“Wodger, you know, after so many years working on this project, and now to be finally at the pointy end, I actually feel quite deflated. Can you understand that?”
“Yer, I can Sheridan. I know what ya mean – beavering away on this inevitability, this financial bonanza just waiting to happen. It must be seven years since we started. How many scenarios have we developed, the variabilities explored? The market research, my God, we spent tens of thousands trying to refine expectations and build capacities to deliver satisfactions. And now, yes, we’re finally here. You’d think we’d feel some sort of gratifying acknowledgement of the milestone.”
“Those endless ‘hush, hush’ meetings with the Protocol officials, Health, the Governor, Emergency and Transport Services, Police, the Military, even the tourism mobs. I think we nailed it, but there has been a certain amount of luck. I mean, what if we had gone with another strategy, like, oh you know, the green one? In hindsight, that wonderful crystal ball, it would have been a complete trainwreck!”
“But, jees, the Top Brass, the establishment certainly played hahardballver the media rights. No wonder they are so well-healed. I gotta hand it to you Sheridan, you handled them beautifully. Bloody arseholes, wanting 50% of the broadcast revenue! Ya ready for another drink?”
“Yes, Wodger. that would be great. But make mine a Vodka Tonic this time.”
It had been a querulous journey, when you think back over our schedules. We’d approached the networks back in 2015. Of course, it had to be all off-the-records, quiet discussions, no leaks.
But they saw the logic of our proposal to deliver ‘public-interest’ coverage, the need to be prepared, to have capacity in place, to have the facility to swing into gear within the inevitably short lead-time, to be able to have the technical know-how in place, as needed, when events unfolded.
I continued to mull things over as Rodger did battle at the bar. He returned with the drinks: I noted a twist of blood orange in my vodka. “Do you remember those Government twerps, those castellated princes, wanting assurances in regard protocols? Their concerns that we would breach their ‘new, ancient traditions’ – absolute bullshit.”
“We knew it was going to happen. The scientific community, Emergency Services, the Police have all been rehearsing these scenarios for years. It just needed our blanket media coverage strategy to capitalise on the event. And we were in the box seat to stream nationally!”
We looked up at the screen above the bar. Our footage, our reporters, our technical team providing wall-to-wall coverage as the springtime flood waters surged, houses and cars floating away, towns, infrastructure and livestock engulfed.