Chapter 152 Competing Commercial Radio Stations

Chapter 152 Competing Commercial Radio Stations

Chapter 152 Competing Commercial Radio Stations
As a time traveler from previous life, his daily entertainment is naturally mobile phone and computer.

I rarely watch TV anymore, and only watch it occasionally when I want to relax.

As for the radio, it is really an antique. When he came to this era, he naturally had no radio when he had no money in the early days. Later, when he had money, he just watched TV.

Many times, he even couldn't watch the TV programs of that era. Sometimes reading newspapers was better, which also led to him paying little attention to the radio.

Qin Zhiye said: "Mr. Yang, the influence of this radio station is much stronger than that of newspapers, and it also meets your purpose."

As a veteran in the newspaper industry who had been in the society for many years, he naturally knew that his boss's purpose in running the newspaper was not to make money.

In terms of profit, I guess all the newspapers in Hong Kong combined cannot make more profit than the boss’s sticky notes.

"Yeah," Yang Wendong nodded and said, "What's the matter with this commercial radio station? How many radio stations are there in Hong Kong now?"

Qin Zhiye replied: "There are currently two radio stations in Hong Kong, one is the government-run Hong Kong Public Radio, and the other is an English radio station controlled by a subsidiary of the Jardine Matheson Group. The license issued this time means that the Hong Kong government is preparing to launch a new civilian commercial radio station."

"The third radio station? I'm sure many people are interested in it, right?" Yang Wendong asked.

In an era when television was not very popular, radio was probably the only way for many people to receive emergency news quickly. It was at least half a day faster than newspapers, and the signal could be received in many locations.

Qin Zhiye shook his head and said, "Not really. Actually, there aren't many people willing to compete for it, because this radio station is just a license, nothing else, and it requires bidders to invest.

Not to mention other things, just a signal transmitter and related technical equipment would require a lot of money.

Hong Kong already has two radio stations. It is not easy for this third radio station to compete with them. With newspapers, one person can buy several copies, but with radio stations, it is impossible. You can only choose one, and the cost of the radio station operation team is also very high.

Also, there aren’t that many people in Hong Kong who can own a radio, probably only a few tens of thousands.”

"So little?" Yang Wendong hadn't expected that, so he asked, "Is the radio expensive?"

Qin Zhiye nodded and said, "It's very expensive. This thing is like a TV. It can't be produced in Hong Kong. It's all imported.

Cheap Japanese products cost one or two hundred Hong Kong dollars, and the sound quality is not that good. High-end European and American products cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which is more expensive than some televisions.

Most families are reluctant to buy a radio."

"Yes, if everything needs to be imported, it will be expensive." Yang Wendong nodded.

Although he was not quite sure what additional costs were incurred in the process of importing a product, after the reform and opening up of the mainland in the previous life, various imported electronic products were also very expensive. There was even a record that an air conditioner was worth more than a house in Yuezhou.

Qin Zhiye went on to say: “So from the perspective of economic investment, this radio station requires high investment, but the income is difficult to guarantee.

Therefore, many investors have lost interest in this. Only people like you who are interested in the media may seriously consider this matter. "

"Well, I am indeed interested in the media. Please help me find out all the details about this matter!" Yang Wendong nodded and said.

This statement is not wrong. He is interested in the media, and money, or profit, is not that important.

Whether it is his current industrial products or the Hong Kong real estate market which will be like an ATM for him in the future, they can all generate huge profits continuously.

Another point is that he needs to control certain media, because as a time traveler, he started out very quickly, and no matter which development path he takes, his foundation will be a bit unstable.

As for others, even the four major families in the future, or the shipping magnate Bao family, they all succeeded step by step, spanning more than ten or twenty years. In the long-term operation process, they will have a large number of roots and connections, and the existence of the media will not have much impact on them.

Qin Zhiye nodded and said, "Okay, I'll check it out and let you know when I'm sure."

"Hmm..." Yang Wendong then asked, "If we get this radio channel, we shouldn't need to broadcast it so soon, right? After all, we haven't even finished the newspaper office yet."

