Arthur Hailey - Evening News

"Then there's something else,” Nortandra said.”It's on a separate sheet of paper.

"Copies of 'The Shining Time Has Come’ and the tape cassette of the woman prisoner have been sent to other television networks and the press.

"That's all of it,” Nortandra concluded.”Neither paper is signed, but the fact it accompanied the tape makes them, I suppose, authentic.”

A silence followed the reading. No one, it seemed, wanted to be first to speak. Several people glanced at Crawford Sloane who was slumped in his chair, his face grimly set. The others shared his sense of hopelessness.

It was Les Chippingham who said finally, "Well, now we know. All along we've wondered what these people wanted. We thought it might be money. It's turned out to be much more.”

"Much, much more,” Bracebridge added.”In money terms of course it's incalculable, but obviously that isn't the issue here.”

"As I indicated at the beginning,” Nortandra observed, "the whole thing—especially all that jargon—doesn't make a lot of sense.”

Norm Jaeger spoke up.”Revolutionaries seldom do make sense, except maybe to themselves. But that's no reason not to take them seriously. We learned that from Iran.”

Jaeger glanced at a clock above their heads, which showed 10:55. He addressed Chippingham.”Les, do we want to break into the network with this? If we're fast, we can do it on the hour and use some of Mrs. Sloane on tape. If what we heard about other networks getting the tape is true, they may go with the story any time.”

"Then let them,” the news president said firmly.”This is a new element in which we are players and will not rush. We'll put out a bulletin at midnight, which gives us an hour to consider how to handle the news and, more important, what our response—if any—will be.”

"There can't be any question about a response,” Margot Lloyd-Mason declared.”It's perfectly obvious there is no way that we can accept those ridiculous terms. We will certainly not put our network evening news out of business for one whole week.”

"However, we don't have to say that, at least, not in the beginning,” Nortandra pointed out.”We can say something like, the demands are being carefully considered and we'll make an announcement later.”

"If you'll pardon my saying so,” Jaeger told him, "I doubt if that would deceive anyone, least of all Sendero Luminoso. I've spent a lot of research hours on those people and whatever else they may be, they aren't fools; they're sharp. Also, they've clearly learned about our business—for example, that the National Evening News goes out with two feeds and our news audience falls off on Saturdays and Sundays, which they've indicated they don't want.”

"So what are you suggesting?”

"That you let the news department handle everything in the way of a response. This calls for finesse, not a blunderbuss approach like speaking of 'ridiculous terms.' In CBA News we're better equipped, more finely tuned, our knowledge of the scene is greater at a signal from Chippingham, Jaeger stopped.

”Basically, I'm agreeing with Norman,” the news president said, "but since it's my responsibility I think I should say that, yes, the News Division ought to handle any response because we are better informed, we know the ground, have established contacts, and one of our best correspondents, Harry Partridge, is in Peru already and must be consulted.”

"Consult and finesse all you want,” Margot snapped; she had flushed at Jaeger's reference to her "ridiculous terms” statement.”But what's involved here is a corporate matter requiring executive decision.”

"No! Goddamn, no!” The words were shouted. Heads turned. The speaker was Crawford Sloane, no longer seated and dejected, but standing, eyes fiery, face flushed. When he spoke, his voice was emotional, at moments choked.

”Keep corporate out of this! Norman is right about a blunderbuss approach; we all just witnessed one, and it's because corporate people don't have knowledge or experience to make news judgments. Besides, a corporate decision is already made; we heard that too: Can't accept those terms. Won't put our news out of business for a week. Did we really need you to tell us? Didn't we, in news, already know that—yes, all of us, including me? You want it on the record, Mrs. Lloyd-Mason. Well, here it is: I know we can't close down CBA News and hand it over to Sendero for one week. God help me!—l accept that. You have witnesses.”

Sloane paused, swallowed, and continued.”What we can do, here at news, is use our skills, our know—how, play for time. At this moment, time is what we need the most. That, and use Harry Partridge who's the one best hope we have—my best hope to get my family home.”

Sloane remained standing, but fell silent.

Before anyone could react, Bracebridge, the long-ago news man, now a corporate wheel, tried a conciliatory tone.”A time like this is hard on everyone. It's emotional, tension is high, tempers short. Some of what's been said tonight could have been put more courteously and probably should have been.” He turned toward the network president.”Just the same, Margot, I believe that what's been presented is a viewpoint worth considering, remembering—as Crawf made clear—that your end decision is understood and accepted. There seems no question about that.”

Margot, having been offered a face-saving device, hesitated, then approved it.”Very well,” She informed Chippingham, "On that basis, you may decide a temporary, stratagem response.”

"Thank you,” the news president acknowledged.”May we clarify one thing?”

"What is it?"

"That the ultimate decision we've agreed on will, for the time being, remain confidential.”

"I suppose so. But you'd better get the same assurance from the others here. In any case, keep me informed.”

Everyone else had been listening intently. Chippingham faced them and asked, "May I have that assurance, please?”

One by one they acknowledged their agreement. While they did, Margot walked out.

* * *

When Chippingham returned to his office it was 11:25 P.m. At 11:30 he received a printout of a Reuters dispatch originating in Lima, Peru, with information about the Sendero Luminoso demands on CBA. Moments later, AP in Washington came through with a more detailed report which had "The Shining Time Has Come” document in full.

Within the next fifteen minutes, ABC, NBC and CBS all carried bulletins including short segments of the Jessica tape. Fuller details were promised on the networks' news programs next day, with more bulletins if needed. CNN, with a news broadcast in progress, simply inserted the story and was ahead of everyone else. Chippingham stayed with his original decision not to interrupt present programming, but to release at midnight a carefully constructed bulletin, now being prepared.

At 11:45 he left his office for the Horseshoe, which had been activated for the occasion. Norm Jaeger was occupying the executive producer's chair. Iris Everly, in an editing room, was working with the tape of Jessica as well as others to be used for background. Don Kettering, who would anchor the special midnight news, was in makeup, at the same time reading over and amending a draft script.

”We'll just be telling it straight,” Jaeger told Chippingham, "with no CBA reaction at all. We figure there's plenty of time for that later—whatever you want it to be. Incidentally, everyone else including the Times and Post has been phoning, asking for reactions. We've told them all we don't have any and the subject is simply being considered.”

Chippingham nodded approval.”Good.”

Jaeger gestured to Karl Owens, seated across the Horseshoe.”He has an idea, though, about what a reaction might be.”