CNN, the full name of CNN, was not the top television news media in the United States in 1982.

Because the company has only been around for two years – its parent company is Ted Turner, the founder of the previous era broadcast giant Turner Broadcasting.

CNN was founded on the premise that "cable and satellite TV subscribers in the United States are gradually becoming more popular and mainstreaming."

Chinese may have a hard time imagining this problem, because Chinese television was popularized relatively late, only began to be popularized in the 80s, and it didn't take long for cable TV to come.

Therefore, people born after the 90s generation have basically never seen the tragic situation of "a TV set can only receive two or three TV stations". In their minds, the TV should be able to receive dozens of channels as soon as they buy it.

China's neighbor said Ben, although like the United States, popularized television in the 50s, 30 years earlier than China. However, because the country is small and densely populated, the signals of several channels such as NHK can easily cover the country, so the pre-cable era is also quite prosperous.

Only a country like the United States, which has a vast territory no less than China's, and "got rich first" so early, will there be a situation in which the television industry has undergone an obvious "great development in the second spring" -- people's wireless television and local television have developed well since the 50s, but national cable television stations generally did not rise until the late 70s and early 80s.

For example, in the '70s, Turner's main competitor, Fox, relied on a bunch of local television stations, each of which was in charge of a few state markets, but very few had a national presence.

In other words, there is a generation in the United States that has endured the hidden pain point of "TV will always have only a few channels" for nearly 30 years, and then suddenly a few years ago it was greatly satisfied by mature cable/satellite television.

82 years of cable TV, still a fiercely competitive emerging market, CNN is only two years old, and it urgently needs awesome and real-time interactive programs to expand its social influence, so that more TV users in the United States can pay cable channel subscriptions.

Therefore, they will discuss the hot topic, pour a huge amount of head resources, and mobilize elite soldiers.

This is also a very important opportunity for the TV station, and if done well, it is enough to win both with the interviewee.

……

June 30, afternoon.

The southern hub of the United States, the city of Atlanta.

CNN headquarters building in the core business district (Don-ton).

Larry King is in the break room with his eyes closed, recuperating for the evening's live interview with Professor Erickson and other guests.

Larry King is almost 50 years old this year, and he is a lean middle-aged and elderly man with a triangular face. Since entering the radio industry 27 years ago, he has worked as an announcer, presenter for more than 20 years, and occasionally dabbled in talk shows on television.

Until the year before last, however, he had devoted far more energy to radio programming than to television.

It's easy to see why—before the advent of limited television, radio reached more widely than television and could be heard by the entire American people, while television could only be received by a few nearby cities or states.

At that time, those who wanted to be national news celebrities would choose to stay in the backward radio stations and only have national coverage.

After the establishment of CNN, Larry King was already a well-known radio news talk show host in the country in the last era, so he was personally invited by the boss Ted Turner to occasionally do a few shows, Larry King spent more than half of his work energy on TV, but he has not yet made up his mind to go 100% full-time to the TV station.

In other words, he is still a "temporary order-taker".

As he was ready, the door of the lounge was pushed open, and a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes who was a few years younger than him walked in calmly and hurriedly.

He's CNN's big boss, Ted Turner.

Seeing that Larry King was resting, he shook his head helplessly:

"Kim, don't you think you should be a little more excited and prepared? This event is going to be a national sensation — nay, maybe even a global sensation.

If you think about it, how valuable it is to be able to refute the official claims of the British and Argentine Ministry of Defence and find the truth behind this hot spot for people all over the world. ”

Larry King rubbed the corners of his eyes and wiped his face with a wet towel: "Mr. Turner, you should know me, I never preview the questions to ask, no matter how important. I hate the script because the audience will see it, and I don't ask any rehearsed questions. ”

This is also the core competitiveness of Larry King in the field of news debate talk shows for 30 years - any reality show, the audience hates the existence of "script".

Even if the Chinese audience watched a running man in later generations, if they heard that the plot was written by the screenwriter, the ratings and interest would plummet.

And Larry King was apparently the first journalist in the world to notice this problem, and really stuck to it for the rest of his life.

"I'm not asking you to preview the questions, but you should at least understand the technical background, otherwise you won't understand what the guest has to say. Turner reluctantly urged.