Qin Zhiye said with a smile: "Don't worry, Mr. Yang, it won't happen so quickly. A radio station license is only a legal right to own a radio station, but nothing else.

Even if we win the bid, the subsequent hardware investment will take several months or even more than half a year.

The biggest problem is people. We may need to train announcers, program planners, and marketing personnel ourselves. The radio industry is not like the newspaper industry. It is difficult to poach people.”

"Yeah, that's true." After listening to it, Yang Wendong also felt that things were not that simple.

There were only two radio stations in Hong Kong before, one belonged to the government and the other belonged to a large British company. It was not easy to poach them.

For a project like this, people are more important than hardware, and it does need to be managed well, and may even require one's own training, just like TVB, which was founded a few years later in history, also set up its own training classes, probably for the same reason.

Qin Zhiye nodded and said, "But we will have a place to work in the future. After the Hong Kong Chinese Daily News' headquarters building is built, more than half of it will be empty. It will be a good place for our sister companies to live."

"Okay, you are all considered a media company." Yang Wendong said with a smile.

The advantage of having your own property is that it is much more convenient when you need to expand new business, otherwise renting a house would be troublesome.

……

Another half month passed, and Hong Kong's newspaper market seemed to have become accustomed to the existence of a color newspaper.

When Yang Wendong came to the temporary office of Hong Kong China Daily again, Qin Zhiye came over with a data and happily reported: "Mr. Yang, the sales of our newspapers are gradually increasing. More and more people are buying them. The current average sales volume is between 3500 and 4000 copies."

"So fast? Have you done a market survey?" Yang Wendong was delighted after hearing the figures. It is very difficult to increase newspaper sales. Many newspapers in Hong Kong have been established for decades, but they still maintain a second-tier level.

Qin Zhiye said: "We have investigated and found two reasons. One is that our quality is indeed good. The color images make many people feel comfortable. After buying one and trying it, many people feel uncomfortable when watching other black and white ones.

Among these people, those with better financial conditions will continue to buy our color newspapers. Of course, in terms of content, ours is no worse than other newspapers, otherwise we would not be able to replace other newspapers.

The second one is Xiong Sheng’s martial arts novel “Sky Sword”. As the plot unfolds, it is getting more and more exciting. Even I want to urge for more updates, and many readers are also attracted. ”

"So amazing? I didn't see it." Yang Wendong smiled and asked, "Then how big do you think the gap is compared to Jin Yong's novels?"

"Hmm," Qin Zhiye thought for a moment and said, "I can't say. I'm reading both books." Yang Wendong asked again, "What about choosing one of the two? Which one do you choose?"

"If I have to choose between the two, I should choose Jin Yong." Qin Zhiye answered after thinking for a while.

"That means he is still not as good as Jin Yong." Yang Wendong smiled and said, "But this is normal. Xiong Sheng is still too young now, so it is normal for him to be a little behind Jin Yong.

But if it’s a few years or ten years later, it’s hard to say.”

Gu Long is only three years older than Yang Wendong and is only 22 years old this year. At this age, most people would have a headache writing an 800-word essay. The fact that he can write high-quality martial arts novels shows that he is gifted, just like Jin Yong.

But they are all very talented, so the smaller ones will naturally take some time to catch up.

"Mr. Yang, there is something I need to tell you." Qin Zhiye thought for a moment and finally decided to speak.

Yang Wendong asked: "What's the matter?"

Qin Zhiye said: "Mr. Xiong has started drinking recently because of a writer's block. This is nothing, but he seems to drink too much."

"Alcoholism?" Yang Wendong frowned and asked, "Does it have a big impact?"

Gu Long was an alcoholic. Many people who liked martial arts novels knew this in his previous life. According to Yang Wendong’s recent data investigation, his life was quite tragic. He was abandoned by his father when he was a child, and later his mother died. He gradually became an idle gangster.

Due to financial difficulties, he was forced to start writing martial arts novels, and then he became one of the most famous martial arts novelists in the Chinese world.

