As expected, Prince Metbu, who flew three private jets and took more than 30 entourages to occupy an entire floor of the Peninsula Hotel, immediately attracted the attention of the people of Hong Kong, and attracted even more attention than the depreciating pound.

His bill, from half past two in the afternoon to eight in the evening, was quickly sorted out by the ubiquitous "paparazzi" and published in the tabloids the next morning.

It's too generous!

Anything is bought in double portions, and if you ask him for a good word, there is a tip of $100, and the merchants selling luxury goods in Central are so happy that they can't wait to invite all the princes and princes of Saudi Arabia.

After reading the newspaper that Jan Joseph had just picked up from the main station, Xia Yao smiled and said, "Husband, they must have wronged the prince." But then again, the prince is a bit of an upstart. ”

The charter took a sip of porridge and said casually: "Compared to his uncles and brothers, he is frugal. It's just that most of them like to go to the United States and Europe for consumption, and rarely come to Hong Kong, so people feel this way. ”

"Spent more than $700,000 in one afternoon, and still frugal?"

"He's a prince, how can he match his identity if he doesn't spend $800,000?"

Xia Yao asked again: "Is he really divorced?" ”

"Well, both of them are leaving, and it's fair to leave together."

One day husband and wife for a hundred days, they really have no conscience when they say they will leave, but these words can only be put in their hearts, Xia Yao picked up a piece of bread and did not squeak again.

The Saudi version of "Chen Shimei" didn't do well last night, and was sleeping in the presidential suite at the Peninsula Hotel, where Daniel, president of BNB News, and Henry Pearce, president of Americas, won't be there until after 10 o'clock. At this time, I can't do much to go to the headquarters of the NB Laboratory on the Clear Water Bay Peninsula. The charter simply stayed in the room of the NB electrician. Looking at the newspaper that "Chen Shimei" brought yesterday.

At noon, he wanted to invite the prince to dinner, and Xia Yao also couldn't go to the charity foundation like yesterday, so after cleaning up the breakfast table, he sat down next to him and prepared to watch TV.

When she took the remote control, she was attracted by the newspaper that her fiancé had just started by BNB News, and asked with a puzzled face: "Husband, why is this newspaper in English?" ”

"It was originally in English."

The Hamburg Times is clearly a German newspaper. But it was printed in English, and the price on it was actually 25 cents, Xia Yao felt incredible, and asked puzzledly: "Is it released in Germany or in English-speaking countries?" ”

The charter reacted, and immediately laughed and said, "Wife, you treat it as a German newspaper?" ”

"Isn't it?"

"No, it's an American newspaper, and it's all about American news, except for international news."

Xia Yao was even more confused, and asked, "Since it's an American newspaper." So how did you come up with such a name? ”

She doesn't know much about the United States, and it's normal to have such questions. Putting down the newspaper, he patiently explained: "There is not only a hamburg in Germany, but also in the United States. New York, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, New Jersey, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, ...... Almost all of them have a city or town called Hamburg, and even the spelling is the same.

The Americas Company is headquartered in Hamburg, New Jersey, so the newspaper took that name. Moreover, this kind of easily misunderstood application is not without precedent in the United States, such as the St. Petersburg Times, one of the top ten most influential newspapers in the United States, and the Pulitzer Prize has won I don't know how many awards, which is very popular. ”

Xia Yao then understood, and couldn't help laughing: "St. Petersburg Times, if you don't say it, I really think it's a Russian newspaper." ”

"The United States is a country of immigrants, and the early immigrants missed their hometown, so they simply named the colony after a place or city in their hometown, Plymouth and Atlanta, and some directly added the word 'new' in front of the name in order to distinguish them."

If it is troublesome to use the same name in places with different administrative levels, it is even more troublesome to use the same name at similar levels. For example, Nevada and New Mexico both have a city of Las Vegas, and the town level is even more powerful, and as far as I know, there are at least 16 towns in the United States called Rochester, distributed in 15 states. ”

Americans are really lazy enough, they can't even choose a name, Xia Yao snorted and said, "Will it be confused?" ”

"Yes, jokes about buying the wrong plane and taking the wrong plane happen all the time."

