*****The Lasso of Truth*****
Summary:
After marrying Roz Doyle, Frasier Crane adopts her daughter Alice, setting in motion a wild string of events. How does Frasier handle being the father of a girl? And being the husband of Roz, the most prominent radio executive in Seattle?
*****Author's Notes*****
I do not own the TV show Frasier. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. I get no compensation from it.
This chapter is set up in a similar format to Chapters 3 and 13 - there is no narration.
*****Academic Analysis*****
From the video archive of the MKT 4700, Strategic Marketing, class at Redmond State University:
Professor Smith: "...and so, before we move on to the next reading module, let's discuss something that has come up in current events over the past two weeks. Since I asked you to keep up with the local paper as well as the Wall Street Journal, there's a particular story that has played out recently in the paper and other local media. I'm talking about what happened with Frasier Crane, the psychiatrist. Can someone briefly outline what happened in this story?"
Karen: "Frasier Crane is a local old-media personality."
Professor Smith: "By old media you mean radio?"
Karen: "Yes. He was involved in a fight at a public establishment..."
Steve: "He beat the 'blank' out of some guy for insulting his wife."
Karen: "And threatening his daughter. Also, someone videoed his fight and posted it on the internet."
Steve: "His wife is Roz Doyle, and she's his boss. She's the head of the KACL Group."
Professor Smith: "How does all that impact the story in terms of this class?"
Annie: "Doyle orchestrated a marketing and public relations campaign around the scandal."
Professor Smith: "Tell me about the campaign."
Jake: "She used a variety of local advertising."
Professor Smith: "Like what?"
Karen: "Billboards, bus ads, radio and TV."
Charla: "Don't forget the print ads in the newspaper. They basically repeat the same message as the outdoor ads."
Professor Smith: "Tell me about these ads, in terms of what we've been studying."
Steve: "They're all around a central theme."
Professor Smith: "What's that?"
Steve: "That Frasier Crane is a badass."
Professor Smith: "Crudely put, but I agree."
Charla: "Everything ties back to that idea. They reinforce that idea visually, aurally, and in print. They used his mug shot in ads and some snipets of sound from the video of his fight."
Annie: "And that image, what Steve called the 'badass' image, is not the image Frasier Crane has projected before. It's the opposite."
Steve: "Yeah. If you've ever heard the guy on the radio, he sounds completely different. On his show he's more like a...nerd."
Charla: "... or a snob."
Karen: "...or an intellectual."
Jake: "...or a blowhard."
Karen: "From what I read, Roz Doyle brought all the different elements of the marketing and public relations together using her team at KACL."
Professor Smith: "Karen, you bring up something else I wanted us to touch on - the public relations part of the campaign."
Annie: "Doyle kept Crane out of public for awhile. Then he first reappeared for an interview on Bulldog Briscoe's KACL show."
Steve: "Yeah. I heard he and Bulldog were really good friends."
Annie: "They sounded like that during the interview."
Jake: "Bulldog billed it as 'one alpha male of Seattle talking with the other alpha male of Seattle.'"
Karen: "That's borderline offensive. At the very least it's insulting."
Jake: "Yeah, if Bulldog were being serious. But, how could anyone be that chauvinistic? They were playing the whole 'alpha male' thing for laughs, but it goes along with the overall campaign that Doyle put together."
Annie: "One of the underlying messages in the advertising and publicity is that Frasier Crane doesn't take himself too seriously."
Steve: "That's different from the impression he used to give. At least when he was on the air years ago. Maybe he's changed."
Jake: "After that radio interview Crane did some TV interviews. He's been on suspension."
Karen: "When Doyle put Crane on suspension, it drew more attention to the situation. That's turned out to be an advantage. The publicity made both Crane and the station more popular. A press release announced the other day that the station had sold out advertising during daytime and early evening hours for the next six months. You don't normally hear about something like that in radio advertising."
Annie: "I saw Doyle's press conference. She was a real pro handling the reporters, and in the end she tied in personal feelings. It was like she manipulated the whole press conference."
Jake: "I saw it too. It was like she knew the answer to every question before it was asked. And that last part where she talked about being his wife, that was masterful. How did she rehearse that? The timing was spot on."
Steve: "I read a rumor that they were gonna put Frasier Crane's show into national syndication."
Professor Smith: "How would this campaign impact any future syndication?"
Karen: "The publicity Crane's been getting would enhance his potential audience, especially if they used some of the same promotional tools on a national level."
Professor Smith: "I've been waiting to announce this but now seems to be the right time. Roz Doyle and Frasier Crane will be making a joint appearance at our university on the 28th of this month. The Psychology Department and the Marketing Department are cosponsoring their appearance. Dr. Crane will be delivering a lecture on 'New Frameworks for Understanding Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder' and Ms. Doyle will be presenting 'Revitalizing Old Media in a New Media Age.' The two of them have also agreed to meet with this class for a question-and-answer session."
Class: Murmurs of excitement.
Professor Smith: "Yes, Charla, did you have something you wanted to say?"
Charla: "When Frasier and Roz come here, could they bring Noel with them?"
*****To Be Continued*****
*****Author's Notes*****
One more chapter remains. The last chapter updates Daphne Moon Crane's literary career and -ahem- ties up loose ends.
Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing the story!