Larry King insisted: "I've tried to understand as much as I can, and if I can't, the audience in front of the TV won't understand." 95% of the audience in the United States must be worse than me in terms of academic qualifications and common knowledge in science and engineering. We can only hope that on the show, the guests will be able to speak in a more in-depth way that everyone can understand, for example, like Professor Carl Sagan of NASA. ”

Turner could only smile wryly: "Oh! You can't expect every professor to be a god like Carl Sagan! Forget it, I'll just have a showdown with you: if you can get 1 million subscribers for CNN after this news." Then I'll pay you 10 times more than you do on the radio station now, and start a long-term regular show for you on CNN called 'Larry King Moment'! Give you the best prime-time and promotion resources in the whole station! Do a good job!"

Carl Sagan, in the mouth of Ted Turner, was the most famous science master in the United States in the 70~80s, and was also the spokesperson of NASA.

To use an example that later generations know better, Carl Sagan's popularity in the United States in the 80s was definitely higher than that of Hawking in the 2010s. He is known for his ability to explain the knowledge of space physics to elementary school students, and he is invincible in the world to the extent that he understands it in simple terms.

Carl Sagan's fame is so great that when he first said he wanted to write a science fiction book this year, even if it was just a rumor and didn't even think of a title, an American publishing giant immediately sent him a check for $2 million as a deposit for the copyright of your book that does not yet exist. (This price is estimated that the gods of the creation god level in the future generations will not be able to do it, not a word, the deposit advance payment is 2 million US dollars, or the price of the 80s)

All journalists do academic talk shows and debate interviews and pray "Oh, if my interviewees could be as good as Carl Sagan, how good it would be." ”

It's a pity that they can only think about it, there is only one Carl Sagan in the world.

In the end, Ted Turner could only use inducements to make sure Larry King was as attentive as possible.

……

While Ted Turner and Larry King were getting ready, Gu Biao and Professor Erickson also came out of the Oneyat Hotel in good spirits to participate in the show.

Located next door to CNN's headquarters, the Oneate Grand Hotel is also the standard home for high-profile American journalists on business trips to Atlanta.

CNN sent a beautiful female staff member to hospitalize the following:

"Professor Erickson, Mr. Gu, please come here. I hope you have been prepared to explain the common knowledge of physics and military scientific research in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, as far as possible.

After all, this is just a TV talk show, taking into account the cultural level of the audience. If you can give examples, try to give examples. ”

Professor Erikson said as much as he could, and Gu agreed easily.

Today's guest of honour was Professor Erickson, but Gu still managed to secure a few places in the audience to be consulted. That is, during the program, if you encounter a problem that is not Professor Erikson's specialty, you can ask the guests in the audience to help.

Erikson inevitably bragged about Gu Ao: "I believe that if there is something that the audience doesn't understand, just ask Mr. Gu will be no problem - he is my boss, but don't underestimate it, his macro understanding of technology can often give me good inspiration."

In particular, he is a diplomatist at the Georgetown Waltz School of Foreign Service, and a Ph.D. from former Secretary of State Kissinger. You should believe the eloquence of a top diplomat. ”

"Really, it turns out that Tencoin-Entertainment actually has such a capital background?" The beautiful staff member who received her was taken aback, she obviously didn't do her intelligence work thoroughly, and only paid attention to the main guests before.

So, this information was immediately reported to the owner of the television station, Mr. Turner.

"It turns out that Professor Erickson is not only doing things for Stanford?, they have a secret project employment relationship?" After Mr. Turner heard this, he realized that Gu Biao must be trying to carry private goods.

"This guy must be trying to take the opportunity to advertise something! However, there is no way, for the sake of the show, he can play if he wants, as long as our CNN 'first-hand reveal the exclusive truth' brand is loud enough, it will be a win-win situation!

However, let him pay attention to it, if Professor Erikson said in the show at that time, even he can't understand it, he must ask Gu Biao in the audience to help translate it in human language. We're not going to let the old pedants ruin the show. ”

"Yes, boss. "The beautiful staff immediately went to arrange it.

This condition does not violate Larry King's principle of "no script for interviews", and he will accept it.

Everyone had eaten dinner in a hurry, and soon it was half past seven in the evening, and everyone was ready and went into the studio.

The scorching light snapped into the spot.

Reflecting two guys wearing tie shirts on the top and beach shorts on the bottom. (The lower half of the body is blocked by the studio, and it is not visible from the camera)