America 1982-Chapter 183 - 70: I Should Be Shot
"You always make such distinctive choices, Tommy, like that time you chose Bob to help you with sales, even though Delia had arranged several second-tier talk shows for you in major cities, and then, incredibly, you managed to pick a third-rate talk show in Chicago. I know Chicago is a big city too, but that show really doesn’t have high ratings, and its main audience is black," Sophia complained with practiced ease as she took the eye mask handed to her by Tommy Hawk. Before pulling the eye mask down, she complained to Tommy, who was preparing to read a book:
"Even if you had chosen the talk show in San Francisco, at least I wouldn’t have to accompany you on a red-eye flight."
After muttering her complaints quietly and knowing that Tommy wouldn’t heed her complaints, Sophia obediently pulled down her eye mask, adjusted her head on his shoulder a few times, and soon fell asleep.
Listening to Sophia’s soft snores beside him, Tommy muttered to himself as he opened his book, "Because it’s Chicago, the old district of the black revolution in the United States. And more importantly, the host of that third-rate talk show is Oprah. I’m not going for the show; I’m looking to lure her into my fold—that’s a goose that lays golden eggs."
While Tommy was en route to Chicago late at night, the producer of WLS-TV’s "AM Chicago," Ray Peabody, was calling from his hometown in Marseille, France, arguing with the newly appointed 29-year-old black female host of his program, Oprah Winfrey:
"I need you to understand, this is my show! My baby! Don’t think you’ve become a big shot at WLS just because Mr. Swanson brought you from Baltimore to Chicago! The program is still under my control; you have no right to alter the schedule!"
Oprah, flipping through a wealth of documents without lifting her head, turned on the speakerphone and replied apathetically but sharply, "You should be thankful that Chicago’s Child Protective Services haven’t thrown you in jail for abusing your own child, Mr. Peabody. Hosting the lowest-rated talk show in all of Chicago, do you think that represents the treatment of a talk show star?"
"That meager rating is all thanks to the black audience, and yet you’re planning to talk to them about computer software? They’re not interested; you will drive away the only audience we have!" Ray Peabody exclaimed passionately.
"AM Chicago" is a daytime talk show that airs in the morning, so its main audience consists of housewives who wake up early to prepare breakfast for their families. They turn on the television to its loudest volume and listen to the host discuss the latest social issues while busy in the kitchen.
After glancing at the phone, Oprah replied, "It’s not that black people aren’t interested in technological progress, Mr. Peabody, but you need to give them a topic that interests them to get involved. Trust me, this topic will be of interest to them. If I didn’t have a better eye for choosing topics than you do, Mr. Swanson wouldn’t have paid a high price to call me from Baltimore to Chicago to save this program."
"Black women and computers..." Peabody seemed infuriated by Oprah’s tone and wanted to explode, but before he could finish, Oprah swore at him with an expletive and hung up the phone:
"I’m done with your stereotypes, Mr. Peabody. Fuck your French ladies; wait until you come back from France and see which one of us the boss decides to fire."
Afterward, she immersed herself in preparing for the company, beginning to read the voluminous documents that Actor Corporation had faxed over in advance, as if rebutting the producer was an insignificant matter unworthy of her attention.
From the first time she saw these documents, she felt that the topic was interesting; merely reading the material made her curious about Tommy Hawk.
His background was somewhat similar to her own: impoverished family, loss of loved ones, but unscrupulous in his efforts to rise to the top. She gained recognition by working part-time at a radio station, then used debating and speech competitions to earn her college acceptance and scholarships. Tommy, on the other hand, used international summer camps to earn his college admission. People capable of these feats couldn’t possibly be uninteresting.
Just consider the name he chose for his company, Actor—it’s as if he’s candidly telling the world about his true profession, so why worry about his acting skills?
...
The guestroom of the WLS Television Station, Channel 7.
"It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Winfrey," Tommy extended his hand first towards Oprah, who had just walked in, and said with a smile, "I turned down four or five programs with ratings tens of times higher than yours, and flew here specifically to see you."
Oprah was amused by Tommy’s expression, thinking he was just kidding, and shook hands in return, "Thank you for your unique vision, Tommy. I guess your secretary or assistant must have told you about the ratings and audience demographic of this program."
"Aren’t you curious about the reason I flew here specially?" Tommy asked Oprah with a beaming smile.
Oprah made a thoughtful expression, then looked at Tommy, "So, what’s the reason?"
"I’m hoping to help boost this program so you can return to college, continue your studies, and graduate. I’ve read the documents; they say you received your admission notice and a full scholarship from Tennessee State University ten years ago. After sorting out admission, you went to work at the TV station to start earning money for your family, right?" Tommy said with a smile:
