's that new kid you hired that's doing copywriting?" John asked. "The one who looks like a high school intern. His wife is the perfect girl next door if the picture on his desk is accurate."
"New kid? Oh, Billy Walker. He's not exactly new. We hired him a couple of years back. You want him to write the articles?" Mike looked around the table, "Why would he agree to that?"
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Billy sat down at the table looking nervous, He assumed he was here to be let go. He could see the numbers, he heard the talk. All he ever wanted to do was be a journalist, but he never thought he'd be let go like this. Perhaps he'd be called into Mike's office but by all the Editors?
Mike looked at the young man. "Water? Coffee? We have an offer for you." He looked at John, "Relax, you're doing a great job. I think you're going to get to do what we hired you to do. You're a terrific talent and have paid your dues." Mike looked at his colleagues and back at Billy, "We're known for reporting on the mainstream issues affecting all of us, but perhaps we've gotten a bit out of touch. So we were talking and we need a youthful perspective in The Scrawl, it would mean your own weekly article and byline. Hopefully, you're up to it."
John got up and grabbed the pitcher of water and carried it over and while pouring a glass, he smiled, "Look, if this is not something you think you can handle, your job is secure. But, it would entail putting yourself out there, on the other hand, you and your wife should find it entertaining." He sat back down "I have to ask you a fairly personal question though. How is your relationship with your wife?" He looked around the table and glanced out towards the news floor, "I'm asking because I think this job stresses marriages a lot more than normal. Perhaps it's the hours, or just that we journalists are pretty much assholes." He laughed.
Billy looked surprised at the question, "We're fine. I mean, we're still, you know..." He blushed furiously, "We've just been married three years, so everything is great. Why? I never thought this would factor into writing articles."
Steve laughed, "Christ, he's perfect. Do you have a picture of your wife? I know it's a strange question, but when you hear the assignment, it will make sense."
Billy pulled out his phone and swiped through pictures and handed the phone over to the Creative Director.
Steve whistled, "Nice. I mean, she's very pretty." He admired the long straight, reddish blonde hair, slim figure, peaches, and cream complexion. He swiped over and felt his stomach flip, seeing the girl in the tiny red bikini. The sun was from the side and her nipples must be poking out a half-inch. He handed the phone to Ted with a wink.
Billy felt like he stepped into a strange new world seeing the men admiring his wife. He wondered where this was going to go, but drank some water to help calm his nerves. When he got his phone back, he saw they'd swiped over and looked at the pictures he'd taken in Maui. He looked up, "OK, you really have to tell me what the assignment is."
"Billy, we want you and your wife to go out on dates, at our expense. Basically, we want you to review the night spots out there for you young people. You'll get a corporate card, obviously without our logo on it. We'll need receipts, but we want you to enjoy yourselves, then write about it." Ted looked intently at the boy, "Here's the tough part. You'll need to talk to your wife, what's her name?"
"Jennifer. Talk to her about what?"
"Well, here's what you're going to write about weekly. You and Jennifer will be hitting all the hot spots in town."
"Meat markets," John interjected.
"Yes," Ted continued, "The meat markets. We want you to write about how each of these places makes it hard or easy for married couples to go out and simply dance or have a few drinks. We want you to go out and see how badly your wife is hit on." Seeing the look on the boy's face, he continued, "Of course, you'll be jumping in and stopping these guys, but here's the thing. You are obviously a married couple. Flash your rings, do everything like you always do, but you'll need to get up periodically to interview the manager, perhaps the bartender...you know, leave an opening for the men to hit on your wife."
Billy sat back in his seat, "I'm not sure she'd go along with that. Hell, as much as I'd like to get off the Copywrite desk, I'm not sure how I'd react seeing men hitting on Jennifer." He looked at the three men.
"OK, that's fine. If this is not for you, I can understand." John looked at the two other men, "Before you decide, ask around. Every journalist here has had to make personal sacrifices to pursue the craft. We're not asking you to have Jennifer sleep with anyone, we just want you to review and rate all these places as 'Couples Friendly' or not. You can come up with your own rating system, but wouldn't this be helpful to every married couple in the city? Hell, perhaps there are married couples who want to go to the not so 'Couples Friendly' places if you know what I mean. Think about it. How many articles have you seen covering the 'Singles Scene?' You're not dead just because you're married. You want to go out, dance, drink and enjoy yourselves without worrying about guys stealing your wife away. This series will be a guide for couples like you who are looking for a safe evening out."
Ted jumped in, "You'll be reviewing the place. You'll need to interview the people working there to get an idea of what they think. This would require you to leave Jennifer alone, so just a warning. This allows you to see how fast the sharks move in. If you accept this assignment, you must let it happen, or else how would you know?"
Billy shifted in his seat, "You want me you leave her alone so guys can hit on her? Let them buy her drinks?"
"Yes, but just while you interview the staff. I mean, you need to be really subtle about this. You'll not be poking a microphone in their faces, you'll have to take notes later. Of course, Jennifer will be left alone. It makes no sense to drag her along while you do your job. She'll be fine unless you don't trust her." Steve added. "I have to be honest. If you in any way suspect Jennifer might, well, you know, be open to these opportunities, this just won't work. OK, OK. I get it." He said seeing Billy's expression. "That's great. Um, though the whole assessment depends on Jennifer looking hot. Perhaps not like that beach shot, but the school marm look might not really be a valid test."
John stood up. "Don't make a decision now. Talk to Jennifer. Tell her you're writing about married couples hitting the hot spots, but she can't be aware you're intentionally leaving her alone while you go off to interview the staff. Oh, by the way, this would double your salary if you accept and you'll be able to mostly work from home." He winked at Billy, "I'm guessing being home after going out might have side benefits."
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