So, I
was sent to the corner of 57th and 8th, to the ultra
plush offices of Raymond Joslin, President of Hearst Cable Network. I remember
meeting him and feeling both scared and full of pity. He was about 5 foot 7,
probably in his sixties, but his face had so many wrinkles. . . and they
weren’t happy wrinkles by a long shot. His wizened-apple face had the angriest,
nastiest look to it of anybody I’d ever seen up to then. I heard a distinct
“Look out!” warning in my head.
This
angry older man had the largest office of anybody I’d ever worked for,
consisting of a large reception area with two separate desk spaces (and an
impressive 8’ X 10’ filing room behind the desk where I sat), a waiting room to
the side, and finally, Joslin’s “inner sanctum,” an office that resembled one
for the president of a prosperous small country.
He had
plaques all over celebrating his status as a “Cable TV Pioneer.” Wa hoo. He had
weekly meetings with LifeTime, ESPN, and a variety of other cable channels, who
all reported to HIM.
His
impressive office reflected the life of a man who had it ALL: The wood
paneling/plush carpeting/leather furniture/manly book and photographs-with-famous-Republicans
in his inner office. The leather-bound in and out trays on his massive desk
were all that we, the two assistants, were supposed to attend to. . .
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