Jack Jackson and his team at the station had gone over the materials developed by Pete Moss and Kevin Storm several times. Today, he wanted to finalize a strategic plan and identify the top 3 goals.
Jack’s mom, Diane, was on his left. She still hosted a weekly Home and Garden show followed by a Thrift Sale bulletin board Saturday mornings, but left the day to day operations to Jack. She hoped the ideas in the document will keep the stations on the air and in the family.
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Ken was heading home from the hospital to continue his recovery from the coronavirus. Dr. Max Straw strongly recommended having a home health caregiver on hand for the first day or two as he re-learned how to take care of himself.
Straw was at the front entrance when two aides wheeled Ken and his things through the door. Max popped the trunk and got out to put the bag in the back, then opened the front door as the Medical Assistants helped Ken into the car.
“Hi Ken, I bet you're glad to get outside, huh?”
“Yes, sir. Do you have an extra pair of sunglasses? I can barely open my eyes, it’s so bright.”
“You’ll find a pair in the glove box, can you reach them?”
“Got ‘em, thanks. I appreciate the ride home, Max. Rachel, the home health aide you suggested, should be at my place when we get there, so you won’t have to look after me very long.”
“No problem, Ken. How are you feeling?”
“It’s taking me a long time to get my wind back. Just getting in the car took some effort, but by the time we get home I should be ready for the next trip.”
“Good. You’re thinking about it the right way. Don’t stack up the whole day, do what you need to do then figure out what’s next. You won’t be able to run a mile for a while, but your body will bounce back to the old routine quick.
“It looks like Rachel is already there, or you have fans lining up outside your house my friend.”
“Very funny, Max. I asked Pete if I can use one of the remote pre-amps for a week or two so I can back on our show. I’d like to get back on Saturday morning to join you and Pete for part of the first hour, then, if I come out of that OK, I’ll be with you for our shows starting next Monday.”
“That’s ambitious, but it sounds reasonable to me. Hold on a second when I stop the car, I want to help you get inside safely.”
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Tom Daniels started working for the Ironwood station three years ago after starting in radio over in Ishpeming. He hosted afternoon drive, was a secondary play-by-play man, and was interested in starting a podcast for the station. A recent promotion lifted him to program director which is why he was in the meeting.
He liked the idea of adding programming with video and audio on their website. Since they were the only station involved in broadcasting area high school games, this means they could develop relationships with the four high schools in Iron County.
Daniels wasn’t much of an athlete. He ran cross country and joined track but was more interested in speech and debate. He liked the idea of featuring kids who didn’t wear a jerseys.
“Jack, I think we can really do something through our website. I bet there are sponsors out there and kids or faculty members that will help us organize content for each high school. It will be easy to revolve these around game broadcasts, but let’s make it more than that – speeches, science fairs, and things like that.”
“I like that idea, Tom.” Jack Jackson replied. “You know some of the people at the schools, could you reach out to the Superintendent and get the conversation started to see if there’s interest?”
“Yeah, you betcha.”
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After getting Ken safely inside, Max hung around a few minutes. He asked Rachel questions to satisfy his curiosity about whether she could take care of his friend and quickly assured Max that Ken was in good hands.
“Alright, Ken listen to Rachel and make sure you use her. She’s here to make your life a little easier and get you back to full-strength. That won’t happen if you are too stubborn to ask for help. Rachel, if you need anything or have a question – I know you have a supervisor you can call, but you can call me anytime.”
“Thanks, Dr. Straw.” Rachel said while turning to her new patient, “Mr. Records, you haven’t been home in a while, what do you want to do first?”
“Thanks for asking. If you don’t mind, I’d like to see how my house is after sitting empty for two weeks. Since it’s a nice day, I’d love to sit on the porch to read. Maybe, I’ll even take a snooze.” Ken laughed. “You’re very polite Rachel, but please call me Ken.”
“OK, Ken. I think we can do that, but I suggest we do the home inspection in chunks. How about we get you up and walk from here to see the kitchen and then head to your back deck?”
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