STATION MARKET HH RATINGS (+/- LAST WEEK)
RSN Los Angeles: 7.6 (+0.2)
RSN Indianapolis: 6.9 (-0.2)
RSN Santa Fe: 0.9 (=)
RSN Bridgeport: 0.4 (=)
RSN Anchorage: 0.2 (=)
SETTING: RSN corporate office. SASHA is on the phone with MANNY, the station manager of RSN Santa Fe. She is giving MANNY notice about the planned launch of RSN’s new streaming service RSN+.
MANNY
Again, I fail to see how this will help RSN Santa Fe.
SASHA
Because so many more people will be able to stream the games.
MANNY
I mean for RSN Santa Fe’s ratings. You know how many people who watch the games on the station are gonna ditch us for RSN+?
SASHA
That number is undetermined but you can’t escape the fact that linear ratings are declining. Streaming is how we stay alive.
MANNY
Streaming will just get RSN Santa Fe shut down. And there’s no guarantee it’ll be profitable in time to make up for the losses.
SASHA
How do you even think of this? I thought you were a bullpen scrub?
MANNY
I was the team’s manager before that, and a very competent one too. Trust me, I know all about this.
SASHA is speechless.
MANNY
Tell you what: give us until the end of the Primitives’ season. If we don’t get a 2 by then, we’ll join your little service.
SASHA
Actually, it’s not your choice to make. Or mine. But I’ll pass it along.
MANNY rolls his eyes and hangs up.
SASHA INTERVIEW
So that went…how should I put this? I guess, nothing is going right for me?
SASHA approaches TREVOR at his cubicle, who is overseeing RSN+.
SASHA
So I just got off the phone with Santa Fe. They don’t want to join RSN+. They want until the end of the year to hit a 2, and if they don’t, they’ll join.
TREVOR
Not their decision. But whatever, we all know they won’t.
SASHA
So does this mean we have to spend all season making sure their ratings don’t get that high?
TREVOR pauses.
TREVOR
I don’t think that would take a concerted effort. But yeah, that’s a predicament.
TREVOR INTERVIEW
So I’m in way over my head right now. When I agreed to oversee RSN+, I didn’t think I’d really have to do more work. I just thought it’d give Benny reason to not lay me off!
SASHA finds AUSTIN and BLAKE talking quietly to each other.
SASHA
Mind if I interrupt?
AUSTIN and BLAKE both look startled.
SASHA
I need some advice. Santa Fe doesn’t want to join RSN+ and says they’ll only join if they don’t hit a 2 by the end of the Primitives’ season.
AUSTIN
Are they crazy? Santa Fe would benefit the most from RSN+!
BLAKE
Yeah, we were actually just talking about how worthless our stations would be to the station. Santa Fe can at least contribute something.
SASHA
True.
AUSTIN
I say whatever happens happens. Focus on the linear ratings for now, like you have been for months. We don’t even know for sure that RSN+ is launching.
SASHA
We don’t?
BLAKE
Benny just wants to be more progressive this time around. For now. But he could easily resort to his old ways sooner or later.
BLAKE INTERVIEW
Benny’s lazy. Once he realizes all the extra work that will have to go into RSN+, I bet the idea will never come up again. I think it’s already gotten to him actually, I’ve gotten two Out Of Office messages from him this week alone and he’s right across the floor. Probably something I should be concerned about.