"Once again, that number is 555-KACL. All our lines are open, so please don't hesitate to call!" Niles tried his best to sound upbeat and enthusiastic. But here he was, 30 minutes into his first show, and the phone hadn't even rung once. Since Niles refused a call-screener, he had no one in the booth to interact with. In short, he was dying.
Suddenly, the phone rang! Nervously, Niles pushed a button on the console. "Hello, you've reached KACL 780AM. I'm Dr. Niles Crane. Let's get better!"
"Where's Dr. Frasier Crane?" a female caller asked.
"I'm afraid Frasier isn't in Seattle anymore. He moved away six months ago. I'm his younger brother, Niles. I'm also a qualified psychiatrist, and I'll be glad to help you, if you'll just tell me what the matter is," Niles replied, trying his best to keep his tone polite.
"How do I know you're really his brother?" she asked. "I mean, for eleven years, we've all been listening to Frasier. Then he just up and leaves, and now his little brother is here taking his place?" the woman asked.
Niles couldn't help himself; he let out a frustrated sigh. "I know that my brother had a rather devoted following, but surely you can understand that sometimes people just need to move on. No matter how much it hurts." He couldn't help thinking of the way he missed his brother. He hadn't even been this upset when Frasier moved to Boston. But, then, they weren't nearly as close then as they became over the eleven years after Frasier returned to Seattle.
"Dr. Crane? Are you still there?" asked the woman on the other end of the phone. Only then did Niles realize he'd just allowed about a minute of dead air. Roz was sure to yell at him for that later. "Yes, I'm sorry. I'm listening."
"Oh, so now you're using your brother's catchphrase?"
"N-no. I mean, yes, I did say, 'I'm listening,' but I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, well, I'm listening." He'd never imagined that doing a show like this would be so difficult. Perhaps he'd underestimated his brother's talents. "What seems to be your problem?" Niles asked, desperate to get his show back on track.
"My problem is, I want Frasier back!" the woman exclaimed angrily before hanging up.
Great, my first call, and I just lost her, Niles thought. "Um, let's go to commercial." He pressed a button, then gratefully removed his headphones. He thought again of Daphne and David. They meant everything to him, and he always thought that he would do anything for them. But now he wondered: did it really mean opening himself up for public ridicule and abuse? Suddenly, Niles could understand why Frasier left Seattle!