Chicago 1990

The latest website: It’s not difficult to open a TV station, especially a cable station in the United States, because the early cable TV network was actually just a spontaneously built infrastructure in remote areas or mountainous areas where the radio signal was poor. Private companies or community residents raised funds to build a TV tower , And then use cables to connect wireless radio and television signals to the home, something that has been available in 4.8 years.

Later, some cable TV networks discovered that subscriber resources were actually available, so they launched their own TV channels. These are cable TV stations. Therefore, these TV stations generally have very distinct territories. Most of them are operated on small scales, scattered all over the place. .

This kind of monopolistic position in the whole rice dish and in some areas has caused the TV stations to be very complacent. They are not eager to follow up the development of new technologies, but also repel competition. Therefore, the positions of the three major wireless stations NBC, ABC, and CBS are very stable.

In the 1980s, this industry gradually and slowly formed some medium-powered TV networks and operators such as TBS and TCI. Then John Malone, the president of TCI, who was known as the godfather of cable TV, was born. He accelerated small and medium-sized enterprises through continuous mergers and acquisitions. The integration of cable TV networks, and the use of the integrated channel resources to launch a 500-channel plan, has made subscribers' independent choice so rich for the first time. At the same time, such large-scale capital expenditures and fixed asset investments have kept TCI in high debt. The barbaric expansion of the low tax burden drew criticism and investigation led by then Senator Al Gore.

However, John Malone remained unmoved. In the 1990s, he faced competition from the digital satellite TV industry. He united with the telegraph and telephone company, a telecommunications giant, to use the strong user base and cable laying and home installation of the established telecom operators. The team went further to grab the market frantically, while actively embracing digital TV technology.Finally, before the passage of the telecommunications bill, the most precious user resources were seized first, and the cable industry was in a favorable situation in the competition. Now it is the turn of the three major wireless TV networks to be forced to plan to add cable stations instead of the other way around. Up.

Under the leadership of TCI, other cable TV operators had to follow up. The small and medium-sized cable TV networks and TV stations across the country were either merged with others or were merged, or were ruthlessly eliminated in the cruel competition. It also takes a little luck. For example, MCHammer’s California local station was at the last moment of losing business and was about to go bankrupt and was acquired by a new player in the cable TV industry at a high premium, Comcast.

"Hammer, how are you doing?"

Song Ya is also playing Comcast’s idea. In fact, this is almost his only choice. The TV network larger than theirs now looks down on a newly-started black news station, which is smaller than his, and cooperates. Pointless.

Comcast moved later than TCI and is considered to be one of John Malone’s most successful imitators. It only began to increase the intensity and frequency of acquisitions in the mid to late 1980s, and just completed two billion dollars last year and the first half of this year. Mergers and acquisitions of the above scale and some capital injections for the purpose of holding,The number of direct users has reached nearly five million, and the total number of users of the holding company is about eight million.

It is also due to the lateness of each step, his channel resources are definitely far inferior to TCI. For example, the boss Jr. Roberts has always been very jealous of TCI's BET occupying most of the black subscriber market, and buying MCHammer's black channel is also for this purpose, but Obviously, the business was at a loss. After MCHammer's station was acquired by them, the number of subscribers has not increased, and the loss has been even worse.

Therefore, MCHammer was very satisfied with the merger. Since the timing of Comcast's proposal for the acquisition happened to be after he escaped from the Compton Radio shooting, which is the UZI gunshot of Sinaloa, he directly took this The two good fortunes were attributed to God, and the gods began to talk every day.

"I am fine, my mood has never been so peaceful and happy. APLUS, you and Linda should come here often, you first listen to me and give you a paragraph, Matthew says in the Gospel..."

He started preaching to visiting Song Ya and Linda without saying anything. This guy is an individual talent. When he was a singer, he was the first hip-hop singer with his own record company. He lost tens of millions of fortunes for three to five years. I was defeated. Now I am a religious believer and I am doing well. I heard that I will soon become a full-fledged pastor in the local evangelical church.