The charter smiled, and continued: "16 duplicate names are not too many, the most popular duplicate name is Greenville, there are a total of 50 towns with this name. Second place went to Franklin with 30. Those who have renames 16 times may have to be ranked after the 30th.

The same goes for universities, Washington was the first president of the United States, and many universities like to name after him. There is a University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, which is public. There is a private Washington University in St. Louis, and it's easy to get it wrong. And that's not all, there's Washington State University in Washington State, and there's a George Washington University in Washington City, which is enough to make people dizzy.

Every time I go to the United States, the most troublesome thing is the street, the duplicate name is overflowing, and the popularity of 'Washington Road' is worse than that of 'Zhongshan Road' in China. Martin Luther King Jr. and Broadway are also often used for naming, and a city sometimes has two roads with the same name, and if you don't pay attention to the suffix, you can go wrong and you will end up in the world. ”

Xia Yao pointed to the newspaper and asked: "Then why did President Daniel use the name of this rotten street to sign up, and it would be better to take a different one?" ”

"It makes sense to take that name, the Hamburg Times, which is more or less German, and it will make readers who live in Hamburg feel relatable."

"German blood?"

The charter nodded slightly, and explained step by step: "Germans are the largest race in the United States, and Irish and British can only be ranked two or three. Before the First World War, German was a compulsory language in many states, but it took two world wars before Germany removed it from the list of official languages.

Until now, there are still many German-speaking people in Pennsylvania. In addition, there are many financial companies in the United States. For example, Goldman Sachs and Laiman. They were also founded by Germans. Eisenhower, you know for sure. He was a German, but during World War II he destroyed his ancestral country. ”

Taking this registration was obviously deliberate, Xia Yao then understood, and after thinking about it, he asked, "What about the circulation?" Popular with readers? ”

"More than 200,000 copies, everything is difficult at the beginning, it's not good, it's not bad."

BNB News earns its main income from advertisements in several newspapers and Arabic channels in Germany. There are not many satellite TV subscribers. Naturally, there are many advertisements on international channels and Spanish channels. The German-language channel is not even allowed to do advertising, only not in and out, which is simply losing money and making money.

Thinking of the only unprofitable business under the group, and thinking that he would discuss where BNB News would go after a while, Xia Yao couldn't help but say: "Husband, interlacing is like a mountain, if the news is really not good, then don't do it." ”

In order to unify management, the articles of association officially included BNB News in the scope of the management of the board of directors of the group during the Spring Festival.

Four months ago, the sub-groups and subsidiaries submitted their financial reports to the Board of Directors. After a week of analysis, Chief Financial Officer Yan Xiushi bluntly pointed out at the board meeting. BNB News is already teetering on the brink of a loss, and if it doesn't make a major adjustment, it's only a matter of time before it loses money.

As a reactive person, I know better than anyone how lucrative the industry is.

If it is done well, its profitability speed and level will far exceed the step by step, the steady development of power generation, transmission and distribution group. Even NB Electronics and NB Medical can't match it.

It's not that you were born at the wrong time, but that you were born in the wrong place.

The Germans are not rigid at all, and despite Daniel's efforts of one kind or another, and even the use of the "oolong incident" to intimidate and threaten, they are so stunned that they would rather be defendants than support the protection of TV ideas.

The tree dies, and the man lives.

If you can't afford to provoke it, you can't hide, since you don't like to be bound by the rules, then let's go to a country with perfect rules of the game to develop.

No matter how developed the German economy is not as developed as the United States, and the media industry is even more backward than Uncle Sam for an unknown number of years, the Hamburg Times is a signal that BNB News is shifting its focus to the United States.

However, the competition there is too fierce, the three major commercial television networks are deeply rooted, the five major cable television networks are strong, and the three and a half billion United States will not make a splash if they smash into it.

