blueteamnovel Chapter 45 Radio Debut
Chapter 45 Radio Debut
Qi Ke was a little unsure of himself, so he went to Larry Harris's office again before setting off, since he and Marco were now considered his confidants.
"Don't worry, this time you're doing a promotional trip with company veteran 'Dinoble'..."
Larry was also extremely busy, with the phone on his desk ringing non-stop. He was about to go on a business trip to New York, but he still managed to take a moment to chat with Zeke for a bit.
According to Larry, Dinoble, the former fast-food cook, was a very assertive guy. He knew almost nothing about music, but that didn't affect his position in the company at all.
Because Dinoble was hired after marrying Nancy, Neil Bogart's sister-in-law and the twin sister of Neil's ex-wife Beth, he became yet another beneficiary of Neil's unwavering nepotism.
"...But he's definitely got some skills. He works like a madman, has incredible execution ability, and will use any means necessary to achieve his goal. If getting our records played on the radio meant parading naked down Broadway with a record in each ear, he would do it without hesitation."
Leaving Larry's office, Zeke felt not at ease, but even more uneasy!
I couldn't help but let my imagination run wild: He's not really going to make me parade naked with him, is he? That would be so creepy!
But as he was leaving, he saw Neil telling everyone at the company, "Keep it up, guys! We're almost there! I feel like we're about to make it big. 'YMCA' is going to sweep the charts and become this year's biggest hit!"
These words gave Zik a lot of confidence.
Yes, for money, for more royalties, we'll give it our all!
Soon he met the legendary "Dinoble" in the parking lot of an office building.
He was short and stocky, with red hair and a face full of freckles. He exuded a powerful aura, and upon meeting him, he extended his thick hand and patted Qike's back with tremendous force, almost making Qike breathless.
"Zick, I've been waiting for you!" Dinoble's voice matched his appearance perfectly, loud and rough. "TJ, I'm leaving the radio interview here to you. I have to hurry to Boss Radio to wait for Rick, or it'll be too late."
After saying that, without waiting for Qi Ke's response, he jumped into his car, stepped on the gas, and the car instantly drove away from the parking lot, leaving only a trail of exhaust fumes.
Zik rubbed his sore back, looking at TJ with a puzzled expression: "Who is Rick? Can he handle it all by himself? There aren't even any artists there, how can someone who doesn't know anything about music talk to the radio station?"
TJ smiled and said, "Rick is the program director of KHJ 930 AM, the most influential radio station on the West Coast. He holds the power of life and death over radio broadcasts and is arguably the most powerful figure in the music broadcasting industry."
Getting a meeting with Rick was incredibly difficult; even if one were lucky enough to meet him, the music would only be played for a very short time. More often than not, one could only leave the record for him to listen to when he had a spare moment, and whether it would be played depended entirely on his mood.
"Then he..."
"Don't worry, 'Dinoble the fuck' always has a way." TJ waved his hand, his tone confident. "Let's not talk about him anymore. Let me tell you about your mission. Time is running out, we need to hurry."
Zeke nodded, listening attentively to TJ's arrangements, but his surprise didn't stop. Coincidentally, his first stop was KRLA 1110 AM, the second largest Top 40 radio station on the West Coast, covering the entire Southern California.
It was also the place where he and Marco first heard "YMCA" on the radio, so they were somewhat familiar with the program's style, which eased their anxiety a little.
As a publicist for the company's rock music department, TJ primarily deals with various FM radio stations, giving him a unique advantage:
"Remember, the real key to this interview isn't what creative story you tell, but just joining them in criticizing FM Avant-garde Radio. The interview itself is secondary; as long as we win over the DJs, they'll increase the frequency of YMCA's airplay. That's our purpose here."
Qi Ke was a little surprised. So this was the trick to promotion: instead of going to great lengths to introduce the song, it was better to cater to the audience's tastes and align with the radio station's stance.
"But I'm not familiar with FM Radio at all..."
"It's okay, the DJ will give you signals before the main event starts, just follow his rhythm..."
He nodded quickly and followed them into the radio station building.
The live stream room was brightly lit, and the DJ was busy setting up the equipment. When he saw Qi Ke and TJ come in, he just looked up and didn't even say anything extra.
As soon as Qi Ke sat down in the chair opposite the DJ, an earphone was shoved into his head, and the notification sound of the live broadcast starting came from his ear. The DJ picked up the microphone and started the show immediately, speaking at lightning speed without any hesitation.
"Good afternoon, Los Angeles! Listen up! Today we have a very special guest—the songwriter of Casablanca's recent smash hit, *YMCA*, and you'd never guess that this talented songwriter is still in high school!"
"Hi, Zeke, welcome to KRLA's live stream! Say hello to everyone!"
"Uh, hi everyone, I'm Zeke."
"Is there a mother or teacher on the other end of the radio broadcast watching you right now? Because you're only 16, right? Or shouldn't you be in class right now?"
Zik relaxed a bit and followed the DJ's words, saying, "Actually, I did take leave to come here, and I hope the teacher can be lenient with my grades."
"Haha, so true!" The DJ laughed, and the atmosphere in the live stream relaxed considerably. "To be honest, how can a 16-year-old's head hold such mature lyrics and melodies? Are you the kind of kid who's been randomly banging on the piano since you were little, or did you suddenly wake up one day with an inspiration?"
Qi Ke thought for a moment and responded with the lines he had prepared beforehand:
"I'm just a poor kid from Brooklyn. My family wasn't well-off when I was a child, and I didn't know how to play the piano, let alone have any talent. Music just seemed to run into my head on its own. Maybe that's what you call inspiration. It came suddenly and wouldn't go away, so I wrote it down."
"Wow, you sound like a natural musical genius, just like Beethoven!" the DJ exclaimed, then asked, "What's your family's attitude towards your music? Are they the kind of parents who force you to do your homework while you secretly write songs in your bedroom, or are they the 'top supporters' who fully support you sending your demos to record companies?"
Upon hearing this question, Zeke mentally scoffed: "Isn't this way too simplistic? Why isn't there an option to 'send me into a gang's peripheral organization to rob the airport'?"
Although old Rossi did exactly that, Zeke was certain his family meant no harm; they just didn't see anything wrong with it...
He suppressed his inner complaints and said with a smile, "I think it must be the top support team. Although they don't understand music, they have always supported me in doing what I love. Without them, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to bring this song to everyone."