“Bill Evans pulls back the curtain on the personalities, ambitions and secrets of a mid-market television station in a readable, compelling narrative. Evans’s mastery of the inner workings of local media complements his ability to weave a tale replete with intrigue and suspense, and peopled with believable characters. This book has legs, and it shows that Bill Evans is continuing to emerge as one of this country’s premier writers of compelling mysteries.” – Greg Fields, Author
Description:
Release Date: October 10th, 2018
Twenty years before Murder at Broadcast Park, Stewart Simon own the ABC TV station in Palm Springs. His future general manager, Lisa, was just starting her broadcast career at the ABC affiliate. There was no better place to be in local television in the 80s and early 90s then Palm Springs, California. Home of Bob Hope, President Gerald Ford, and yes, Sonny Bono, just when he began thinking about politics. The TV station in this small resort town and golf capital of the world was at the center of it all.
Read about Lisa’s rise up through the newsroom to sales and eventually how she ended up marrying the second best love of her life….instead of the man that owned her heart. And during all of this Sonny Bono runs for Mayor of Palm Springs (and then cancels Spring Break!).
Enjoy this entertaining read and once again peek behind the curtain of a local TV station through the creative, witty, writing of Bill Evans, a former TV General Manager himself.
Glen Barnes was the first detective on the scene from the Palm Springs Police Department. Sandi DiSanto, his partner, arrived moments later. The police were quick to cordon off a half-block radius for their crime team. Tom drifted out of his unconscious state just in time to watch the EMTs perform CPR on his photographer. Tom tried to get on his feet and over to where Lynch was dying.
EXCERPT
TOM PRESTON HEARD Jennie Neeley introduce him from the news anchor desk.
Three . . . two . . . one . . .
“Tom Preston is on assignment outside the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Palm Springs. TV3 has uncovered a major Ponzi scheme involving some very highprofile business people and educational leaders from our desert communities.”
“Jennie, that’s right. I’ve been working on this story for the past three weeks—”
The television monitor suddenly went blank.
Jennie and the TV viewers couldn’t see the pandemonium and chaos erupting on Palm Canyon, the street in front of the Hyatt Hotel. The TV3 live truck had exploded, spewing metal, shrapnel, and bodies everywhere.
“Shit, what happened to our live shot? Our truck is dead.” The TV3 production control room scrambled to figure out what went wrong. “Get Tom onthe phone.”
“Somebody find out what’s going on out there!” Johnny Johnson shouted.
JJ, as he was called, was the news producer and commanded the troops. He reported to the news director, the head person in the newsroom. He was like a sergeant in a foxhole, taking orders from his lieutenant and keeping his control room calm as everyone scrambled around trying to find out what had happened. JJ cued Neeley and told her to get them into a commercial break.
Losing a live shot was not all that uncommon for a small-market television station in 1987. However, TV3 had fixed most of their technical problems over the years, and people in the know thought they were a technically sound station.
Their problem tonight was beyond any technical issues they could have imagined.
Outside the Hyatt, the scene looked like something from a Third World country. First responders—police, fire, ambulances—poured onto the scene. TV3’s main anchor, Tom Preston, had been doing a rare standup, anchoring his investigative story on location. He was found on the ground unconscious, his shirt splattered with blood and cuts on his head. There was a second body facedown about a hundred feet away. It was Terry Lynch, the photographer responsible for running the live truck and camera for Tom Preston’s story.
Glen Barnes was the first detective on the scene from the Palm Springs Police Department. Sandi DiSanto, his partner, arrived moments later. The police were quick to cordon off a half-block radius for their crime team. Tom drifted out of his unconscious state just in time to watch the EMTs perform CPR on his photographer. Tom tried to get on his feet and over to where Lynch was dying.
He wasn’t able to stand, collapsing only to have his fall stopped by one of the attending EMTs. Tom slipped back into unconsciousness.
Neeley sat on the anchor desk inside the studio trying not to be pissed. She took it personally whenever something like this happened. The main anchor was the face of the station. It was easy to be mad at her engineers and the loss of the live shot. The station had been promoting the story for two days, and it was disappointing to everyone involved in tonight’s newscast. The live shot was the whole story.
Jack Router, TV3’s news director, rushed into the news production control room. “What happened to our live shot?” he screamed.
Jack was a serious newsman; he pushed his newsroom kids to take their game to a considerably higher level than what a television station in market 163 should be performing at.
He called to an assistant. “I’m going out to the Hyatt. Keep Jennie in the anchor chair. Roll the other live truck and let’s get some more reporters down there. We need to figure this out on the run until we know what’s going on. Call everyone in and see if we have someone close to the scene.”
Jack ran out of the control room, out the station door and to his station vehicle in the parking lot.
About the author:
Bill Evans is a 45 year broadcast veteran turned author. His first novel, Murder at Broadcast Park, released October, 2017. With his experience and insight into what goes on behind the scenes in the broadcast world, Bill’s novels paint a vivid picture of what really happens when the cameras are off.
Bill resides on California’s beautiful Central Coast. He continues to have a passion in the broadcast world and working in local media.
Author's Giveaway
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9 comments:
Sounds like a good book.
I'm liking the sound of this one. And a new author for me too:)
I love the cover. It's so unexpected, and it screams 'interesting read inside.' Thanks for the giveaway!
Love the cover. Sounds like something I would enjoy.
Interesting use of graphics and textures. May be a good mystery/thriller book. No question for the author.
I love the cover art.
Great excerpt, sounds like a book I'll enjoy reading!
Excellent post! These books sound like such intriguing, suspenseful, thrilling reads! I am adding them to my TBR List and can't wait to check them out!
I like the book cover. This sounds like a very interesting look into the television life.
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