The charter sighed secretly and said meaningfully: "Wife, in any industry, there will be highs and lows, and there will be good times and bad times. At the trough, a considerable number of companies will choose to give up, some due to short-sightedness, some due to insufficient funds, for a variety of reasons.

The more this time, the more we should calm down and seriously analyze and think, is the industry we are engaged in has reached the end of the road, is there a day when the climax comes, is it possible to continue to persevere, and whether this kind of persistence is what our own strength can bear? ”

All along, it always felt like he was doing business as if he was playing, and I had never seen him so serious as he is today.

Xia Yao chuckled in his heart, put his arm around him and comforted: "Husband, don't say that BNB News Network hasn't lost yet, even if it loses, what?" Anyway, our investment has already been recovered, and even if we go bankrupt and close down, we will not lose anything. ”

"That being said, we can't really do that."

Charter shook his head, stroked her soft little hand and said solemnly: "First of all, we have given hope to so many people, and we can't easily disappoint so many colleagues; Secondly, the industry has a future, and the reason why it is in trouble now is entirely due to the problems with our previous development strategy; In the end, it is not yet exhaustive, and we can afford to bear the effects of strategic adjustment. ”

"Well, I'm sure you can do it well, just don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"It's still my wife who loves me."

He lowered his head and kissed it, his hand suddenly became dishonest, Xia Yao hurriedly got up and said, "Don't make trouble, it's broad daylight, Joseph and Magdalena are still outside." ”

The charter asked with a sneer: "Do you make trouble again that night?" ”

Xia Yaoqiao's face flushed, and she ran to the bathroom and turned around and said, "Big villain, I won't tell you." Do your laundry first. After washing clothes, go to the third floor. Sister Lin just called me to go to her office to play. ”

At 10:10 a.m., Lin Zhiguo, who was a guide for Prince Matebu, and his colleagues from the Group Affairs Department on the opposite side called one after another. Everyone was almost there, and the charter was escorted by Jan Joseph and Big Bear to the headquarters conference room.

As soon as Prince Metbu sat down, the dusty Daniel took out a stack of documents from his briefcase and asked, "Zhang, Your Highness, Mr. Wu, let's start?" ”

I don't know when this meeting will start, Wu Jinhua didn't want to make the two overseas company CEOs and a prince hungry, so he smiled and proposed: "Everyone, why don't we eat first." Have a meeting after eating? ”

There are so many things in the American company, Henry Pierce squeezed out the time, and the tickets to go back were booked, seeing that Prince Metbu shook his head, took the document handed by Daniel and said: "I ate on the plane, and now I am not hungry at all." ”

"Alright then, let's get started."

"I'll come first."

Henry Pierce coughed dryly, cleared his throat, and said in a low voice: "Since October 1985, Congress passed the Cable Act. The number of cable TV subscribers in the United States has grown from more than 30 million to more than 80 million now. The share of viewership accounted for by cable television networks has increased year by year, which has not only completely changed the pattern of the American television market, but also had a significant impact on American popular culture, and it can be said that cable television has entered a golden age.

In this process, the cable television system in the United States is linked to the community, and the system of one district and one station is implemented. In other words, there is only one cable TV system in each community, and there is no competition between multiple stations. Usually cable operators hold a concession approved by the municipal department that allows them to build cable stations, run cables, and provide program signals in certain neighborhoods in the city.

If the audience is not satisfied with the channels provided by this cable system, they can only make comments through the city council in order to make improvements. This method of exclusive operation of cable TV in a community has become a common way because it is more suitable for the needs of municipal construction such as laying TV cables, and avoids multiple duplicate construction.

While it is theoretically possible for each community to switch to another cable company, this is rarely the case in practice due to a series of complex issues such as hardware construction. Because of this, the competition among the major cable broadcasters is fierce when it comes to advancing into the community and competing for territory. ”

Wu Jinhua, who had studied and worked in the United States, was not ignorant of this, glanced at the charter, and asked thoughtfully: "Mr. Pierce, does this mean that BNB wants to develop in the United States and can only become a content provider, not a signal provider like now?" ”

"Yes."