"Yo, Amen."

Anyway, this guy looks much more reliable than before. Song Ya casually dealt with and chatted with him. By the way, he waited for the Comcast executives whom Linda asked him to make an appointment. "You still mix with Sugnett and the others. together?"

"Well, we often get together. Su Ge likes to take me and Dad Kane around. Las Vegas. He likes Las Vegas. He often goes there to visit Mike Tyson. They can have fun together."

MCHammer should also know that Sughnet enjoys the embrace of the two veteran hip-hop singers on the east and west coasts. He is not disgusted. Sughnet did help him a lot to save him from bankruptcy. He also signed a death row record. People under the eaves, he recognized it, but he didn't rush to release the record. It was too late. It was important to serve God.

"Luckily you didn't buy my TV station back then." He broke his fingers and settled, "Otherwise I will lose a lot..."

"At that time, APLUS didn't want to help you, he really didn't want to take advantage of you." Linda helped the new boss explain to the old boss.

"I know, Linda, I sometimes regret not listening to your advice..."

MCHammer looked around at his current residence. It was still not small, but it was so shabby than his previous manor house that he didn't know where it was. Most of the attendants were also gone, but there were still people who ate the grass and he still couldn't get rid of them. But those guys should have constrained a lot, "But thinking about it, maybe this is God's test of me..." he said.

"Yes." Song Ya nodded frequently, following his words.

Comcast's people visited on time, "Then I won't disturb you, let's talk." MCHammer left wittily.

"Hello, APLUS, I heard Hammer say that you also intend to open your own channel?"

Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia, and the visitors are branch managers from the California side and the top executives of the Chicago branch. For the first time, they attach great importance to the popular singer and billionaire in front of them. "Cooperate with us, right?"

"Yes, I plan to set up a new TV station, so I need your channel resources, and I plan to broadcast it on Comcast's TV network."

Song Ya didn't talk nonsense, "A+ Cable News."

"Wow, news channel? No problem!"

The other party answered very quickly. After John Malone launched the 500 channels plan, followers like them also followed up on the number of channel resources. For hundreds of channels, in fact, most families only order the headline ones. Ten, the rest are either niche and professional channels, such as the NBC legal channel that became popular because of the Simpson case, and channels targeting specific regions or small sports categories, or simply some magic sticks and TV sales promotion. Channel.In short, TCI has 500 units, and Comcast cannot be too few, which makes them willing to accept new players with good qualifications, which is better than the bad ones that make up the number.

"The TV station headquarters will be in Chicago."

Song Ya said to the senior from Chicago, "We've dealt with, haven't we?" This person is a bit familiar.

"APLUS, I attended your engagement ceremony in Highland Park, did you forget?" the other party smiled.

"Oh, remembering it."

The two parties talked cordially and friendly. At first, they thought that Song Ya was only inspired by MCHammer's "successful experience" and wanted to join the TV industry for fun, but as the initial contact progressed, their faces gradually became serious.

"Twenty-four rolling broadcasts, dedicated to serious African news channels?"

The Chicago executive’s eyes lit up, "You plan to allocate some resources from the Inner City Broadcasting Company to Chicago, right? From Detroit? As far as I know, the Inner City Broadcasting Company does not have a radio station in Chicago..."

"Uh, in fact, I haven't reached an agreement with the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, but in any case, I am very careful about this TV station, and the speed will not be too slow." Song Ya said.

"Are you so confident?" the manager of the California branch asked: "Can it be launched immediately after the telecommunications bill is passed?"

"I'm not waiting for a telecommunications bill, I just get a TV channel, and it will only be broadcast on your Comcast network."

There is competition and cooperation between current cable TV networks and resource provider TV stations. For example, HBO, one of the leading cable stations, was broadcast on its own TV network and Warner TV network. At the time of the late 1970s, it was still on a large scale. Comcast, a small company, also began to introduce HBO channels for its own users to subscribe.According to Gordon’s estimation, if he quits from BET, Johnson will never allow his new channel to appear on the TCI TV network. So Song Ya will simply sign an exclusive broadcast agreement with Comcast. Get Comcast's greater resource tilt, and can also compete with Johnson without directly breaking the face.

