In the small, northern community of Brissle Bay, they loved their radio station.
The community -- a population that had never been over 10,000 people, but now sat around 6,000 - tuned in religiously to Gem 95.7, affectionately named for the diamond mining industry nearby, along with other mineral deposits in the region.
The residents had been through it all with this radio station, with every new person "not being the same as so-and-so," to the heartbreak they felt when they eventually left for a bigger market.
The station manager, Phil Weight, often wore a tacky suit in the office, but never left the house without some form of station gear on after hours. He loved the attention he got when people spotted his old Gem radio letterman jacket he's had since he started in the 1990s, complete with the neon-coloured radio logo on the back. Long-outdated, but still unmistakable.
Then, there were the sales department, a team of two men in their mid-30s, but they rarely acted like it. Chad Stevens and Ben Patrick were both blindly full of themselves, believing they were indeed the best salesmen in the world, even though everyone else at the station knew full-well this station sold itself to the local businesses and chains effortlessly.
For on-air, things weren't what they used to be. Just three people were live at Gem these days, including long-time news man Wayne Weathers, who had been in Brissle Bay for decades, coming to the end of a media career that had spanned even longer. At his peak, he was reading national news in "the big city," but wanted to settle down, at least that's what he let people believe. He had an incredible voice, but getting a word out of him off the air was near impossible. He kept to himself in the newsroom, and rarely made an appearance in public. Instead, he spent most of his time with his wife, Peggy, who owned a restaurant in town.
The morning personality was Chester Martinson, but went by his on-air personality of Chezz most of the time. He began his career at Gem, and immediately promised himself he'd move on in less than a year. Five years later, he was the morning voice most of Brissle Bay woke up to and heard on their way to work. He had fallen in love with the town.
Then, there was Kierstyn Pardi, the newest addition to the Gem team. A young-fresh-faced 20-year-old that had finished radio school five months earlier, and took the first job that she could, which landed her in Brissle Bay. She had a sweet, innocent voice, but was extremely shy. She also had an incredible body that she often had to hide at work, as a normal-looking dress or outfit with leggings would have caused Ben and Chad to spend all day in her studio bothering her. Her beautiful tanned skin came from a mix of Italian and First Nations roots, and her brown eyes were near-hypnotic.
The radio station also aired syndicated content throughout the day and weekend, which isn't out of the norm for most radio stations. Mid-days and evenings were handled elsewhere, but with Chezz on mornings, Kierstyn on afternoons, and Wayne on morning news, Gem's on-air team appeared to be set for a number of years.
That was, until it wasn't.
===
The radio station, for many years, had been locally owned. It was a small fish in a small pond, and while every now and again it was looked at by big media players, offers were always turned down.
Rumours were beginning to circulate again of another media player coming to take a look at Gem to see if the radio station would be for sale. It worried Kierstyn, who maybe thought she would have been replaced if another company swooped in.
That was until Chezz reassured her. "It's just talk," he dismissed. "There's been a few of these since I started here, and I can't imagine how many Wayne has seen since he started. Not that he'd ever tell us." He smirked.
Keirstyn laughed. She found Chezz to be incredibly nice, and if they didn't work together, she totally would have asked him out. His stubbled face, brown hair and soft blue eyes made Kierstyn swallow hard before she began a reply.
That was until Chad and Ben plowed into the studio unannounced, and uninvited.
"What's up, airheads?" Ben obnoxiously bellowed. "Got some new sponsor reads for you, because we're
awesome!"
He sang out, playing air guitar.
What an idiot,
Kierstyn thought.
"Better get those in the file, because some of them start this afternoon." Chad set them on the desk, getting a little too close to Kierstyn as he slid them to her. "You don't mind if I slide that right in, do you?" He grinned.
Kierstyn cringed at his cigarette-stained teeth and greasy orange hair. "Thanks," she muttered, taking the paper copy from him and turning away to place it in the hourly file.
"You boys have literally anything better to do?" Chezz asked. "We were in our show meeting."
"Oh, this is fun! Can we play?" Ben teased before pretending to hit the microphone button and covering his one ear. "It's Gem 95, where we play all the best music. Here's another Billie Eilish song that sucks, on Gem 95."
Ben and Chad laughed to each other while Chezz and Kierstyn rolled their eyes at each other.
"Whatever, airheads. We got more commercials to sell, because we're
awesome!"
Chad equally-obnoxiously sang out. "See ya when we see ya!"
As they slammed the studio door closed, Kierstyn turned to the computer screens in front of her. Her show started in an hour, but Chezz, who was normally long-gone by now, was still there.
"Well, before we were rudely interrupted by Dumb and Dumber," Chezz spatted, causing a giggle from Kierstyn. "I was going to ask you if you had gotten out and explored Brissle Bay at all."
Kierstyn shook her head slowly. "I've been busy settling in, so I haven't had a chance to really walk around."
"Would you have time on Saturday? I'd love to show you around if you have time." Chezz's offer seemed sincere. Kierstyn didn't know whether he was asking her out or not. "We can take the station vehicle to drive around as well. I'm not sure anyone would mind, and Phil would probably love the visibility."
Kierstyn smiled. "Sure! I'd love that! I'll meet you here at around 1:00 in the afternoon?"
As Chezz backed towards the door, he smiled. "It's a date," he smirked as he left the room.
Kierstyn gulped heavily before planting her face into her hands.
===
On top of being obnoxious clowns at work, Ben and Chad also lived together. Their shared radio sales salary, with commission, allowed them to afford a nicer three-bedroom apartment in downtown, about a 10-minute walk to work. Not that they ever walked, one of them always drove.
Wayne, on the other hand, lived in a beautiful old house in the older part of town. His wife, Peggy, inherited the house from her family.
Chezz had lived in the same bachelor pad for the last three years. It was small, but comfortable. It was in the bottom floor of a newer apartment, and rent was reasonable.
Kierstyn, on the other hand, struggled from the get-go with her accommodations. It's well-known that media - small-town radio in particular - does not pay tremendously well. The first place Kierstyn lived in looked amazing in the photos, but when she arrived, looked like the setting of a horror movie, complete with blood on the walls. Thankfully, her landlord-to-be was understanding, so she broke the lease before moving in. She searched for an apartment for several weeks, spending many nights in a hotel supplied by the radio station, before settling on renting a basement suite in someone's house.
With the living situation the way it was, most of her salary went to rent. The rest was spent on groceries, and the odd online order of makeup. She told herself this was going to be the best way for her to learn how to budget on her own.
