Sophie's Playboy Read Online Free
Author: Natalie J. Damschroder
remember..." She paused by the door. "Everything's negotiable."
It didn't take Sophie long to decide. She read the contract, noted changes she wanted, and held an imaginary conversation with Kira.
"Go for it!" her phantom sister said.
"But what about Chuck and Dave? I owe them."
"They've gotten what they paid for, Sophie. You don't owe them anything more than two weeks notice."
"I wanted something to change. Now that I'm getting it, I'm not sure I want it."
Sophie didn't need her sister to sort that one out.
Everyone preferred safe harbor to unknown seas in some 23
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
regard. But when she compared her current empty existence to the rush she felt on the air, she knew the decision had already been made.
She and her lawyer attended another meeting at the station and got most of what she wanted. They wouldn't budge on the cancellation clause. She couldn't leave without penalty until the end of the contract in two years, but they could terminate her with no notice at any time. Sophie fought, to no avail.
"This is standard in every single contract," one of the station attorneys told her. "If ratings drop, we lose advertisers. We lose advertisers, we lose revenue. We lose revenue, we have to start laying off. Having you quit can cause as much damage as leaving you on the air when the show just doesn't work. This is a deal-breaker."
Sophie signed the contract.
She gave notice to MMT the next day. They begged and pleaded and offered a raise equal to the pay cut she was taking by going to the radio station.
"Sorry, guys. That won't fix what's wrong."
"Tell us how to fix it!" Dave ground his teeth in frustration.
Chuck, always the calmer of the two, shook his head.
"I don't think we can, can we, Soph?"
"No. It's not a problem with MMT. It's a problem with me."
And that was that. Sophie gathered her staff and announced her resignation, then spent three days fielding questions she didn't have answers to. Every time she got frustrated, she told herself, "Nine more days. Eight more days. Seven...."
24
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
Once she was done at MMT, she immediately went to work at WNRK. They had one week to train Sophie in the equipment and regulations. She spent hours observing other personalities, both from inside and outside the booth, and accepting continuous lectures from Stevie.
For several hours a day she met with Melina to work out the specifics of the show.
"I don't want to rant for three hours," Sophie said two days before her debut. "Venting is important, but too many complaints will make me angry and depressed all the time."
Melina shifted on the beat-up sofa where they sat in the break room, the quietest spot they could find to brainstorm.
They had already worked out the schedule for breaks and news and Melina had taught Sophie her non-verbal signals.
"You need something positive, then."
"Right." Sophie got up to pace. "What's the opposite of a rant? A rave. Let's do half venting, half praising. Get it off your chest, then replace it with something good."
Melina scribbled as fast as Sophie talked. "We'll start the first hour with your rant," she said. "Then you invite callers to do the same. Continue in the second hour."
"Then I'll open the third hour with a rave. We won't let anyone say negative stuff in the second half. Only praise or stories with happy endings. Compliments to sales clerks, stuff like that."
"It's my job to keep the callers on track." The producer pulled her bushy black mane away from her delicate face and held it at the nape of her neck. Her eyes gleamed with 25
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
excitement. "Do you want a free-for-all, or try to stick to a theme?"
"A little of both, I think. We'll set a theme, but it might get too restrictive if we don't allow anyone to stray from it. Part of the energy of the show we did was one caller feeding off another." Sophie dropped into a chair and crossed one jeans-clad
It didn't take Sophie long to decide. She read the contract, noted changes she wanted, and held an imaginary conversation with Kira.
"Go for it!" her phantom sister said.
"But what about Chuck and Dave? I owe them."
"They've gotten what they paid for, Sophie. You don't owe them anything more than two weeks notice."
"I wanted something to change. Now that I'm getting it, I'm not sure I want it."
Sophie didn't need her sister to sort that one out.
Everyone preferred safe harbor to unknown seas in some 23
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
regard. But when she compared her current empty existence to the rush she felt on the air, she knew the decision had already been made.
She and her lawyer attended another meeting at the station and got most of what she wanted. They wouldn't budge on the cancellation clause. She couldn't leave without penalty until the end of the contract in two years, but they could terminate her with no notice at any time. Sophie fought, to no avail.
"This is standard in every single contract," one of the station attorneys told her. "If ratings drop, we lose advertisers. We lose advertisers, we lose revenue. We lose revenue, we have to start laying off. Having you quit can cause as much damage as leaving you on the air when the show just doesn't work. This is a deal-breaker."
Sophie signed the contract.
She gave notice to MMT the next day. They begged and pleaded and offered a raise equal to the pay cut she was taking by going to the radio station.
"Sorry, guys. That won't fix what's wrong."
"Tell us how to fix it!" Dave ground his teeth in frustration.
Chuck, always the calmer of the two, shook his head.
"I don't think we can, can we, Soph?"
"No. It's not a problem with MMT. It's a problem with me."
And that was that. Sophie gathered her staff and announced her resignation, then spent three days fielding questions she didn't have answers to. Every time she got frustrated, she told herself, "Nine more days. Eight more days. Seven...."
24
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
Once she was done at MMT, she immediately went to work at WNRK. They had one week to train Sophie in the equipment and regulations. She spent hours observing other personalities, both from inside and outside the booth, and accepting continuous lectures from Stevie.
For several hours a day she met with Melina to work out the specifics of the show.
"I don't want to rant for three hours," Sophie said two days before her debut. "Venting is important, but too many complaints will make me angry and depressed all the time."
Melina shifted on the beat-up sofa where they sat in the break room, the quietest spot they could find to brainstorm.
They had already worked out the schedule for breaks and news and Melina had taught Sophie her non-verbal signals.
"You need something positive, then."
"Right." Sophie got up to pace. "What's the opposite of a rant? A rave. Let's do half venting, half praising. Get it off your chest, then replace it with something good."
Melina scribbled as fast as Sophie talked. "We'll start the first hour with your rant," she said. "Then you invite callers to do the same. Continue in the second hour."
"Then I'll open the third hour with a rave. We won't let anyone say negative stuff in the second half. Only praise or stories with happy endings. Compliments to sales clerks, stuff like that."
"It's my job to keep the callers on track." The producer pulled her bushy black mane away from her delicate face and held it at the nape of her neck. Her eyes gleamed with 25
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
excitement. "Do you want a free-for-all, or try to stick to a theme?"
"A little of both, I think. We'll set a theme, but it might get too restrictive if we don't allow anyone to stray from it. Part of the energy of the show we did was one caller feeding off another." Sophie dropped into a chair and crossed one jeans-clad
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