INT. RECORDING STUDIO – EVENING

Open on an empty studio.  The door opens and GARY KUBIAK and a PRODUCER step through, chatting happily.  GARY KUBIAK takes a seat at the booth.

PRODUCER: …and I’ll be in here with you for the interview segment, and then I’ll head out to the other side of the glass for the rest of the hour.

KUBIAK: Okay, sounds good.  Thanks for such a thorough rundown.

PRODUCER: Well, your doctor asked us to keep the surprises to a minimum.

KUBIAK: [laughs gently] Ha ha ha, no objections from me!

Outside the booth, the intern CONNOR taps on the glass and then counts down with his fingers before hitting a button on the console.

PRODUCER: Greetings!  I’m so thrilled to have all you football and music fans back with us for another season of Request Line!  Our first guest of the season is former Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak.  Welcome, Gary!

KUBIAK: Thanks for having me.  It’s an honor to be here.

PRODUCER: So after one last delicious victory over the Raiders, your time as a head coach in the NFL has come to an end.

KUBIAK: It has, I’m sorry to say.  Physically I just wasn’t able to keep up with the rigors of coaching.  The stress was taking its toll on my health, so for the good of myself and my family I decided it was time to step away from the game.

PRODUCER: That final victory over the Raiders must have been an exciting way to go out.

KUBIAK: It was nice.

PRODUCER: And what did you think of the Super Bowl?

KUBIAK: To be honest, I didn’t even watch.  I went hiking with my nieces instead.

PRODUCER: Oh, wow.

KUBIAK: Yeah, right now it’s all about getting back to living a normal life.  I think after the last three weeks we could all agree that “normal” sounds just terrific.

PRODUCER: Are you planning on staying in Denver?

KUBIAK: Until the end of the school year.  After that, we’ll see.  I’m told the Florida panhandle is nice.

PRODUCER: So now that you’ve had a taste of it, is there any chance you’d like to spend more time in the broadcast booth?

KUBIAK: Oh, I doubt it.  As much as I’d like to knife Joe Buck in the throat, I…

PRODUCER: I’m sorry?

KUBIAK: [mildly] Hmm?  I said, as much as I’d like to knock Joe Buck off his throne, I think I’ll just enjoy retirement for a while before I think about doing anything else.

PRODUCER: Well, that covers all the questions I had.  Let’s get to the requests.  I have to say, this interview has been refreshingly…normal.

KUBIAK: That’s the plan.  Nice and normal.

The PRODUCER steps out of the booth.

KUBIAK: So for all you listeners out there, this week’s topic is “Hearts”.  I’d like to dedicate this first song to my wife Rhonda.  My heart is yours, darling.  Please take good care of it.