Page 48 of The Midnight Frequency

“I suppose.”

“Why have you leaned away from that?”

“I suppose it doesn’t seem like modern society is looking for genuine advice, simply to be told they are right and everyone else is in the wrong.”

Maggie’s mouth opened, then closed. Then after a pause, she said, “Sure. Maybe. But every one of those Am I the Bad Guy Here? posts goes absolutely viral. People love hearing other people weigh in on a situation.”

“I believe I am weighing in on situations.”

“Yeah, the problem is they’re… abstract problems. I can appreciate that you’re, you know, older. And that you’ve been around a long time and have learned a lot of things.”

“Is that the politically correct way to say that you think I’m intellectually elitist?”

“A bit… highbrow,” she corrected.

“Grandiloquent?”

“Lofty.”

“Didactic?”

“Informational.”

“Fastidious?”

“Cultured.”

She was unexpectedly entertaining to converse with, even when disagreeing.

“But, you know, it’s not bad, per se. It’s just that it’s after midnight. You’re talking to tired, emotional people who just want some advice, not to learn about how many hours a day Nietzsche walked. Or how Diogenes lived in a barrel.”

“You clearly found that informational.”

“Yeah, but I like philosophy and history. That’s a niche, though. And the thing with radio is, you need to be able to appeal to a lot of people. These aren’t podcasts. This is what’s on in the car on your way home from work or on a road trip. The words of Immanuel Kant would put people right to sleep. Then the car crashes, the paramedics come, and then they fall asleep mid-rescue. It’s a whole thing.”

A rusty little huff of a laugh escaped me at that.

“You paint a vivid picture.”

“Thank you.” Her cheeks bloomed at the compliment, making me think there was something more there that I wasn’t picking up on.

“So, you want me to back off on the philosophy.”

“I just think that that’s the sort of thing that would make a killer podcast. Not a radio show.”

Perhaps she was right.

It was true that even all these years later, many humans did have an affinity for ancient philosophy. But that was not the majority of people. If I wanted to stay on radio, not be relegated to a podcast, I would need to appeal to as many listeners as possible.

“So, you want me to listen to someone complain about their shifter boyfriend howling in their sleep… and give them advice.”

“Advice other than ‘don’t date a shifter,’” she clarified.

“I can attempt that.”

“Don’t sound too enthused,” she said with an eye roll.

“I won’t pretend that it is something I am particularly excited for.”