Of course, now I want to say that it is too early to compete with a big channel that has the 21st place in the number of all-meter cable subscribers, but Song Ya can feel that Johnson is obviously a little jealous of himself, and it is better not to conflict directly for the time being.

He smiled and said: "My new TV station complies with all the provisions of the current law. What changes the telecommunications bill will bring about that level of things has nothing to do with me. I am not ambitious."

"Twenty-four hours serious African American News Channel..." The other party repeated it again, obviously not believing that he was not very ambitious.

"Just...just like those radio stations that care about current affairs, it's nothing more than moving the host and guests of the conversation to the TV camera, and then buying some domestic and foreign news reprint rights, and then Balabala points to current malpractices..." Song Ya said.

"There is foreign news?" Comcast's people glanced at each other. "Then we are going to report to the headquarters. Before we came, we greeted the boss Mr. Roberts Jr., he is very interested in you APLUS."

"Okay, okay, I only have a preliminary plan for you at the moment. If the project starts, I will definitely dig people in the industry, so please keep it secret anyway." Song Ya asked Linda to take out the documents and hand them to the other party.

"Okay, we will get back to you as quickly as possible." Comcast's people got up and left.

"Hammer, also keep APLUS secret, don't tell others that we have met Comcast people."

When leaving MCHammer's house, Linda reminded the old owner.

"Don't worry, I promise God." MCHammer solemnly beat his chest.

"APLUS? That kid went to my house a few days ago and met the people from Comcast. He also wanted to learn from me and start a TV station haha."

But the next day, he drunkly grunted Sugonite out in Las Vegas.

"Just let him die..." Sugnet cursed dismissively.

Then when Sugnet went to the prison to visit 2PAC the next day, he casually raised the matter with the other party.

What no one knows is that 2PAC secretly made an outside pen pal in prison. It was the sister of Rashida Jones, who was openly scolded by him in the media, and Quincy Jones’ eldest daughter, Kidada Jones. ,'S ex-girlfriend, this circle is really not big...

"The APLUS you hate most seems to want to open a TV station."

Kidada Jones automatically ignored 2PAC's words that she didn't allow her to disclose the content of the letter to others, and said his father at the dinner table.

"I know that the kid wants to buy the Inner City Broadcasting Company. By then, he will have more than one TV station, of course all small stations."

Quincy Jones didn't care and continued to eat.

"Aren't you going to stop him?" Kidada Jones asked.

"Let him buy it, the Inner City Broadcasting Company will make him cry so hard he can't cry."

The relationship between Quincy Jones and Dinkins and others is not bad, he actually knows the Inner City Broadcasting Company far better than Song Ya.

"Poor old man, you will get more scolding when APLUS owns that media."

Rashida Jones, who listened silently, smiled, "That Louise report is his, right? I caught you and Uncle Simmons at every opportunity in the past two years."

"Eat yours, don't talk about that pesky at the table."

The old man wiped his mouth uncomfortably, dropped his napkin, and returned to the study to call his old friend Russell Simmons, "Are you concerned about the APLUS and Inner City Broadcasting Corporation?"

"Yes, what's the matter?" Russell Simmons asked.

"How about we make him a little trouble? At least let him spend more money."

"I don't have the strength to compete with him now..." Russell Simmons is not doing well after losing control of DefJam records.

"Take some people? Sutton and his sons will be happy to see a new competitor appear, count me."

Quincy Jones said: "The Inner City Broadcasting Company is still valuable. Although the kid is bad, he is not stupid. He dares to jump in. Why should we not dare? We are much more familiar with Inner City Broadcasting Company than he is. After being taken to this media by that kid, we will wait for three days to get scolded on the news! That's the Manhattan Gang! The influence is far from the California tabloid."

"Well, I think about it and wait for my reply." Russell Simmons also moved and hung up.