Henry Pearce confirmed: "I did a preliminary count and there are now more than 10,000 cable systems in the United States, belonging to more than 120 cable system operators, the largest of which are Conqua Cable Communications, Time Warner Cable, Cox Enterprises, Charter Communications, and Edelphia Communications.

They have more than 5 million cable subscribers across the United States, with the largest of them, the largest cable carrier, having 21.41 million subscribers through mergers in recent years. The five major news networks also have their own direct television stations and hundreds of radiation television stations. ”

The articles of association and the prince are shareholders and will not express their opinions easily, Wu Jinhua glanced at the information and asked sideways: "Mr. Daniel, please tell me about your plan." ”

"Okay."

Concerned about the future of BNB News, Daniel stood up with great seriousness and said: "Gentlemen, if BNB wants to become a content provider, it must first negotiate with the cable system operator, which will probably take two years or more, and as an outsider, I don't think the results will be very optimistic."

That's why we're planning to buy KPRC-TV in Houston and KSAT-TV in San Antonio, which have long been low ratings and are financially struggling, and we are willing to do so. If the acquisition goes through, we will be able to launch our programs in the shortest possible time, without having to negotiate marathon negotiations with hundreds of cable system operators, one by one. ”

"Approximately how much money is needed?"

Daniel said expectantly, "$350 million." ”

Asking for so much money, Wu Jinhua gasped, thought about it and then asked: "Mr. Daniel, this is just the funds needed for the acquisition, if I guess correctly, in addition, you also need a promotion fund, right?" ”

"Yes, to get high ratings, you have to take every opportunity to promote yourself and your program, in addition to advertising in your own TV program, you have to launch a POP advertising campaign. At least in major cities, you see a billboard of ours every three blocks. ”

Daniel gritted his teeth and continued: "This budget is about the same as the acquisition funds, but I am convinced that the effort will definitely pay off, and I will recoup all the investment in two years at most." ”

As soon as he opened his mouth, it was 700 million, so it's no wonder that Prince Metbu wants to run here.

Seeing that he and the articles of association were silent, Wu Jinhua then asked: "NB Electric and His Royal Highness the Prince are only one of the shareholders of BNB News Network, Mr. Daniel, do you think that German Radio 2 and Luxembourg TV are willing to increase their capital for this?" ”

Daniel shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Mr. Wu, as you expected, they would rather dilute their equity than increase their capital for this." ”

"Your Royal Highness, what about you, would you like to increase your capital for this?"

Prince Matebu put down the teacup and said with a smile: "Mr. Wu, frankly speaking, I don't think the acquisition is a good idea, the risk is too big, so big that if I want to keep the existing equity, I have to take out all the assets." But I like to take risks, I believe that high risk leads to high returns, and if you guys are okay, I think I'm okay too. ”

In terms of the current business situation of BNB News Network, it is tantamount to a fool's dream to go public and raise the funds needed for mergers and acquisitions, and the group also can't come up with this huge amount of money, Wu Jinhua simply kicked the ball to the articles of association, and asked helplessly: "Mr. Zhang, what do you think?" ”

The charter weighed it and looked up and asked, "Mr. President, are there any news organizations other than BNB News that are interested in KPRC-TV and KSAT-TV?" ”

"The Washington Post has already had an informal negotiation with the two stations, and as Henry said, the competition is fierce. If we miss this opportunity, we will be involved in the U.S. cable business again in the future. ”

Prince Metbu is willing to gamble, which means that NB Electric needs to invest $550 million.

Several large projects in the laboratory will not use so much money in a year or two, and they can still be squeezed out, but if they are not enough, they can be invested by NB Bank.

What's more, there is no such shop in this village, and after weighing the articles of association several times, he resolutely said: "With the support of His Royal Highness the Prince, funding should not be a problem, but with such a large investment, BNB News Network and the American Company must come up with a set of plans that can withstand the scrutiny of the board of directors of the group and His Royal Highness the Prince." (To be continued......)