Now the appearance of Yang Wendong has changed his history and given him better conditions, but some of his previous problems still follow him, such as his love of drinking.

Qin Zhiye said: "It has a big impact. Sometimes he drinks too much. I am worried that he won't be able to write a novel, but the problem is whether his body can handle it."

"Then we have to find a way to make him drink less." Yang Wendong said with a frown.

He knew that Gu Long in his previous life died from drinking too much, and now he was in Hong Kong, no one knew what would happen to him.

After meeting and getting along occasionally over the past few months, we have become semi-ordinary friends, and he will still help if he can.

Of course, drinking is not prohibited, but it should be controlled.

"That might be a little difficult. Not letting him drink seems to interfere with his freedom." Qin Zhiye said, "Besides, he gets very bad-tempered after drinking."

"Everyone is the same after drinking." Yang Wendong paused and said, "Hong Kong should have psychologists now, right? Go find a good one and have him talk to Xiong Sheng. There must be historical reasons why he likes drinking so much at such a young age."

"Psychologist? Okay, I'll go ask." Qin Zhiye nodded and said.

Yang Wendong asked again: "How is the business radio station going?"

"I have registered with the Hong Kong government's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, and the auction will be held at the end of November." Qin Zhiye said: "However, this auction is not just a price auction, it also requires a detailed development plan.

The Hong Kong government launched the radio station not to make money, but to meet the needs of the people and society, so it must be handed over to someone who really wants to do it. "

"Well, then we need to find someone with experience in this area in advance?" Yang Wendong nodded.

Although the British Hong Kong government is not a good thing, as a government, even if it is a colonial government, they also hope for social stability. Otherwise, if there is instability, they may not be able to keep their position.

Therefore, many times, in order to maintain a stable rule, they are not short-sighted and only look at the immediate interests.

Qin Zhiye nodded and said, "Yes, I have also asked people in this field. Although there are few such people, I should be able to find them through headhunters.

But there is another problem. In addition to us, there are several other companies vying for this radio station. The most powerful one among them is called Ho Cho-chi. He is a descendant of the Ho Tung family. There are rumors in the market that he has left the Ho family to start a business, but no one knows how credible it is. "

"He Zuozhi." Yang Wendong also knew the He family. Their previous generation, He Dong, was one of the top business families in Hong Kong in the 20s and 30s. The now famous Industrial and Commercial Daily was published by the He family.

However, Mr. Ho Tung passed away a few years ago, and his family has begun to keep a low profile in recent years.

Ho Cho-chi is a more famous person after Ho Tung. He is said to be an illegitimate child and has been active in the media field for a long time. His most famous experience is the founding of ATV. However, after three years of hard work, it went bankrupt because the Hong Kong government forced it to broadcast educational programs during prime time.

Qin Zhiye said: "Yes, Mr. He has been working in a radio station in Macau for the past few years. His radio station also sends signals to Hong Kong, but because the distance is too far, the effect is particularly poor.

Now that the Hong Kong government has launched a new radio station, he is naturally the most active. "

"Having experience in this area is an advantage." Yang Wendong nodded.

Qin Zhiye added: "This is an advantage, so we also need another advantage, and this can only be done by Yang Sheng;

The radio station is managed by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, and I have already contacted their people, treated them to a meal, and paid them what they should;

However, the people I can contact are only of ordinary level, and you will have to communicate with them on your side for the higher level ones."

"Yes, that's the truth." Yang Wendong nodded.

When meeting with senior government officials, the boss usually has to go in person, unless your company is very large and can ignore the local government. However, this is obviously impossible in Hong Kong, as it is just a city.

Qin Zhiye said: "Then I'll be in the middle, let's make contact."

"No need." Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "It's not appropriate for you to be in the middle. I will ask Zhao Chengguang to see if he can get in touch. He has good connections in Hong Kong. Even if he can't get in touch, someone he knows should be able to get in touch."

Hong Kong is a small city, and the relationships there are actually not that complicated. Basically, you can find the person you need with the help of two more people.

Qin Zhiye nodded and said, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)